CHARLI XCX TURNS PARIS FASHION WEEK INTO APOCALYPTIC THEATER WITH “SS26”
More than a music video, Charli XCX’s latest drop “SS26” plays like a full-scale fashion week fever dream — somewhere between a luxury runway presentation and a self-aware satire of modern celebrity. Directed by Torso and shot in Paris, the visual transforms Charli into both model and performance artist, walking a catwalk that quite literally “goes straight to hell.”
The track arrives during a particularly unpredictable era for Charli, who recently teased fans by declaring that the dancefloor was dead and that she’d be pivoting toward “rock music” — only to immediately blur the lines between irony, sincerity, and performance art with singles like “Rock Music” and now “SS26.”
Built around distorted guitars, electronic textures, and a bleakly glamorous chorus, “SS26” captures the anxiety of creating art in an era defined by branding, collapse, and hyper-visibility. Lyrics like “Nothing’s gonna save us, not music, fashion, or film” frame the track as both critique and confession, while Charli openly plays with the commodification of identity and politics in lines referencing “press strategy” and “USP.”
The concept reportedly came together while Charli was racing between Spring/Summer 2026 fashion shows in Paris last October while writing her forthcoming album. Instead of simply referencing fashion culture, she fully staged her own version of it — complete with show invitations, front-row industry figures, luxury styling, and runway theatrics that intentionally echo iconic moments from fashion history.
The guest list alone reads like an actual Paris Fashion Week seating chart. Among those appearing in the video are Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello, former Vogue Paris editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld, supermodel Debra Shaw, fashion commentator Loïc Prigent, music consultant Michel Gaubert, and designers Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of cult label All-In. Singer Abra also makes a cameo appearance.
Fashion references are layered throughout the production. Dazed noted visual callbacks to Tom Ford-era Gucci runway presentations, Naomi Campbell’s infamous Vivienne Westwood fall, and Carrie Bradshaw’s collapse on the runway in “Sex and the City.” Charli moves through the show wearing looks from Saint Laurent, Ann Demeulemeester, Chrome Hearts, Balmain, and Lou De Bètoly, reinforcing the project’s collision between underground chaos and luxury polish.
The video also reunites Charli with Torso, the directing duo behind her “Von Dutch” visual. According to Charli, returning to Paris for the shoot felt “full circle” after filming “Von Dutch” there in late 2023. This time around, instead of balancing on airplane wings, she was navigating towering platform heels while performing multiple versions of herself across the runway.
Behind the scenes, the production credits reflect the scale of the project. Styling was handled by Chris Horan, with creative direction by Imogene Strauss and movement direction by Eric Christison. The cinematic set design and fashion-world casting push “SS26” beyond a standard music release into something closer to an immersive cultural commentary on fashion’s endless cycle of spectacle, branding, and self-destruction.
If “Brat” defined Charli xcx as the patron saint of chaotic pop stardom, “SS26” feels like the aftermath — glamorous, exhausted, hyper-online, and painfully aware of the machine while still fully participating in it.
‘SS26’ will feature alongside ‘Rock Music’ on Charli xcx’s forthcoming new album.
Concept by Charli xcx
Starring: Abra, Anthony Vaccarello, Baby Deva, Benjamin Barron, Bror August Vestbø, Carine Roitfeld, Ceval, Dan Sablon, David Siwicki, Debra Shaw, Farida Khelfa, Gian Gisiger, Lucien Pagès, Lyas, Michel Gaubert, Nhu Duong, Patrik Sandberg, Ryan Aguilar, Victoria Sekrier, Zac Ching & Loïc Prigent.
Director: Torso
EP: Ernest Bouvier
Producer: Lola Burelle
Production Coordinators: Gaspard Faytre & Nassim Varin
DOP: Christopher Ripley
Production Assistants: Wafae Mallek & Juliette Ribeiro
Creative Director: Imogene Strauss
Photography/BTS: Henry Redcliffe
Styling: Chris Horan
Styling Assistant: Angelina Arena
Hair Stylist: Matt Benns
Hair Assistant: Austin Weber
Makeup: Ana Takahashi
Movement Director: Eric Christison
Set Designer: Nicola Scarlino
Casting Director: Vicky Schoukroun
