For Fall/Winter 2026, Wanze draws from childhood memories of growing up in Northern China. Rather than recreating the past, the collection examines how memory shapes the way we dress—through protection, utility and quiet resilience. Inspired by regional and Chinese uniforms of the 1960s, familiar silhouettes are softened, refined and translated into a contemporary, everyday wardrobe.
Across the collection, structured outerwear, military-inspired jackets, zip-front blousons and precisely cut shirting establish a wardrobe defined by utility and restraint. Uniform dressing is reinterpreted not as an expression of conformity, but as a language of purpose, practicality and confidence.
Material remains central to Wanze's approach. Italian melton wool, brushed suiting and Loro Piana fabrics sit alongside durable Japanese cottons chosen not only for their quality but for the way they age and respond to everyday wear.
Throughout FW26, proportions remain relaxed yet precise, with thoughtful construction and functional detailing shaping every piece. The result is a collection that feels timeless, balancing historical influence with a contemporary perspective.
Rather than looking back with nostalgia, Wanze proposes a wardrobe shaped by experience—one that honours the past through craftsmanship, materiality and modernity.
Before we get into the collection, tell us a little about yourself. You started out as a patternmaker—how has that background, along with your own journey, shaped the way you design today?
I worked as a patternmaker for eight years before starting my own brand. Patternmaking is about the nitty-gritty of figuring out shape, proportions, construction, and finishings of a garment. Those aspects are still deeply ingrained in how I create today.
It has always been about the product first. I believe a good product can instill a little bit of magic when the wearer first puts the garment on. It puts a spell on them—you don't want to take it off.
Every collection starts somewhere. What was the starting point for this FW26 one? Wasthere a particular idea, feeling, or moment that sparked it?
Before developing FW26, I visited my family and my hometown in northern China. It was nostalgic to see certain neighbourhoods where I grew up. In some of the more rural areas of the city, it felt almost like time travel—the streets, the people, and the way they dressed hadn’t changed much as I remembered.
I saw a lot of quilted jackets, especially the famous green quilted military jacket that I grew up seeing, as well as a lot of fur coats. I was reminded of the cold, somber environment I grew up in and how much it has shaped my identity. I came back feeling inspired to recreate and reinterpret some of these familiar pieces through my own perspective.
Fabric feels like such an important part of your work. How do you choose the materials you work with, and when you're designing, what usually comes first: the fabric, the silhouette, or an idea? Does the fabric ever completely change the direction of a piece?
It's like putting together a puzzle. I always start with the fabrics, and I go through a few rounds of making the final selections. Sometimes certain materials will spark an idea for a garment, while other fabrics will inspire a particular technique or construction.
A big part of the process is finding the right group of fabrics that can work well together and create a cohesive collection. The materials often determine where a piece ends up going and the possibilities of what new inventions can come into existence.
Is there one piece in this collection that feels especially close to you or really sums up what you wanted to say this season?
The Slim Fit Military Jacket is one of them. Outerwear is one of my favourite categories to make because there is more room to play. You can define what you want to say through details, shapes, and functions that make a piece recognizable.
For this jacket, I was looking at vintage military jackets as a reference. I wanted to retain the formal, structured feel while introducing a sense of interest and modernity. It's always about finding the right balance between having those referential elements and creating something that feels relevant and wearable today.
Once these pieces leave the studio, they're no longer just your designs, they become partof someone else's story. When you picture someone wearing WANZE, who do you imaginethem to be, and how do you hope they make the pieces their own?
I imagine someone who is comfortable and confident in their own skin. To me, confidence is the ultimate definition of beauty. There is something empowering about having a strong sense of yourself and feeling free to express it. I hope the garments can become an extension of that.
Outside of fashion, what's inspiring you at the moment? It could be music, books, films,travel, or just everyday life.
Film has always been a huge source of inspiration for me. It takes you on a journey to another place and time, and introduces you to characters who embody certain attitudes, personalities, and ways of moving through the world.
The woman that lives forever in my mind is Kim Min-hee in Hong Sang-soo's films. She is a character and presence that I always find myself coming back to. There is something very natural and understated about the way she carries herself that I find incredibly attractive and moving.
And finally, what's been the most rewarding part of building WANZE so far?
I would say the people I've gotten to meet and know along the way. That was something I never really thought about when I started.
Making clothes has become a gateway for me to meet some of the most incredible people—through shared conversations, experiences, and friendships. I'm incredibly grateful that making clothes has provided me with that opportunity.
Black-and-white photos by Neil Anthony Watson
Coloured photos by Nathan Legiehn
WANZE FW26 IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
Click HERE to shop the collection.
Editorial photos by Tom Fisher