Power, Purity, and the Politics of Dressing the Divine: Inside The Ideal Craftsman’s Summer Capsule

There is something quietly radical about a collection that insists on depth in a fashion landscape addicted to speed. The Five presented for SS26, is not simply inspired by Yoruba gods, it interrogates how identity, spirituality, and power are worn, negotiated, and reasserted through clothing. This is fashion as narrative agency. Rather than treating Orunmila, […]

There is something quietly radical about a collection that insists on depth in a fashion landscape addicted to speed. The Five presented for SS26, is not simply inspired by Yoruba gods, it interrogates how identity, spirituality, and power are worn, negotiated, and reasserted through clothing. This is fashion as narrative agency.

Rather than treating Orunmila, Ogun, Esu and Obatala as distant mythic figures, the collection brings them into dialogue with the present. The garments imagine how gods might dress today if divinity had to move through modern cities, bodies, and expectations. The result is a wardrobe that feels intentional, expressive, and politically aware.

Orunmila’s off-white kimono two-piece is arguably the emotional core of the collection. Purity here is not minimalism; it is abundance. The fluidity of the design, the generous volume, and the careful placement of cowries speak to wealth and peace as communal values rather than displays of excess. The sleeve splits from wrist to elbow invite movement, making the garment feel alive. This is spiritual dressing without performative austerity.

Ogun’s look sets the tone. The grey wool jacket, punctuated by miniature metal swords on the left sleeve, carries an almost confrontational honesty. Ogun is a god of iron and war, there is no attempt to soften that reality. Yet the silhouette tells a more nuanced story. Boxy but controlled, anchored by an elasticated waist and free cuffs, the jacket balances aggression with adaptability. The trousers featuring giant forward pleats and a metal waist adjuster signal strength without rigidity. The elastic back allows for flexibility, subtly challenging the exclusivity often baked into tailored garments.

Esu’s look introduces tension, intentionally. Known as the god of confusion, Esu is often mischaracterised as chaotic for chaos’ sake. Here, the black cotton two-piece with a red satin pocket flap offers a sharper reading. The contrast is controlled, deliberate, and precise. Balloon sleeves and matching trousers distort the silhouette just enough to unsettle the eye. It is a reminder that disruption, when intentional, is a form of intelligence.

Obatala’s design pivots toward authority and restraint. His cropped jacket with wide, high shoulders commands space without excess. The horns used as buttons are deeply symbolic, beautifying the garment while asserting power and hierarchy. There is an intelligence in pairing this jacket with checkered wide-leg trousers. The British wool fabric lends gravitas, while the oversized silhouette and dramatic pleats soften the authority into something wearable, even approachable. The deep V-neck, unfinished edges, and unlined construction further disrupt expectations of “purity” as something pristine or untouchable.

The Five is not interested in simplifying Yoruba cosmology for easy consumption. Instead, it asks the wearer and the viewer to engage. It presents power as layered, purity as expansive, and confusion as necessary. In doing so, it offers a quietly feminist, deeply contemporary meditation on how we dress our beliefs.

Fabric choices across the collection primarily wool and cotton, anchor the designs in reality. These are not ceremonial costumes destined for stillness; they are garments meant to move, breathe, and exist in the world. The drape and structure work in service of storytelling rather than spectacle.