Leave it to Junya Watanabe to time travel through centuries of taste and land firmly in 2026 looking sharper than ever. For his Spring/Summer 2026 menswear collection, Watanabe pulled the past into the present—think antique upholstery fabrics colliding with downtown Japanese denim, all under the veil of baroque drama.
“This time, I took interest in something that is old but feels new, or something new that is born in the process of reproducing old things.”
Set to melancholic piano, the show opened with blazers, worn bare-cheated, seemingly plucked from a Venetian villa and reborn as streetwear. Tapestry-weight brocades, jacquards, and rich damasks were meticulously cut into slim silhouettes, and styled with workwear drill trousers and kick-flared denim. It was heritage with an edge—tailoring that knows its roots but doesn’t play by the rules.
There were references, of course. Watanabe resurrected his 2004 archives, recycling prints and textures, but this time embedding fine art directly into garments. Edvard Munch’s haunting portraits, Elizabeth Peyton’s soft intimacy, even Moomin creator Tove Jansson made cameos—screened printed on tees and jackets.
Next-level patchwork was at play again with Frankenstein-like craft hitting peak elegance with baroque florals, medieval manuscript motifs, and shiny paisley silks stitched onto denim sarongs and asymmetrical shirt jackets. Tuxedo shirts were reinvented, some twisted in crisp white cotton, and others adorned with gradient chains and strands of pearls.
Of course there were collaborative pieces as well from Camper, Levi’s, Lee, New Balance and Tricker’s.
It wasn’t loud, but it was powerful. A quiet revolution in cloth. This was Watanabe doing what he does best: reframing what menswear can be—equal parts refined and rebellious, romantic and raw.
Discover the collection below.
