Closer Look: Collina Strada FW26 Footwear
Hillary Taymour’s creative vision continues to evolve alongside the current state of the world, the designer’s Collina Strada-verse acting as its own safe space amidst all the harsh realities that remain out of our control. Taymour has built an immersive world where rules are meant to be broken, and norms encouraged to be challenged, crafting a colorful, chaotically cohesive universe where everyone who enters is free to be themselves. On the heels of the Spring/Summer 2026 “Shade” showcase – which commented on the duality of light and dark – comes Fall/Winter 2026’s “The World Is A Vampire.””As the metaphorical and literal weather worsens outside, we withdraw into self-made sanctuaries. After all, a vampire cannot enter unless invited in,” begin the show notes, contextualizing the new Collina chapter we’re witnessing.”We bundle up inside, draw the curtains to shut out the light and the noise, and dream of better worlds outside our windows. The snow falls delicately with intention, grace, and poise inside our perfect satin-lined snow globes. No crusty banks of slippery, nasty ICE on our streets. We wrap ourselves in translucent layers, and organza collars rise at the neck in protection. We start to fade from the mirror, because we don’t reflect this brutal world; we’re only seen on our own terms. The world is trying to turn us, but we’re hanging on to humanity, even as our fangs sharpen with disillusionment. Despite all our rage, we are still just bats in a cage, but at least our fur is plant-based, and our cage is Collina.”Complementing the new collection – which leaned into a darker color palette than typical for Taymour – came vampy beauty looks and an even vampier, yet still-classic Collina Strada soundtrack. However, the Fall/Winter 2026 footwear collaborations proved a particular high point of the showcase. KEEN was the official footwear partner of the show, presenting reworked iterations of two of its classic silhouettes: the Targhee EXP Collina Strada Boot and the Jasper Rocks Collina Strada Sneaker. Converse also contributed a pair of low-top Chuck Taylors, reimagined through the Collina lens.Take a closer look at this season’s footwear in the gallery above, and read the full interview with Hillary Taymour below.Let’s start with the name of the collection: “The World Is a Vampire.” Why did you choose that name? Everything feels really soul-sucking right now. There’s a lot of energy being drained out of us. We need to figure out how to protect ourselves because the vampire can’t come in unless you let it inside.How do you use Collina Strada as an outlet in this chaotic world in which we often feel as though we have no control?I just try to make a safe space for everyone to express themselves, and right now, I just want to be a strong woman-owned business that can fight for our own rights, be stable, and support our community. I try to be the best version of myself to support myself, my team, and everyone.One of my favorite parts of your show every season is the soundtrack. Could you share more about how you curated this year’s? I worked with TT.BRITT on the soundtrack. He was amazing. We worked for a while to get this perfect vampy energy, but it still feels very modern and fun. So many layers.The footwear was incredible – could you tell me more about the collaborations? We have a collaboration coming out with KEEN in October, which I’m super excited about. We did two silhouettes with them. Then there’s also a Converse collaboration in there, too.Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast
