TONI&GUY Crafts Victorian Romance for Maximillion Raynor AW26
On Thursday, 19 February, at London Fashion Week, Maximillion Raynor unveiled AW26 as a poetic meditation on love, loss, and memory set against the shadowed streets of Victorian London. Backstage, the emotional narrative of the collection was translated into hair by Cos Sakkas, Global Creative Director of TONI&GUY, alongside the TONI&GUY Session Team.
Victorian Romance, Reimagined
Sakkas created a look rooted in Victorian London romance, balancing structure with sentiment. The hair featured sculpted side rolls paired with long, spiralled lengths that felt both proper and poetic. At the crown, a carefully formed bow silhouette emerged, reminiscent of a ribbon tied around a lover’s gift. The shape was refined and deliberate, yet carried an undercurrent of drama.
This duality captured the essence of Raynor’s narrative. The collection told the story of a fractured love, symbolized by a brown paper goodbye tied with a string and a shattered silver pocket watch glinting under disco light. The hair echoed this romantic melancholy. It felt rooted in history yet charged with emotion, as though memory itself had been sculpted into form.
Structure with Sentiment
The structured side rolls framed the face with precision, evoking Victorian propriety, while the elongated spirals introduced softness and movement. The sculpted bow at the crown acted as a focal point, anchoring the look with symbolic delicacy. It was romantic without becoming ornamental, theatrical without losing control.
Under Sakkas’ direction, the hair moved in harmony with the garments. Raynor’s AW26 narrative roamed through imagery of confetti from a would-be wedding and hours punctuated by loss. The styling responded not with excess, but with craftsmanship.
Backstage Precision
The hero product for the show was LABEL.M Fashion Edition Texturizing Volume Spray. Used to support structure while preserving lightness in the spiralled lengths, it allowed the hair to maintain architectural integrity without stiffness.
What distinguished this runway moment was its clarity of concept. Every curve, roll, and spiral served the story. The past was referenced, but not replicated. Instead, Victorian codes were reshaped through a contemporary lens, delivering a look that felt cinematic yet controlled.
At Beauty Hub Magazine, we recognize Maximillion Raynor AW26 as a masterclass in narrative hair design. Through Cos Sakkas and the TONI&GUY Session Team, romance became structure, memory became silhouette, and heartbreak found expression in spiralled lengths and sculpted form.
