For Spring Summer 2026, Junya Watanabe MAN trades raw utilitarianism for something unexpectedly rich: a study in classical tailoring, ornate textures, and old-world references. But this isn’t a nostalgic exercise, Watanabe uses the past to reframe the present, layering baroque aesthetics with the attitude of contemporary streetwear. The result is a collection that moves between refinement and rebellion, never settling into either.
SPRING SUMMER 2026
Watanabe opens the show with restraint, letting crisp silhouettes and vintage floral prints do the talking. Embroidered jackets, wallpaper-patterned textiles, and baroque motifs pull from 18th-century references, but they’re applied with precision rather than sentimentality. These aren’t costumes, they’re statements. Color plays a bigger role than in recent seasons, as Watanabe moves away from monochrome to embrace painterly vibrancy and ornate construction.
The garments feel luxurious, but still grounded in the kind of structure Watanabe is known for. Tailoring is polished. Knitwear is detailed. Nothing screams for attention, but everything demands a second look.
The atmosphere changes midway through the show. Classical piano gives way to house and jazz, and the collection follows suit. Rigid lines soften into looser shapes: layered fringe, wide trousers, flowing outerwear. Denim appears beneath draped pieces, and chain accessories add a sense of improvised cool. This half of the show feels less curated, more lived-in, like elegance that’s been broken in.
What makes Spring 2026 stand out isn’t just the shift in aesthetic, it’s the confidence behind it. Watanabe isn’t abandoning his past signatures, but he’s not repeating them either. There’s a clear message here: masculinity doesn’t need to be hard-edged to feel strong. Beauty, ornamentation, softness, these can carry just as much weight. Especially when filtered through Watanabe’s precise, idiosyncratic lens.
This collection sits at the intersection of craft and identity. It’s for the guy who can pull off embroidery without irony. Who’s drawn to structure but doesn’t mind a little chaos. Who knows that sometimes, a floral jacket can hit harder than combat boots.
