In a blaze of crimson light, Jenn Lee’s SS26 presentation entitled Bites The Rose at London Fashion Week unfolded like a ritual. Set against raw brick walls and framed by sweeping red curtains, the runway became less of a catwalk, and more like an epicentre of grunge staging. The models stood still as though they were statues caught mid-incantation – letting the garments speak with a kind of magnetic intensity. 

This season, Lee doubled down on her rebellious codes of punk romanticism, deconstruction, and unapologetic sensuality. There was a striking play between structure and fluidity in this collection: a cropped white shirt, ballooned at the sleeves, was paired with a scarlet, ruffled mini skirt layered over black trousers to create an almost militant silhouette softened by its playful proportion. Beside it, a long, blood-red halter dress hung with monastic restraint. It's high neckline was closed with ties that felt both austere and erotic.

Throughout this sharp and theatrical presentation, texture was everywhere. One standout look featured a corset-like bodice built from what looked like distressed leather strips, wrapped around the torso with a raw, bark-like quality. It read like armour primal yet delicate, evoking a sense of both survival and transformation. The collection’s darker pieces were equally potent: slinky black dresses clung and draped around the body with a shadowy seduction, punctuated by sharp chokers and thigh-high platform boots that elevated the mood into gothic futurism.

There was something deeply communal about the staging of this runway. The models formed a line, shoulder-to-shoulder, as though preparing for a reckoning became a quiet army of Lee’s vision by the end of the showcase. The red lighting soaked the entire scene in urgency, amplifying the collection’s emotional register.

Jenn Lee’s SS26 was not just about clothes, but about the body as a vessel for resistance and self-expression. In a season where many designers lean into escapism, Lee planted her feet firmly in the present. Gritty and unflinching. It was a call to arms, but also to intimacy. Bite the rose, Lee coaxes, and see what happens when you embrace both fragility and destruction.

Words By: Anya Duncan
Images Courtesy: Dyelog PR