Making the Case for Commuter-core
Review of Kolor Spring 2026 Men’s Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Make it Modular, disruptive design, commutercore
Kolor has long been synonymous with disruption — the kind that reframes the functionally mundane as modular. This season, with founder Junichi Abe having stepped down, the studio stepped up with a confident collection that took to reimagining the commuter as a shapeshifter navigating a world in flux – home, office, hybrid-space, airport lounge.
Gone were the predictable office-casual combinations of chinos and chore coats, in their place were garments which transformed the conventional tailored uniform into a foundation of infinite buildable possibilities. Floral blazers were affixed with nylon bibs, pinstripe short shorts featured contrast mesh pockets, crombie coats were fitted with a technical gilet scaffolding made with a complex web of bungee cords and webbing tape that would require an instruction manual to decipher. Zip-off and fold-out panels allowed for silhouettes to shift from their original function, with seams mimicking the interconnected lines of transit maps – always suggesting movement. It was a collection of clothing as the connective tissue between work, leisure, travel, and escape.
While the aesthetic had Kolor’s signature eccentricity — layered proportions, clashing-yet-cohesive palettes, irregular tailoring — there was a renewed sense of optimism beneath it all. As the menswear market continues to merge performance with the practical, this collection carved out its own vision of “commuter-core”.
THE DIRECTION
THE WRAP UP
Kolor’s Spring 2026 outing didn’t just fill the shoes left by its founders exit — it sprinted ahead, rerouting the conversation toward adaptability. The collection wasn’t about reinvention, but creating a modular wardrobe which can give its wearer daily options, coupled with a little joy along the way. The commute never looked so exciting.
