QASIMI Explores Labour and Legacy with “Undercurrent” for S/S 2027
Milan, Italy – June 21, 2026 – For Spring/Summer 2027, QASIMI unveils Undercurrent, a collection that examines labour, process, and repetition, presenting clothing not as a finished object but as an evolving record of gesture, time, and transformation.
This season, the London-based fashion house continues its exploration of relaxed tailoring and seasonless dressing, introducing garments that visibly carry the marks of their creation. Deep pleats shape shirts and outerwear, sheer layers reveal internal construction, and exposed threads, displaced seams, and visible stitching celebrate the process of making itself. The result is a wardrobe that effortlessly balances utility with refinement.
At the core of Undercurrent is QASIMI’s signature language of relaxed tailoring and wearable workwear. Hand-applied dyes stain soft twill suiting, exposing the irregular marks of treatment and reinforcing the collection’s emphasis on process and imperfection. Classic denim appears in pleated and barrel-leg silhouettes, while the house’s signature check returns in lightweight modal fabrics. Knitwear inspired by the early designs of the late founder, Khalid Al-Qasimi, is revisited through a contemporary lens.
Tailoring takes unexpected forms throughout the collection. A crisp poplin shirt is designed to resemble a sweater layered over a button-down without the need for actual layering. Trousers feature wrap panels at the hips, while rose-hued shirts are cut with off-center collars and displaced seams. Airy silhouettes in olive and agave green introduce controlled volume that moves naturally with the body.
The collection unfolds in a warm, earthy palette of brown, mocha, and camel, punctuated by shades of agave green, olive, rose dawn, and white.
Undercurrent also marks the first chapter of a two-season exploration inspired by the work of the late Emirati artist Hassan Sharif, one of the Gulf region’s most influential contemporary artists and a pioneer of conceptual art in the United Arab Emirates. Developed in collaboration with Sharif’s estate, the collection translates the artist’s dedication to process, accumulation, and manual intervention into the language of fashion.
Sharif’s artistic practice transformed ordinary industrial materials through repetitive acts of tying, weaving, binding, and folding, creating sculptural forms that challenged conventional ideas of value, labour, and permanence. Rather than directly referencing specific works, QASIMI adopts the principles that defined his practice: repetition becomes construction, accumulation becomes layering, and gesture becomes form.
These ideas appear throughout the collection. Deep pleating structures shirts, modular panels shift with movement, and loose threads extend beyond hems and seams to reveal the garment’s making. Sheer panels wrap around the body, exposing hidden layers of construction, while crochet belts sit low on the hips with threads grazing the legs. One tailoring look is even presented entirely inside out, exposing seams and construction lines that reveal the garment’s internal architecture.
The collection also reflects on the Gulf’s pre-industrial history before oil transformed the region’s economy. References to pearl diving and fishing emerge through wave-printed sheer fabrics, reflective surfaces that shimmer like water, and open crochet structures reminiscent of fishing nets. These details naturally complement the themes of labour and accumulation central to Sharif’s practice.
“Hassan’s practice was rooted in process, material and time. QASIMI’s homage honours that spirit and we are glad to see his work continue to open conversations in new contexts,” said a representative of Sharif’s estate.
Operating as both a tribute to Hassan Sharif’s enduring legacy and a reflection on the foundations of the house itself, Undercurrent presents fashion as a living archive of labour, gesture, and time.
“Undercurrent is about how making leaves a mark. Hassan’s work understood that repetition isn’t mechanical—it’s cumulative, and meaning is built over time. That felt true to what we were trying to do with the clothes this season, and what it means to work in someone’s absence rather than alongside them,” the house shared.
With Undercurrent, QASIMI continues to push the conversation around fashion and craftsmanship, proving that the process of making can be just as meaningful as the finished garment itself.
photo credit Studio Premices/Miquel Martinez