Constructed Surfaces
Daniel del Valle approaches fashion through material rather than silhouette. Raised in southern Spain and trained informally through domestic craft and his family’s bakery, his early exposure to embroidery, ceramics, and bread-making continues to inform his work. After relocating to London at nineteen, he expanded that foundation through work in floristry and installation, developing a practice that sits between garment, object, and environment.
Presented during London Fashion Week, THEVXLLEY’s Autumn Winter 2026 collection, The Narcissist, marked a significant step in consolidating that language. Rather than following a conventional seasonal structure, the collection reads as a body of work built over time, where each piece reflects a specific material investigation tied to personal history.
Ceramic plays a central role throughout. Mosaic-like constructions form rigid surfaces across the torso, translating still life imagery into structured compositions. In one look, a vase of flowers appears not as print or embroidery, but as a carefully assembled field of small, tile-like elements. The effect is architectural. These garments do not drape or respond to movement in the traditional sense, instead maintaining a fixed presence on the body.
That sense of structure continues in the porcelain bodices, where the form of a vessel is adapted directly into clothing. Sitting high on the torso and extending outward, these pieces shift the silhouette into something closer to an object than a garment. The body is framed rather than emphasized.
Elsewhere, the collection explores accumulation as a method. Rounded ceramic components cluster across the surface of a piece, creating density through repetition. Shells are similarly arranged into tightly packed compositions, introducing a natural texture that contrasts with the precision of the ceramic work. These elements suggest an interest in organic growth, approached through controlled construction.
The bread look serves as one of the collection’s most direct references. Sculptural loaves form a chest piece that draws on the designer’s upbringing, bringing a familiar material into an unfamiliar context. It is both tactile and symbolic, bridging personal narrative and visual impact.
A quieter register appears in the woven and knitted pieces, where traditional craft techniques are maintained but subtly altered. A woven structure threaded with red ribbon introduces color and variation, while a soft knit disrupts proportion through its shape rather than its material. These looks provide contrast without shifting the overall direction of the collection.
The integration of plant life introduces another dimension. Moss and organic growth extend from the surface of a garment, softening the boundary between body and environment. Here, the work moves beyond constructed form toward something more temporal, where the material itself suggests change over time.
Staged stillness
The presentation reinforced these ideas through a carefully constructed environment. Styling and art direction by Alex Francisco, movement direction by Simon Donnellon, and set design by Miguel Bento contributed to a controlled atmosphere in which each look was given space to register. A live piano performance by Paloma Leon added a measured rhythm, emphasizing the physical presence of the garments as they moved.
With The Narcissist, del Valle establishes a clear position within the current landscape. His work resists the pace and logic of conventional fashion cycles, focusing instead on material exploration and personal narrative. The result is a collection that prioritizes process and presence, offering a considered alternative to more product-driven approaches.
