Layers with Meaning
Review of Jason Wu Collection Spring 2026 Fashion Show
By Mackenzie Richard Zuckerman
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Textural Dialogues, Artistic Layering, & Curated Collaborations

This season, Jason Wu invited us on a journey that felt as layered as it was luminous—both literally and conceptually. Hosting his show at the Anglerfish Building in Brooklyn, Wu collaborated with the Rauschenberg Foundation to place the collection in a dialogue with Robert Rauschenberg’s iconic textural pieces. The result was a fashion conversation that layered Wu’s signature elegance over Rauschenberg’s visual language. This wasn’t just a homage; it was an intricate dance of fabric and art, a layering of textures and meanings that felt both refreshing and reverent.
In a season where many designers are asked to respond to shifting cultural landscapes, one might wonder: what does it mean for a label to enter into dialogue with an artist of the past? How do we see the echoes of yesterday’s artistic revolutions in today’s runway creations?






THE DIRECTION
THE WRAP UP
In the end, Wu’s collection reaffirms that fashion can indeed be a form of living art history. He took a genuine creative risk by weaving Rauschenberg’s layered iconography into his own design vocabulary, and in doing so, he nudged his label’s language forward. While some pieces played it safer in familiar Wu territory, others felt like bold leaps into a more textured and layered future. If anything fell short, it was simply that the collection left us wanting even more of this dialogue—perhaps a sign that Wu’s experimentation with artistic conversation is only just beginning.



