Daniel Fletcher’s sophomore runway collection for the Guangzhou-based label Mithridate built on the clean vision he unveiled in February: a contemporary take on British heritage for the TikTok generation.
Considering how many influential content creators were sitting front row alongside the likes of Asa Butterfield, Ellie Bamber, Nick Grimshaw and Chinese actor Zhang Youhao, the mission was half accomplished even before the show started.
Presented at the grand Paul Hamlyn Hall at the Royal Opera House, the Mithridate spring 2026 lineup told a convincing story of young boys and girls of the English upper echelon waking up in their respective stately homes, taking their dogs for a walk on their private estates, before heading to London’s King’s Road for a proper night out with their mates.
“I took inspiration from the ’80s and this idea of the town and country coming together, the mix of materials, taking something familiar, like a cotton striped shirting and mixing it with sequins, or finding something that you might stumble across in the country manor, like a carpet, and turning that into a dress,” said Fletcher.
He picked that specific era because it was a period of political change and unrest, something that resonates with today’s audience.
Overall, it was a strong lineup with great, youthful energy, with standouts including classic cable knits, a perfectly-cut slipdress with tasseled scarves, various preppy layerings, as well as dinner shirts that morphed into tuxedos and double-breasted jackets that were turned into dresses.