Sanderlak Fall 2026 Men’s Collection Fashion Show (Jan 2026).
There was a collective sense of unrestrained anticipation when the industry learned of Sander Lak’s return to the fold.
Lak’s first brand, Sies Marjan (which shuttered in 2020 amid the COVID pandemic) was sought after for its joy-inducing collections that were drenched in a fever dream of vibrant psychedelic technicolour. It also stood out as one of the few brands in fashion history that was recognisable due to its distinctive colour palettes. Fast forward to 2026, and the designer is presenting his latest collection called ‘YEAR 01: Los Angeles, Collection II’ during Paris men’s fashion week, following his well-received debut that saw him open a number of retail doors including Net-a-Porter, SSENSE, and Moda Operandi.
Forgoing the tradition of seasonal labels and opting for a chronological system of years, the designer expanded on his methodology during a private viewing of the collection with The Impression “We’re chopping it up into years. Now we’re in year one, and for each year we’re going to have however many collections we want to do in that year. We do that to reflect this idea of where we are.”
On the concept of reflecting a different sense of place within each collection, Lak’s upbringing will provide the catalyst for where each YEAR will draw its inspiration. “I was born and raised all over the world. I was born in Brunei, I lived in Malaysia, Africa, Europe, America.” Starting with YEAR 01: Collections I and II will be rooted in Los Angeles, where the designer has embedded the emotional essence of the city through colour, texture and a relaxed fit.
His first collection was a meditation on daylight, and the bleached-out pastel tones associated with Los Angeles summers, while ‘Collection II’ will feature a more nocturnal direction.
The first collection was very much about daylight, this idea of everything being bleached out. And this collection (YEAR 02) is much more about what happens when the sun disappears. So, we have that beautiful sunset, but then it goes into night when life gets much more synthetic and there are a lot more neons.”
Sander Lak, Creative Director, Sanderlak
A genderless modularity lies at the heart of how he hopes Sanderlak will be bought and worn, for example he revealed Net-a-Porter had bought YEAR 01 as a women’s collection and SSENSE bought and merchandised it under their menswear vertical. “They bought the same pieces, but how they sell it and who they sell it to will be completely different. That’s really what I wanted it to be, I wanted it to be clothes for everybody.”
The ease and extremes of LA impacted how the fabrics selected for the collection were developed. Cracked leather, formed by coating then stretching the skins, mimicked the effect of the city’s sidewalks. Dried out for months by the sun, then suddenly experiencing the desert cold at night and cracking open. Reframing the standards around fabric end-use, the relaxed vibe influenced the choice of combining garment-dyed chambrays into tuxedo shirt silhouettes and rendering pyjama-style sets in Brooks Brothers quality cottons in order to twist traditional ideas and do things in a different way this time around.
Choosing not to reinvent the wheel, Lak is keeping his focus on texture and colour, the key components that have solidified his reputation as an innovator who understands the science behind colour theory. “I go by texture and colour, then the fits need to be a little bit easier to balance that out. If it’s a non-colour, or non-texture, then I can explore the shape. This ensures I hit my wardrobe staples.” Informing those ‘Collection II’ wardrobe stapes L.A.’s glamour and grit came together in laid-back lounge sets, corduroy tailoring, fluid wide leg trousers, cracked leather biker jackets and draped shirts. Colours will be ‘sharper, moodier, and edged with unease’ set against those synthetic pink neons (in a textured satin jacket that was a fabric originally sourced for drapes) and acidic greens (in slouchy denim).
A master at sourcing textiles from cross-over industries, this season includes the continuation of a collaboration with Maharam. One of North America’s leading interior textile mills, the company was responsible for developing the suffused ombré effect on the best-selling car coats.
Knowing that his expertise with colour and texture is what draws in his many fans, Lak is focussed on starting each story there, with fashion as just the beginning. Revealing that his future ambitions for Sanderlak are for a fully-fledged lifestyle offering.
In all the brands I’ve worked for before, including Sies Marjan, I’ve always had a connection with the idea of furniture, homes, anything designed. That has always been something I’ve been really drawn to. I think it’s also something that a lot of my clients resonate with, for the customer who wants a beautiful couch in a certain colour, they are also the customer that wants one of my garments. So that is definitely where we would like to go eventually. It will be a natural evolution.”
Sander Lak, Creative Director, Sanderlak
