Robert Wun adorns couture gown with kaleidoscope of colourful balloons
Clusters of balloons protruded from avant-garde garments at London designer Robert Wun's Autumn Winter 2026 haute couture show, giving the impression of inflatable-laden street vendors at a funfair.
Hong Kong-born Wun presented his Childsplay collection during Couture Week in Paris.
"The collection unfolds as a timeline of growing up," explained the designer, who unveiled 25 looks inspired by the stages of childhood, covered in balloons, stuffed toys and jewel-encrusted paint splatters.
Wun opened his show with a white dress in a ballroom silhouette, covered in vibrant, Jackson Pollock-like splotches to echo the freedom kids feel when making messy artwork.
The look, reminiscent of something a toddler might've picked out of a dress-up box, was paired with paint-covered gloves, a toy rabbit and a conical hat.
More soft toys featured in the presentation, held by models wearing equally striking dresses with peplum skirts and ears to match the stuffed animals in their hands.
Vibrant space helmets were shown alongside fascinators made to look like everything from a ballerina music box to a glittering high heel.
One all-blue floor-length dress was designed as an homage to Cinderella, complete with an angular heart-shaped bodice and oversized ribbons created to appear as if floating in mid-air.
The show culminated in a duo of looks adorned with dozens of amorphous balloons, continuing the trend for inflatable clothing and furniture that has made a splash at this year's fashion and design weeks.
First came a look created from a cluster of opaque and translucent white balloons, protruding from a white trouser co-ord.
Wun's final look was a black dress with sculptural shoulders, brought to life by a cape of colourful balloons attached to the crinoline. The result gave the whimsical impression of a balloon seller laden with inflatables.
Just like balloons, the results are "beautiful and joyous, yet fragile and not meant to last", the designer explained.
"The closing chapter of the collection features customised balloons, colours exploding from the suited bodies, like the childhood that we all still carry deep within," Wun added.
Paris Couture Week concluded in the French capital last Friday. Dutch designer Iris van Herpen was among the other creatives presenting their collections, with a show that featured a dress billed as the world's first to be filled with plasma.
The photography is courtesy of Robert Wun.
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