Designer Reuben Tams, a Central Saint Martins graduate, has unveiled his final collection. Released in 2026, the collection draws attention with garments and footwear that evoke medieval European armor, religious ornamentation, and objects weathered by time. Tams studied at CSM from 2022 to 2026 and was awarded the Capri Holdings Scholarship in 2024. His world transforms new garments into aged relics, translating historical decorative language into contemporary fashion.
The footwear stands out most. Golden shoes integrate sculptures of angels and chalices into heels and uppers, as if lifted straight from a church altar. Knee-high boots appear with flaking gilded surfaces, while black leather pumps are wrapped with crosses and rosaries. Some heels are carved into crucifix shapes themselves. The shoes function not as simple accessories but as devices for carrying sacred grandeur underfoot.
The garments follow the same visual vocabulary. Embroidery is layered over printed canvas to create surfaces that look inherited from the past rather than newly made. Gold-encrusted corsets and headpieces recall medieval vestments worn in cathedrals. Tams describes one piece as a "fully embroidered and printed canvas jacket." The surfaces are worn and peeling, yet this decay makes them feel more sacred, a deliberate paradox.
Reuben Tams' approach moves backward through time while remaining firmly in the present. The core tension lies in the fact that these 2026 garments look like artifacts unearthed from a centuries-old cathedral. He blurs the line between decay and sublimity, past and present. Which do you find more beautiful: the new or the aged?
The footwear stands out most. Golden shoes integrate sculptures of angels and chalices into heels and uppers, as if lifted straight from a church altar. Knee-high boots appear with flaking gilded surfaces, while black leather pumps are wrapped with crosses and rosaries. Some heels are carved into crucifix shapes themselves. The shoes function not as simple accessories but as devices for carrying sacred grandeur underfoot.
The garments follow the same visual vocabulary. Embroidery is layered over printed canvas to create surfaces that look inherited from the past rather than newly made. Gold-encrusted corsets and headpieces recall medieval vestments worn in cathedrals. Tams describes one piece as a "fully embroidered and printed canvas jacket." The surfaces are worn and peeling, yet this decay makes them feel more sacred, a deliberate paradox.
Reuben Tams' approach moves backward through time while remaining firmly in the present. The core tension lies in the fact that these 2026 garments look like artifacts unearthed from a centuries-old cathedral. He blurs the line between decay and sublimity, past and present. Which do you find more beautiful: the new or the aged?
FAQ
Where did Ruben Tams study?
Ruben Tams graduated from Central Saint Martins (CSM), where he studied from 2022 to 2026. He was awarded the Capri Holdings Scholarship in 2024.
What style defines Ruben Tams's 2026 graduate collection?
His designs evoke medieval European armor, religious ornament, and weathered relics. The collection features heels combining angel and crucifix sculptures, boots with gilded patina effects, and canvas jackets layered with embroidery and print.
What are the most distinctive pieces in Ruben Tams's collection?
The shoes. Standouts include golden footwear with angel and chalice sculptures on heels and uppers, heels carved into crucifix shapes, and black leather pumps wrapped with rosary beads.
