It’s always the “small stories” that shape Arthur Arbesser’s work. He doesn’t set out to make garments for their own sake; he wants to tell stories. Growing up in Vienna, his next-door neighbor had been one of the most important Austrian artists of the 20 century. “Maria Lassnig was born in 1919 and came of age at a time when women had to fight to be recognized as painters,” the designer recalled. “Her studio was next to our home, and it was remarkable to see how her clothing distinguished her from the everyday life of Viennese women.”
As a boy, he often ran errands for her, carrying bags of green apples and lemons from the supermarket. Those bags inspired a print for his spring 2026 collection—since the previous season, Arbesser has adopted a see-now-buy-now approach. In the 1970s, Lassnig created a series of short films exploring the many facets of identity, frequently using clowns as a motif. This inspired circus references throughout Arbesser’s collection: diamond-patterned collars, stripes, oversized polka dots, checkerboard jersey sets, and vivid, acidic color palettes. Many of her works carried a faded, green-tinged patina: drawing from her colors, Arbesser painted bold, instinctive brushstrokes on a white canvas, which became one of the collection’s prints. Sleeping with a Tiger (1975) inspired the animalier motifs—a first for him—executed in cotton drill, poplin, and stretch tulle.
“The vision of an artist unfolded with a depth that was hard to reach. Clothes remain on the surface, but I wanted to convey a personality that had left a mark on me,” the designer said. Lassnig painted self-portraits in a relentless exploration of bodily awareness. In a similar way, Arbesser expresses himself—while also seeking to connect with others—through his clothes.
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