The defining piece of the spring 2026 collections is a sea change of creative directors, and while the conversation is focused on European brands, the truly first out of the gate is Nicholas Aburn at Area.
Walking into the bright show space, you could already feel change in the air. “I want a fresh palette, fresh minds,” he said of being first in the lineup of new creatives showing this season. “I’d rather just swing now.”
His early thoughts when he joined the brand centered on the “tough optimism of New York. Here anything is possible,” he said at a preview, adding that he thought of Area as “nighttime brand, a kind of a fantasy brand. But I want to layer in daytime and reality.”
So what does the Area downtown cool girl wear during the day? Well, all black of course, like a satin drop shoulder oversize hoodie — one of the first pieces he created when he joined the brand — or a slinky long-sleeve sheer top with under bra details, or a good classic pant with cummerbund details. Cool, sexy, sensual and arguably could be worn in the day.
He went big with denim, an Area signature. “We’re working on kind of expanding that language of jeans in new ways,” he reported. It came slashed, with crystals peeking out, or a gown resulting from a jean — one look sheepishly took the legs of a jean and twisted them into a skirt, like a massive bow.
As the music got louder, out came the showstoppers Area is known for, a few a nod to former designer Piotrek Panszczyk. These included a dress with crystal cording rope that snaked and cascaded down the body, easy to see on a young music starlet or a girl dancing away at a Bushwick rave.
“Everything that Piotrek did had a strength. That’s definitely something that I hope I can do justice for,“ he said of his predecessor.
The drum line as soundtrack swelled and the finale looks hit the runway: a multicolored pom-pom stunner, supersized silver paillettes encased another model and a multicolored streamer frock rounded it out.
Aburn is writing a new chapter, but he’s not throwing out the playbook, rather infusing a bit of his idea of day to elevate Area, taking it out of the shadows of night into the light of a serious fashion business with pieces built for retail.