ERDEM PRE SPRING 2026

For Pre-Spring 26, Erdem has delved into the pioneering work of Maria Sibylla Merian, the 17th Century German entomologist and botanical illustrator. At a time in history when independent-minded women were still being accused of witchcraft, Merian defied societal expectations, divorcing her first husband and travelling to South America with her daughter to further her naturalist studies in the wild. She published her first book of botanical illustrations in 1675 and in 1705 was the first person to discover the lifecycle and metamorphosis of the butterfly. Based in Amsterdam, Merian was also a devout Calvinist, and it is this tension between her fearful religious doctrine, her scientific rationale and her unbridled passion for nature that Erdem explores here. Merian’s tenacity was bold and brave. To discover the lifecycle of the butterfly was an extraordinary act. As a woman, to challenge the god-fearing faith of 17th Century society with such a rational, scientific proposition was courageous. The collection plays with the contrasts of strictness and looseness, formality and rebellion. 17th Century Dutch details are juxtaposed with modern elements that feel confidently feminine and romantic. Lace is used with great effect, echoing the Calvinist collars of the era. Here it is subverted, playing with scale to become more like capes than collars, or gathered and draped into dresses and elsewhere used to embroider suits with sharper silhouettes. 17th Century necklines lend an e