NYFW Inspirations for Spring 2026: Patriotism, Pink and Percussion

Before all the newly installed creative directors make their spring 2026 debuts in Europe, the designers showcasing in New York will be first to set the tone creatively for what’s sure to be an era-defining season ahead.

As is tradition, a few newcomers, comebacks and cornerstones on the New York Fashion Week schedule provided WWD an exclusive look at what inspired their collections.

Certainly falling under the last category, Michael Kors kicks things off Thursday, and judging by his photograph taken on the island of Pantelleria, resort wear will likely be his focus, grounded in “earthy elegance,” the caption reads. Translation? Infinite shades of beige.

Kors may just be a few shades off as pink seems to be the color on almost everybody’s palette. Henry Zankov, however, is seeing ultraviolet ahead of his first seated runway show, while Stacy Bendet will salute the red, white and blue at Alice + Olivia — just take a look her patriotic collage.

Patriotism was another common theme, though Elena Velez’s lack thereof could lead to some form of political protest. We’ll just have to wait until the last day of NYFW to see how it unfolds. 

But before then, Alexander Wang will return to the calendar Friday after a two-year absence. The designer declined to lay all his chips on the table, sharing only a Mahjong tile as his inspiration. Earlier that morning, Wang alum Nicholas Aburn’s debut at Area will be a hot ticket. With New York City as his starting point, Aburn said he was considering “how to feel as excited about going out in the morning as you do at night.” His solution may lie in styling: see his crystal embellished belt strangling the waist of a banal Canal Street t-shirt below.

Speaking of iconic city streets, creative director Emily Smith chose a playful rendering of Lafayette 148’s namesake location as the brand gears up for its 30th anniversary. 

Fashion week aside, September also brings with it the fall semester and a few designers are taking lessons, namely Christian Juul Nielsen, who has his bags packed for “boarding school.” The Aknvas designer’s sketch of a model, shown here, with her hands shoved cooly into the pockets of baggy green shorts gets an A for attitude. 

Those signed up for music include Ib Kamara, who’s composing a “pop romance” for Off-White and Luar’s Raul Lopez, who will pay homage to his Dominican roots through the percussive rhythms of Carnival.

Elsewhere, the Tanner Fletcher boys took up shop to debut a homeware collaboration with Etsy and Christian Siriano teamed with lunchbox staple Capri Sun on an exclusive handbag. Kate Barton, meanwhile, geeked out in the computer science lab, using AI to generate her unique art piece. Expectedly for this set, art class was the most popular with a roster that includes Anna Sui, Sally LaPointe, Pamella Roland and fashion week first-timer Zane Li.

But it was Tory Burch who encapsulated this season’s mood best with two words: “sentimentality and femininity.” Leaving out Gabe Gordon’s car crash, there’s an underlying romance to the images across the board (hence all that pink). Could mannish tailoring and ‘80s gaudiness be on their way out? Flip through the gallery above to see if Burch got it right.