Oh, man: it’s that time again. Because the Fall/Winter 2026 menswear shows land at the front of January, they can be read as fashion’s first weather report of the year. Which is why, just before 2026 began, we called on a six-strong cluster of creatives from across the men’s category for their take on the current climate, as well as the changes they anticipate for the atmosphere ahead.
The breadth of this informal fashion focus group was purposeful. Its membership ran from three well-regarded young indie battlers — Rolf Ekroth, Saul Nash, Bianca Saunders — to the indie veteran and late-blooming sensation Willy Chavarria. Added to that mix was Jonny Johansson, the foundational force behind Acne Studios. The group was then completed by Alessandro Sartori, the artistic director of Zegna, which is likely the largest luxury men’s fashion brand by revenue (turnover hit €1.16 billion for the 2024 full year), or, so to speak, the menswear equivalent of Chanel.
Here’s how it went down.
Breaking the mold
Across our panel of menswear-makers, the most consistent feedback is an observed appetite for experimentation driven by individualism, and subjectively weeding through the marshes of diktats and hype.
“There is less focus on getting the exact ‘right’ look,” says Ekroth. “Clothes feel more personal and lived-in, and you’re allowed to mix things as you want.” Nash adds: “There’s a real mix of influences. People are looking back at what’s come before, but they’re not precious about it. You see combinations that maybe wouldn’t have made sense years ago, but now feel natural.” Saunders also detects a move toward archetypal pieces with distinctive detailing. “Individualism is becoming more important, but it sits in in the category of ‘what basics can make me feel like an individual?’” she says.
Johansson is observing a tendency for a more freeform approach. “I find it interesting to watch how young men relate to classic menswear today: what they choose to borrow, what parts they break out or pick up. Small things matter: the way a scarf is tied, how a tie is worn slightly wrong,” he says. Sartori, who is in regular close contact with Zegna’s demographic of affluent, mostly older, clients observes a parallel appetite. “They come to us like [they go] to a tailor, but they want the speed and the coolness of a modern brand,” Sartori says. “They don’t want to stay inside the usual frame anymore. They want to feel modern, but still themselves.”
Chavarria believes there is a broader, sociologically formed instinct behind this more open approach to personal style through menswear. He says: “The future of fashion is not a runway carved by one identity. It’s a mosaic… We are finally at a point where fashion’s future refuses to let masculinity be defined only by dominance or power.” For Nash, another designer whose clothes are shaped to evolve convention, that process rests on first ensuring the products are functionally efficient. “For me, menswear becomes really interesting when you can meet those functional needs while saying something more,” he says. “It’s about using function as a starting point, then designing in a way that tells stories or gently challenges ideas of masculinity that feel outdated, without it ever feeling forced.”
Ekroth adds: “I think we have taken some good steps toward healthier individualism, although there is always pushback, as you can clearly see in the political climate we live in. You can challenge ideas of masculinity without making clothes impractical. Good menswear design does not tell men how to be masculine.”
Craft, quality and detail
The value of craft, quality and detail was another recurring theme. Saunders, who is predominantly operating direct-to-consumer and weighing her return to the show schedule, says: “I’m approaching my work almost as product design rather than just fashion. I want to make the best possible thing, something that’s long lasting and timeless, because people want pieces that grow with them.” As Nash puts it: “People will want things that feel special, that last and that they feel personally attached to.”
For Sartori, whose Zegna will show in Milan, the runway is a key moment for showcasing the brand’s material innovations and aesthetic evolutions. “Even if the garments look uncomplicated, there are many experiments in construction and innovation for the detail within them. And these are super-well received, because they [the customer] are looking for these details like geeks,” Sartori says. “I think one of the biggest changes of perception I’ve seen in my career is that they consider the garment as an item with real, intemporal value much more than before.”
Johansson also detects an increased appetite for detail and under-the-bonnet information concerning Acne’s collections. He says: “I sense a return to craft and tradition not as nostalgia, but as a way of moving forward again.” For Nash, technological innovation will inevitably be applied to arenas of traditional craft, too: “With the rise in AI, we will see designers collaborate with new technologies to present aesthetics that embody modern artisanal craftsmanship.”
A recalibration of pace
That emphasis on craft reflects a desire for connection and longevity. “Connection is going to matter more and more. What I’d like menswear to move toward is less noise, clothes you live in and engage with, not just scroll past,” says Nash. Meanwhile, Saunders is already seeing that connection manifest through the number of clients that come knocking not for new designs, but for pre-existing ones. “People are still coming back asking for pieces from 2023. They’re not necessarily chasing new things all the time; they like things to seep into their wardrobe,” she adds.
Ekroth, who is plotting a move from Copenhagen Fashion Week to Paris to present his collection later this month, sees the splintering of menswear’s various factions as an aesthetic opportunity. “There has been a lot of chaos with the creative director musical chairs,” he says. “That has left us in a place with less clear direction, which I actually find more interesting. I’m curious to see what comes next.”
For Nash, a recalibration of pace feels essential. “Everything feels like it’s moving fast at the moment,” he says. “I hope things start to slow down and we see a more curated landscape.” At Zegna, says Sartori, clients already increasingly see their purchases as intentional and personal, and are less interested in being told what is correct than in understanding how clothes might work for them. “They ask how they can improve their aesthetic, how to integrate what they already own with something new.”
Johansson, too, is anticipating an evolution ahead. “I sense, and maybe hope, another shift is coming,” he says. As for his intuition regarding the source of that shift: “I believe that music is what moves us, what touches us the most, and I feel that music will have a stronger influence on fashion over the next year.” For Chavarria, fashion itself is an instrument of change. “In 2026,” he says, “fashion will be inseparable from purpose. Because without purpose, it’s just more clothes.”
