Expansion, evolution and ethical reframing at NYFW AW26
New York Fashion Week's Autumn/Winter 2026 season has officially come to an end, kicking off during a period of reflection, introspection, and redefinition for American fashion. Running from February 11 to February 16, this season of NYFW saw several noteworthy debuts and returning designers present their AW26 collections on the official Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) schedule, which includes more than 60 runway shows and 46 designer presentations. The strengthened NYFW AW26 calendar marked a sharp departure from last season, when American designers such as Carolina Herrera, The Row, and Rick Owens opted to present their collections abroad at other fashion weeks.
Offering a new narrative this season, NYFW AW26 did not so much reclaim a singular identity as it demonstrated a willingness to expand it. Presenting designers from Ralph Lauren to Michael Kors celebrated their heritage, creatively evolving it for future generations, while other brands like Proenza Schouler boldly entered a new chapter following the debut of creative director Rachel Scott. A multifaceted week shaped by a new creative direction, cross-generational dialogues, and institutional shifts, here we take a closer look at some of the highlights of NYFW AW26.
NYFW AW26: Anchoring tradition while redefining legacy
The February edition of the bi-annual fashion event opened with a reaffirmation of NYFW's commercial and cultural anchors. Although iconic designer Ralph Lauren chose to show off the official CFDA schedule once again—an assertion of independence and continuity for one of the city's most enduring brands —this season saw the show serve as the unofficial opening to NYFW, with CFDA covering it on its website.
"I love the adventure of fashion," said Ralph Lauren of his Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, which was inspired by "that kind of renegade spirit and the confidence of the woman who will wear it in her own personal way – to tell her own story." Ralph Lauren's AW26 collection blended classic tailoring with textured, tactile fabrics and winter-ready layering, reinforcing the brand's signature idiom within a broader contemporary context. These clothes are made for women who, according to Lauren, are "fearless in her pursuit of adventure…honors heritage while embracing reinvention and explores what lies ahead by staying true to who she is."
Another pillar of the New York fashion scene, Michael Kors, celebrated 45 years in business during NYFW. Under the theme 'New York Chic', he hosted a runway show on February 12 at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, which was highlighted as "a night to remember." Presenting a ready-to-wear collection full of designs that married practical versatility and evening-ready polish, Michael Kors' show reflected a recurring theme of the season: wearability grounded in personal resonance. Several industry critics, from WWD to Elle, noted that the collection combined accessible, everyday dressing with moments of elevated glamour, appealing to a generation of consumers who value comfort without compromising style.
NYFW AW26: Dual narratives from Rachel Scott at Proenza Schouler and Diotima
One of the most anticipated and talked-about designers of NYFW AW26 was Rachel Scott, who took the media spotlight not once, but twice. The designer made her full runway debut as creative director at Proenza Schouler on February 11, taking over from founders Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. Officially kicking off NYFW AW26, her debut collection was widely reviewed as both a tribute to the brand's DNA and a clear reimagining of its aesthetic.
The AW26 collection, entitled ‘The First Women’s Collection by Rachel Scott’, was conceived as a love letter to the modern New York woman, offering a full wardrobe that flowed naturally from eveningwear to office tailoring to casual pieces. The Jamaican-American designer retained the brand's streamlined tailoring signatures, from flared pant suits to structured co-ords, while introducing twisted silhouettes, fringed shoes, and button-down structuring that reflected her vision of a woman who doesn't prioritise polished perfection, but embraces movement, complexity, and texture in her everyday dressing. Scott's show notes further framed the narrative: “Today, she was in a rush,” reflecting a woman whose clothing must “move with her life rather than constrain it.”
Then, just days later, Scott returned to NYFW with her own Diotima show, a highly conceptual collection steeped in Afro-Caribbean artistic references and political consciousness. Drawing from figures such as Wifredo Lam's femme cheval motif, Diotima explored how "strength is sexy," translating cultural motifs of resilience and spirituality into fashion. Scott's near-simultaneous presence at an American legacy fashion house and at her own independent label underscored one of the main themes to emerge at NYFW AW26: the ongoing dialogue among reinvention, brand heritage, and individual creative voice. A broader conversation, it also touches on NYFW's changing role as a business incubator and cultural platform.
NYFW AW26: Returning designers, debuts, and new voices
This season of NYFW built on this notion, with several American designers returning on schedule and first-time brands, resulting in a fuller CFDA calendar and renewed confidence in showing in New York City.
Public School was one of the most anticipated returns of the season. After a six-year absence from runway presentations, founders Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne brought the brand back to the official CFDA schedule on February 11. Known for its downtown-meets-tailoring sensibility, the label's revival was widely perceived as a symbolic statement about NYFW's renewed interest in defining urban design narratives. Public School had previously shown its collections in alternative formats during recent seasons, but AW26 marked its first full runway re-entry. The brand's return to NYFW was further supported by N4XT Experience's Retail Innovation Lab, a public, AI-powered immersive retail experience open to the public. "Our return to New York Fashion Week is rooted in building something lasting," said Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, co-founders of Public School. "The Retail Innovation Lab by NYFW Collections and SAP gives us access to real infrastructure — tools that connect creativity, retail, and technology in a way that's actionable, not theoretical."
Derek Lam, another staple of New York's fashion scene through the 2000s and 2010s, also returned under a new creative director Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez, who took over the label following Derek Lam's departure in 2023, was tasked with relaunching the mainline collection for AW26. Rodriguez said he was drawn to the brand's foundational spirit of "modern American design and quiet sophistication," and aimed to reinterpret that legacy with "warmth, texture, and sensuality" rooted in everyday New York life.
Another debut that caught the industry's attention this season was 7 For All Mankind, which marked the denim brand's first official NYFW runway show. Under the guidance of new creative director Nicola Brognano, formerly head of Blumarine, the brand offered a refreshed vision that referenced its early-2000s momentum while pushing into broader fashion territory. Brognano’s AW26 collection remained firmly rooted in denim, centering on low-waist silhouettes, micro-mini and sweeping skirts, with nods to Y2K energy, a clear signal that 7 For All Mankind is not only reclaiming its heritage but repositioning itself for a fresh and relevant cultural moment.
Emerging from an entirely different place was Cult Gaia, hosting its debut NYFW runway show. Founded in Los Angeles by Jasmin Larian, the brand brought its sculptural, architecture-inspired designs to New York for the first time, offering both womenswear and its initial menswear collection. The brand's architectural pleating, statement gowns, structured outerwear, and bold tailoring demonstrated a readiness to translate its desert-influenced identity into a wider fashion week context. Alongside these returnees and debuts, the NYFW AW26 schedule also welcomed a number of other new names, including Hilá, Andrew Curwan, Caroline Zimbalist, and Jasper, designers whose inclusion reflects NYFW's ongoing commitment to expanding the gatekeeper function of the fashion calendar, giving space to talent-building and supporting emerging and upcoming designers.
NYFW AW26: Absences and the global calendar landscape
While NYFW AW26 was definitely fuller in programming this season compared to the previous, it was not entirely without a few eminent absentees. Names like Christopher John Rogers, Willy Chavarria, and Thom Browne, did not appear on the official February calendar, with many opting to host private dinners, events, or presentations instead. Off-White, which had shown in New York the previous season, decided to return to show in Paris Fashion Week, highlighting the fluidity of fashion week and designers' personal strategic calendars.
As designers continue to reconsider how, if, and where they present their collections, the American fashion industry itself is reevaluating how it shows (as evidenced in its partnership with SAP and N4XT Experiences) and, increasingly, what it stands for. A shift that was not immediately visible on the show calendar, but rather in the materials seen on the runways.
NYFW AW26: The fur paradox and CFDA’s ethical shift
Arguably, one of the most fascinating subplots of NYFW AW26 was the emerging tension between the visual trends and CFDA's ethical decision to say no to fur. This season saw more than its fair share of shearling, vintage fur, and fur looks in both AW 26 collections presented on the runway and street style, further amplified by New York's bitter winter temperatures.
The re-emergence of fur followed the CFDA's December 2025 announcement that it would align with London, Copenhagen, and Berlin in banning all fur from the official NYFW schedule, beginning September 2026. At the time, CFDA President Steven Kolb said that "there is already little to no fur shown at NYFW," adding that the formal ban was designed to inspire American designers to think more deeply about the fashion industry's impact on animals and encourage material innovation. The policy bans farmed or trapped fur sourced from animals killed for their pelts, including mink, fox, rabbit, chinchilla, coyote, and raccoon dog, with a narrow exemption for fur sourced through traditional Indigenous subsistence practices. To help American designers in the transition, the CFDA also committed to providing educational materials and a materials library focused on sustainable alternatives.
However, despite the forthcoming ban, fur and the idea of fur remained present at NYFW AW26. Designers, including Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, and Altuzarra, incorporated shearling and fur-like textures into their AW26 collections, reinforcing winter's tactile appeal. Shearling, often classified as an agricultural byproduct, remains exempt from most fur bans, creating a grey area within evolving ethical standards. As the CFDA's prohibition takes effect, more designers are expected to explore bio-based faux fur and alternative materials, yet the continued presence of these fur-like textures underscores the industry's ongoing cultural attachment to the aesthetic, even as ethical preferences shift.
What AW26 signals for the future of NYFW
From successful leadership changes at legacy fashion houses to the commercial strength of iconic brands and the return of established designers showing on schedule with a new generation of runway debuts, this season of NYFW was earmarked by creative renewal and growth. NYFW’s evolution now extends beyond the runway into how fashion is experienced and monetised, underscored by a new multi-season partnership between N4XT Experiences and SAP to build digital and AI-powered retail infrastructure for the event. The initiative, including the Retail Innovation Lab developed with Public School, positions NYFW as an integrated platform for commerce as well as creativity. Alongside policy shifts such as the CFDA’s forthcoming fur ban, NYFW AW26 saw New York reclaim its role as an adaptive, forward-looking platform.