London-based fashion brand Knwls brought a bold British edge to Milan on Wednesday night, making its first show outside London at the industrial Padiglione Visconti. The high-energy runway featured models walking through a translucent box while a DJ delivered thumping techno beats, unveiling the label’s latest collaboration with Nike, including pointed sneakers, athletic corsets, and second-skin separates in Knwls’s signature denim wash.
Charlotte Knowles, co-founder of the label with Alexandre Arsenault, shared, “It’s quite nice to shake things up once in a while… We need people in different places to connect with the brand in a physical way.” The collaboration with Nike, alongside a still-undisclosed Milan project, gave Knwls the resources to invest in set design, production, and marketing while maintaining its futuristic, performance-driven aesthetic.
Over half of the looks showcased in the Spring/Summer 2026 collection were from the Nike tie-up, offering versatile pieces for club, gym, and streetwear. The remaining designs continued Knwls’s performance-focused ethos, including scuba jackets and intricately strapped prairie-inspired dresses.
Strategically shifting production from Italy to Portugal and Türkiye, the brand ensured high-quality output at lower costs, allowing Knwls to focus on direct-to-consumer engagement and maintain competitive pricing amid a challenging global retail landscape. The US remains its largest market, while South Korea’s K-pop influence has spurred demand, particularly after Blackpink’s Jennie and Lisa wore Knwls pieces earlier this year.
Knwls’s Milan debut marks a significant step in expanding the brand’s global footprint and connecting with a new international audience, reinforcing its reputation for innovation, collaboration, and boundary-pushing design.
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