"(DIS) CONNECTED" — Identity, Vulnerability & Visible Truth

Lilia Litkovska's SS26 titled "(DIS) CONNECTED" stands as a powerful meditation on what it means to belong—and to feel apart. In a time when connections are at once hyper-digital and deeply fragmented, Litkovska pushes us to consider the tension between visibility and invisibility, silence and voice. The collection feels personal, political, raw, and refined all at once.

Drawing from art brut, materials like camouflage mesh (traditionally used for concealment in war) are reinterpreted—dyed pink, reframed, turned into metaphor. What once protected is made to be seen; what concealed becomes a declaration. This shift is more than aesthetic; it carries emotional weight.

Litkovska's signature tailoring is present, but SS26 deconstructs and reassembles it. Jackets are transformable; hems sometimes raw. Dresses and plastron-pieces incorporate sheer muslin or lace panels, softening sharp lines, adding vulnerability to structure. Denim appears in contrast to lace or embroidery; rigid masculine shapes collide with tender feminine touches.

Accessories and embellishments are not afterthoughts. Wooden flowers, clay embellishments, visible seams—every detail adds to the narrative of honesty, of object and person both marked by fragility and defiance.

The palette balances between muted grit and surprising color. Early looks lean into neutrals, raw textures, military references. As the show progresses, flashes of red, pink embroidery, even floral accents rise up—not to soften, but to insist. Layers, positivity, and relief emerge out of the tension.

The emotional arc seems to move from concealment towards confession: from garments that guard, to ones that reveal; from silhouettes tightly structured to pieces that loosen, flow, allow breath. In this, the runway becomes a space of witnessing.

Litkovska takes a strong idea-disconnection, visibility vs hiding—and holds it through fabric, form, and staging rather than letting fashion become an empty gesture. The juxtaposition of harsh and gentle, of utility fabric and delicate lace, of visible seams and raw edges, gives the collection texture not just physically but emotionally. The use of the camouflage net backdrop dyed pink, the performance by Ukrainian artists, the cultural references—all add gravity and context. It's more than clothes: it’s a message.

Some of the more avant-garde or deconstructed elements may challenge wearability. Not every piece lends itself to an everyday wardrobe; its power may be more symbolic or editorial. The balance between roughness and refinement is delicate; raw hems, visible seams, deconstructed tailoring are powerful but risk looking accidental if not executed with precision in each look. Because the emotional weight is high, lighter moments (color, softer fabrics) are essential to prevent fatigue or heaviness for the viewer. This season, those moments appear, but their placement is crucial.

"(DIS)CONNECTED" feels like a manifesto by Litkovska—not merely of style, but of being. It asks: how do we live with our scars? How do we show up when the world tries to hide us or force us to hide ourselves? SS26 doesn't give easy answers, but it gives truth; it shows strength in vulnerability.

In a fashion week of spectacle, this collection stands out as one that lingers—not just on the eye, but in the heart. Litkovska reminds us that authenticity can be both rough and gorgeous, that what is unseen sometimes demands to be seen the most.