For Fall 2026, Cult Gaia presents SHIRZAN, a collection named for the Farsi word for lioness, a form of feminine power that is instinctive, protective, and enduring. Strength that does not ask permission.
The collection is shaped through hand-worked technique and sculptural construction: molded forms that hold their shape, pleating that moves with breath, cutouts carved rather than exposed. Surfaces are layered, twisted, wrapped, fabric used as structure, structure softened through motion. Silhouettes expand and contract, recalling both armor and offering.
Materials are chosen with intention. Fluid satins and silks catch light in movement, structured woven fabrics hold presence, sheer layers reveal without explanation. Hard and soft, weight and lightness, exist in dialogue.
This presentation marks the inauguration of Cult Gaia’s first men’s collection, an expansion not of category, but of language. Strength here is shared. The invitation is conceived as a vessel and an offering, marking entry into a collective moment.
The collection is deeply personal, honoring heritage, lineage, and the cultural memory carried through craft and gesture. Created in the weeks following the designer’s grandmother’s passing, it holds her presence as a shirzan, and extends to the women of Iran and the diaspora. Not as mourning, but as continuation.
