Pierre Mahéo chose École Duperré as the backdrop for his Fall Winter 2026 collection, a deliberate pivot from last season’s sun-drenched “Pariviera” escapism. The historic Parisian institution, founded in 1864 by Élisa Lemonnier to provide vocational training for women, now serves as one of France’s leading applied arts schools. For Mahéo, the setting signals a return to first principles: technique, transmission, and the foundational grammar that underpins an entire career in fashion.
“Was it a response to the complex times we are living through? Perhaps,” the designer writes in his notes. The answer matters less than the outcome. Fall Winter 2026 strips Officine Générale back to its core identity, prioritizing craft over concept.
Tonal Mastery
Mahéo describes working with his “preferred color tones, which are not primary colors.” The palette centers on browns, taupes, charcoals, and creams, colors that layer without competing. A Prince of Wales check overcoat in brown and rust sits over a denim jacket and wide-leg trousers, the entire look operating within a single tonal family. Elsewhere, an oatmeal herringbone coat pairs with a charcoal zip-front knit, the combination reading as sophisticated without effort.
Light flannels dominate, worked into total looks that emphasize texture over pattern. Wool satins provide subtle sheen. Cotton poplins anchor the shirting. Cashmere appears sparingly, never as statement but as quiet luxury. The heritage patterns, Prince of Wales, herringbone, stripes, and occasional polka dots, function as vocabulary rather than decoration.
Construction Over Decoration
The tailoring philosophy here rejects seasonal embellishment entirely. Mahéo states he “tended to simplify volumes and lines rather than add a finish, a trim, or a seasonal detail.” A double-breasted grey suit with peak lapels, worn over a cream silk scarf, demonstrates this restraint. The proportions feel relaxed but intentional, the trousers breaking generously over burgundy leather boots.
This approach extends across the collection. No extraneous buttons, no statement hardware, no trim for trim’s sake. The clothes exist to be worn, not to photograph for a single season and disappear. Mahéo continues his practice of showing production-ready pieces, garments that will arrive in stores largely unchanged from their runway presentation.
Caps and Gloves
Soft black caps appear throughout, neither beret nor newsboy but something in between. Paired with black leather gloves, they suggest a specific character: the craftsperson, the artist, someone who dresses for function and lets style follow naturally. These accessories ground the collection in a workwear sensibility without veering into costume.
Casting
Adam Deng, Alain Gossuin, Alexander Acquah, Gideon Adeniyi, Jonas Mason, Josef Ptacek, Joseph Uyttenhove, Junseo Kim, Lanier Handy, Mike Vasilakis, Nizar Talal, Saul Symon, Skander Gueye, Viktor Krohm, Viknes Waren, and William Lemieux walked the concrete floors of the school. The styling kept things minimal: natural hair, little makeup, accessories limited to the caps, gloves, and small leather goods.
Mahéo’s Message
Since founding Officine Générale in 2012, Mahéo has built a brand predicated on continuity. His grandfather was a tailor in Brittany, and that lineage informs everything here. The École Duperré setting reinforces the philosophy: fashion as learned discipline, clothes designed to age and improve with wear.
“This return to the school benches is by no means a pretext for a preppy turn at Officine Générale, quite the opposite,” he clarifies. Where preppy trades on institutional signifiers, Mahéo focuses on the invisible architecture beneath the garments. The collection refuses to perform. It simply delivers well-made clothes in considered colors, ready for actual wardrobes.
“Remaining faithful to my message is, for me, essential,” he concludes. Fourteen years in, that message remains clear.
Discover more of the menswear looks form the Officine Generale Fall Winter 2026 runway collection in our gallery:
Discover the complete collection, including womenswear looks on DSCENE Magazine.
