John Galliano has officially launched his first collaboration with Zara, with the collection arriving as Re{form} Vol. 1, a genderless lineup built from the retailer’s own archives. The debut marks the beginning of a two-year partnership between the British designer and the Spanish fashion giant, bringing Galliano’s couture-driven approach to a series of reconstructed Zara garments. The collection is available now through Zara’s website and selected physical stores.
The Zara x John Galliano collection arrives with a campaign photographed by Steven Meisel and reflects Galliano’s return to a major fashion project following his departure from Maison Margiela in December 2024. Rather than creating a conventional designer capsule, Galliano worked with existing Zara pieces as starting points, cutting, resizing, layering and reconstructing them into new silhouettes. The result pushes familiar shirts, dresses, tailoring and accessories into considerably more experimental territory.
Galliano Reworks Zara’s Archives
Re{form} Vol. 1 is built around a process of dismantling and reconstruction. Archival Zara garments were treated as raw material and transformed using techniques associated with couture, allowing pieces that would normally function as everyday wardrobe staples to take on completely different forms.
Among the collection’s transformations is an oversized Zara button-up shirt finished with a foil print that gives it the appearance of a leather coat. A lace shift dress has been reconstructed into a ruffled collar, while tailoring features repositioned pockets that change the proportions and attitude of the garments.
Elsewhere, trousers are cut and rebuilt into cropped, voluminous shapes, while layered garments create trompe-l’oeil effects that make multiple pieces appear to form a single structured look. John Galliano’s first collection with Zara focuses less on adding decoration to existing garments and more on changing their construction.
Historical References Shape Re{form}
Galliano also draws from several historical and cultural references for the first volume. The collection looks toward Les Incroyables and Les Merveilleuses, the flamboyant figures of post-Revolutionary France who also inspired the designer’s 1984 Central Saint Martins graduate collection.
Those influences appear through frock coats, breeches, dramatic outerwear and formal tailoring, while other pieces bring in elements of film noir and traditional gardening wardrobes. The references span different periods rather than adhering to a single historical aesthetic, giving the collection a deliberately mixed visual language.
The color palette moves between darker shades including black, navy, brown, burgundy and dark green and lighter horticultural tones such as khaki, mint, pale blue, olive and ochre. Purple, turquoise, orchid pink and acid green introduce brighter cinematic notes.
Couture Techniques Transform Everyday Pieces
Several techniques developed specifically for the project give the collection its distinctive construction. The Flix technique uses layered garments to create an impression of movement, while The Shift focuses on trompe-l’oeil effects that challenge the appearance and function of individual pieces.
Other methods include In-Cut-Yable, which involves hacking into outerwear, and Wrapture, which takes skirts, slips and linings and reconstructs them into wrap silhouettes. Plume Zoom creates a feather-like appearance through fabric rather than actual feathers.
Materials throughout the collection include chiffon, georgette, point d’esprit, charmeuse, tulle and net. Tailored pieces use wool, shirts are made from poplin, and leather appears across several skirts and accessories. Faux fur and georgette faux plumes add further texture.
Stephen Jones Adds to the Accessories
The collaboration extends beyond clothing into footwear, bags and headwear. Galliano worked with longtime milliner Stephen Jones to reinterpret Zara’s existing headwear, resulting in lace bonnets, waxed bucket hats and unraveling knit beanies.
The Tri-Chic bag is another standout accessory. Inspired by bin liners, the design can be worn in three different ways, including as a backpack, and features straps with a metal chain fastening. Naval boots and leather T-strap heels complete the footwear offering, while opera gloves and knee-high socks add to the collection’s period-inspired styling.
The Zara x John Galliano collection also includes simpler pieces for shoppers looking for a less theatrical entry point. Pure-cashmere V-neck sweaters, knitted waistcoats, T-shirts and a cropped graphic tee sit alongside the more elaborate dresses and reconstructed tailoring.
Steven Meisel Photographs the Campaign
Steven Meisel photographed the campaign accompanying Re{form} Vol. 1, bringing another major fashion name into Galliano and Zara’s first chapter. The project also includes an appointment-only installation in a Parisian hôtel particulier, where the creative process behind the collection is explored.
The Zara x John Galliano collection is the first release from the designers’ planned two-year partnership, with additional chapters expected to follow. Re{form} Vol. 1 is now available through Zara, with prices ranging from $29.99 to $999.99.
For Galliano, the launch represents his first major fashion project since leaving Maison Margiela. For Zara, it marks a collaboration built around its own history, with the retailer’s archive becoming the foundation for a collection that substantially alters the original garments.
Shop select pieces from the collection
Featured image: Steven Meisel
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