Taus, on living authentically
Between upcycled garments, memories, and dressing misunderstood women.
Understanding the misunderstood is the design philosophy of Taus, an emerging Copenhagen-based label brought forth by Freyja Taus and Juho Lehiö.
For their Spring-Summer ‘26 collection, the brand took inspiration from the Grey Gardens documentary, the eccentric and at times overwhelming story of mother-daughter duo, Edith “Big Edie” Bouvier Beale and Edith “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale as they reminisce about their Glory Days at their dilapidated East Hamptons mansion.
Another clear muse was singer/songwriter and activist Sinéad O’Connor. Drawing inspiration from women who are largely appreciated in retrospect but often overlooked and ostracized for living authentically.
“It’s very difficult to keep the line between the past and the present,” the name designers Taus and Lehiö chose for this collection, is a quote delivered in a devastatingly sincere tone by Little Edie as she wears a headscarf, shorts, fishnets tights deliberately placed over the white shorts, and a scarf fashioned into a skirt messily knotted and pinned together.
These specific styling codes were meticulously used throughout the collection as a nod to the style icon.
At the gardens of Villa Kultur in Østerbro, Copenhagen, the models lounged, read, and talked with each other — they shared a moment of pure connection.
For this collection, the designers played with the idea of reminiscing, looking back to past memories fondly, the wicked way the mind can alter what we remember, and how certain memories can be revived through clothing. To further drive this concept, some garments were dyed with coffee, tea, and beetroot to evoke signs of natural aging and imperfections.
The femininity and romanticism of hand-dyed, light, and relaxed garments, the embroidered tablecloth dresses and breezy halter tops were challenged by more structured pieces like a military style jacket and a new, cropped version of Taus’ signature trench coat.
This juxtaposition within the collection explores different relationships to femininity, both positive and negative — the soft and the more restricted — within the same body of work.
Taus prides itself on their extensive use of upcycled and deadstock materials, not only out of survival as a small brand, with every garment crafted by hand in their small Copenhagen studio, but also as part of their profound commitment to sustainability as part of their design ethos.
This translates into their latest collection in the form of a flapper-style dress made from antique scarves, and the Taus bride dressed in a gown constructed from vintage doilies carefully sourced from around Europe and family archives (last season’s beloved mittens were handmade by co-founder Juho Lehiö’s grandmother in Helsinki) a tradition which they are no strangers to.
By repurposing materials, Taus ensures that the textiles and garments live on. A testament to their dedication, a legacy that extends beyond the brand itself.