Amidst a sea of quiet cool and muted colour palettes at New York Fashion Week, Henry Zankov brought us the delicious dose of vibrant colour and satisfying texture we’ve all been craving for the fall winter 2025 season. A lesson in dopamine dressing, Zankov’s collection entitled “I CAN’T HELP MYSELF,” embodied a “Subversive Spirit,” one that references the vibe of 1960’s Downtown New York. Think Andy Warhol muse-level factory girl in confident, cool silhouettes that bring to mind Edie Sedgwick, Nico, and Candy Darling.
Effortlessly marrying interesting knits, plush textures, and bright, intentional colour blocking, the Zankov girl is as much cool as she is comfortable.
“The effortless silhouettes are cut to create ease and a feeling of nonchalance. “
Oversized furry sweaters offset by sheer organza pointelle skirts brushed boiled cashmere in stripes diverting horizontally on top offset by vertical knit alpaca that hung in a scallop pleat position, and shimmery deco applique skirts mixed with a space-dyed robe coat, styled with a contrasting shredded knit scarf and sheer tights. Never one to play favourites, a bold oversized gold textured knitted metallic tinsel jumper and contrasting sapphire skirt was a stand-out evening wear look for the season, as was an oversized monochromatic skirt and sweater set with shaggy vertical squiggly stripes.
Staged high up in the Manhattan sky on the 37th floor of Hudson Yards on a blisteringly cold but clear sunny afternoon, the informal runway presentation marked Zankov’s fifth year, his most relevant and confidant to date following his 2024 CFDA American Emerging Designer of The Year award win.
The models walked the industrial floor, each taking their perch clustered around a set of modular wooden boxes painted with stripes. While most of the looks were styled on women with long lashes, there were a handful of solid menswear looks as well, and the models interacted coyly with each other as more guests filtered in for an up-close look at the collection.
Discover the full collection below.
