January 12, 2026 |
Dsquared2 and “countercultural iconography” have long gone hand in hand. Just take it from the brand’s pre-spring/summer 2026 collection which cements Dan and Dean Caten’s status as masters of bold, rebellious storytelling as they deliver a capsule peppered with the evocative pictures of acclaimed photographer Tom Bianchi.
Journeying back to Fire Island in the late ’70s – when escape from the repressive laws of pre-Lawrence v. Texas America was not symbolic but essential – a growing gay community claimed the long, slender isle off the coast of Long Island as a self-fashioned sanctuary. Here, beyond the reach of surveillance and shame, love and liberation were consecrated under the sun. By the pool, on the beach, against the sturdy palm trees, in the outdoor showers, homoerotic bodies collided and entwined in acts that were at once hedonistic and radical – sex as pleasure, sex as protest. The dress code? As little as possible. It was in these tanned, ripped bodies – slick with sweat and salt, interlacing in fleeting moments of collective freedom – that Bianchi found a visual language of desire unburdened by apology. His Fire Island Pines Polaroids 1975-1983 stand as some of the most evocative images of queer intimacy ever captured. Centring its narrative around these sensual Polaroids, Dsquared2 celebrates a vanished moment of sun-drenched abandon and sexual autonomy, before the HIV/AIDS epidemic tore through gay communities, transforming liberation into loss and pleasure into peril.
Bianchi’s vintage shots are splashed across a sharp lineup of new pieces for both men and women. From bucket hats and caps that are sure to block those pesky UVs, all the way to cozy hoodies and sweatshirts for cooler coastal evenings, a selection of T-shirts and a pair of swim shorts, the collection moves effortlessly from beach to boardwalk to city streets. Across pieces, a ‘70s-screaming bold typography in faded bright red and yellow finishes complements the Polaroids, which are dotted across the soft white wash of the collection’s pieces.
On one T-shirt, a muscled, sun-kissed torso reclines poolside across the front – an image echoed on the side of an oversized shopper bag that feels purpose-built to carry every look change you will (or will not) be wearing on your next beach day. Another standout of the collection is the statement clutch which, via a clever trompe-l’oeil design, mimics a rolled-up erotic magazine – the same 25-cent publications through which a young Bianchi first encountered the mythos of Fire Island while growing up in 1950s Chicago.
If summer 2026 is shaping up to be hot, this collection just made it incandescent. Immediate purchase is strongly advised. And yes – don’t forget to use protection. Shop here.
Photography courtesy of Dsquared2.
