John Galliano's Re{form} for Zara goes on sale October 1 after Met exit

John Galliano has revealed Re{form}, the first collection of his collaboration with Zara, as Paris Fashion Week continues. It goes on sale globally on October 1 at zara.com and in Zara stores worldwide. It is his first fashion project since he left Maison Margiela.

The collection is part of an ongoing two-year partnership with the Spanish brand. Galliano left Maison Margiela in December 2024 after a ten-year tenure. The announcement was a surprise, though October 1 was the date on which the collection had been expected to be revealed.

Galliano says he is drawing on memories of Zara, reworking past pieces through acts of cutting, dismantling and reassembling. The collection notes call Re{form} an act of revolution, reconstruction and renewal, describing it as the couturier's exchange with the archives of the fashion purveyor.

What the collection contains

Re{form} carries several Galliano hallmarks, starting with dresses cut on the bias, the pattern-cutting technique most associated with him, particularly during his years at Dior. Trompe l'oeil layering is another, with garments deconstructed to reveal linings or underwear beneath.

The fabric list is rich: chiffon voilant, georgette, point d'esprit, charmeuse, tulle and net. Historical costume supplies the references, from Napoleonic naval coats to opera gloves. Ceremonial millinery was created alongside Stephen Jones, a longtime Galliano collaborator.

Galliano has divided the collection into techniques. Re{form}ing means every garment references the Zara archive. The Flix is a sheer coat designed to be worn over other coats in the collection. The Shi/ft transforms one garment into another, and Deep Pockets uses expansive pockets to shape how the wearer inhabits a garment.

Influences include Les Incroyables and Les Merveilleuses, described as the defiant dandies and divas of post-Revolutionary France. The former was the title of his 1984 Central Saint Martins graduate show, which propelled him to overnight fame. The latter has inspired collections at his own label, Givenchy and Maison Margiela.

The campaign was shot by Steven Meisel. The collection will also be shown as an installation in a hôtel particulier in the Marais during Paris Fashion Week, accessible by appointment via zara.com, while the clothes themselves reach shops and the website on the same October 1 date.

A return after the Met cancellation

The launch follows the cancellation of John Galliano: Horizons, a retrospective of his work planned at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Its opening would have coincided with the Met Gala, held each year on the first Monday of May.

Galliano withdrew from the exhibition after renewed controversy over the anti-semitic remarks he made in 2011. French authorities charged him with a hate crime, and Dior dismissed him as creative director. He later entered rehab and apologised to Jewish leaders.

In a statement he said he did not want the debate surrounding him to place the Met in a difficult position or distract from the Costume Institute's work. He added that he recognised an exhibition honoring his work would be painful for some.

He returned to fashion in 2014 with his role at Maison Margiela, the Paris house that removed its own name from its clothes and left four white stitches where the logo would go. Re{form} recalls that period, since he drew there on founder Martin Margiela's deconstructionist principles.

His shows for Dior unfolded amid dramatic sets and mined history for inspiration. His closing Artisanal show for Maison Margiela, held under the full moon, conjured doll-like figures on the misted banks of the River Seine, with faces rendered like porcelain by make-up artist Pat McGrath.

Maison Margiela also features in our guide to the best bracelets for men, alongside Vincero and Gucci. Galliano's move to Zara puts his work in a very different retail setting from the couture houses where he made his name.

Re{form} is the first chapter of the two-year deal. The sources do not say when the next one arrives, so the only dated event is the October 1 on-sale, with the Marais installation open by appointment while Paris Fashion Week continues.