Cult Gaia Returns to NYFW with a Powerful Ode to Heritage and Modern Femininity
- Nada Armanious
- Fashion
Cult Gaia marked its long-awaited return to the official New York Fashion Week calendar with a commanding Fall 2026 ready-to-wear presentation—one that felt both deeply personal and boldly expansive. For founder and creative director Jasmin Larian Hekmat, the collection served as a reflection of lineage, identity, and strength, unfolding under the evocative title Shirzan—“lioness” in Farsi.
Photo: Gorunway.com
Rooted in her Persian heritage, Hekmat framed the runway as a tribute to the women who shaped her, opening the show with a recording of her grandmother’s voice—a poignant gesture that set an emotional tone for the evening. From that moment forward, the collection moved with quiet authority, expressing resilience not through excess, but through intention.
Photo: Gorunway.com
Architectural silhouettes anchored the ready-to-wear offering: sharply cut leather jackets, structured button-downs with sculpted puff sleeves, and tailored wool coats rendered in rich autumnal hues. The balance between strength and softness—between precision and fluidity—was evident throughout, reaffirming the brand’s ability to marry wearable design with sculptural presence.
A defining milestone for the house was its confident expansion into menswear. Double-breasted wool suiting, olive plissé pajama sets, and tailored separates adorned with delicate lily brooches signaled a thoughtful extension of the Cult Gaia universe—one that feels considered rather than experimental.
Photo: Gorunway.com
The runway crescendo arrived in the form of statement eveningwear: a strapless brocade gown with a sweeping train that commanded the room, followed by a striking white bridal look sculpted into an exaggerated, almost futuristic hourglass silhouette. Both pieces captured the essence of Shirzan—strength embodied in form, heritage reframed through modernity.
In its return to New York, Cult Gaia did not simply reappear—it reasserted itself, offering a collection that felt intimate yet expansive, grounded in ancestry yet unmistakably forward-looking.