By pretty much every measurable metric, 2025 was a huge year for Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault of KNWLS. Like… the kind of year you fantasize about and then immediately regret manifesting because OH MY GOD, the workload. The brand—hitting its 10-year mark next year, which feels both wild and fake—dropped a splashy, blink-and-you-missed-it collaboration with Nike, released a capsule with Miss Sixty, did an extended stint designing for a major Italian denim house, and staged their first-ever runway show in Milan during Fashion Week. Casual.

“It’s been a pretty crazy time,” Knowles said, which might be the understatement of the decade. Incredible, yes. Grateful, obviously. But also—burned out. Like, deeply. Too many projects overlapping, too many plates spinning at once. So they made a decision that feels… healthy? Radical? Both? They stepped back from their responsibilities at the denim brand to recalibrate. The Nike partnership, though, is still very much alive. When we spoke, Knowles had literally just come from a Pilates class cohosted by the brand and was still in her KNWLS x Nike workout gear. If balance is the goal, at least it’s starting with core strength.

What made the Nike drop hit so hard was that smart fusion of KNWLS DNA—corsetry, lingerie codes, trippy prints—with proper technical sportswear. But for the fall collection, the duo wanted to shift gears and flex something else: their ability to work with history. (They’ve long cited Nicolas Ghesquière’s era at Balenciaga as a North Star, and you can see it—the way past and future blur without tipping into costume.) This season leaned distinctly Victorian: strict waists, puffed sleeves, ruffles, a moody palette of blacks, browns, and grays. But make no mistake—it was still very KNWLS. Still sharp. Still sexy. Think a leather corset top with antique lingerie-style ruching at the bust, or a killer leather jacket with super-wide cropped sleeves and a detachable ruff-inspired collar, cut from skived nappa leather and bonded to neoprene so it moved like sculpture instead of armor.

They went deep on prints, too—developing patterns from vintage men’s pocket squares and stretching them across sheer blouses and skirts, all pulled together with harness-like collars and belts. One standout slip dress nodded to antique 1930s underwear, sliced apart and stitched back together with hooks, clasps, and strings. At first glance, it looked almost undone—messy, even—but up close, the construction was freakishly precise. Anatomical. Intentional.

To snap everything back into the now, many looks were grounded with a new belt style set to launch at a more accessible price point—featuring lacquered metal elliptical buckles that looked like tiny spaceships (in the best way). There was also a quietly great take on prep fever: thin merino sweaters with striped mohair V-necks, blouson-y shoulders, and tightly cinched waists. The duo has talked for years about wanting to grow with their customer—to design for someone a little more grown, a little more grounded—and this season, you can really see it. Especially when the mainline collection sits alongside the slinkier silhouettes from Nike. The contrast works. It sharpens everything.

Instead of a runway, all of this lived inside a beautifully considered pop-up just off Denmark Street. The lookbook—shot by Aidan Zamiri, because of course—lined the walls in burnished metal frames, surrounded by artworks from friends and collaborators. There were books curated by cult-favorite dealer Studio Nocturne, plus concertina racks and industrial-style changing rooms designed by Emilia Margulies, which will eventually migrate to the KNWLS studio as a more permanent fitting space. World-building, but make it practical.

“The ability to create this little world, and bring together all these people we admire—it’s incredibly exciting,” Knowles said. And honestly? You could feel it. If 2026 is about finding balance—between ambition and sustainability, creativity and sanity, Pilates and everything else—then Knowles and Arsenault are already stretching in the right direction.