W: Maximillan Dubois I: Ed Jay
The Academy of Art University’s 2026 "US NOW" graduate showcase reconfigured the runway into a powerful arena for personal history and structural subversion, crowned "Best in Show" by ASBO Magazine. Leading this vanguard of exceptional construction, Patric Yikun Wang exposed internal supportive frameworks to turn hidden elements into visible art, reflecting the complexities of queer identity. He was joined by U.S. Air Force veteran Brittany Patterson, who aggressively subverted rigid military aesthetics by splicing heavy camouflage with fragile, hand-crafted paper poppies, and Simone Kerner Oguntala, who fused traditional Igbo Uli symbols with medical latex to bridge structural geometry and heritage-driven wearable art.
The remaining top designers further cemented the showcase’s reputation for technical brilliance and urgent, narrative-led storytelling. Olivia Pletkin treated her garments as kinetic sculptures, translating the chaos of Moby Dick into heavily distressed, shipwrecked canvas and rope that interacted poetically with the body. Jimena Villalobos delivered a striking biological narrative, utilising complex machine-knit techniques to mirror the fluid textures of marine life, whilst Katherine Von Kraut offered a dark, whimsical counterweight of avant-garde couture by seamlessly melding raw, resin-cast forest elements with structured bodices. Together, these six visionaries broke conventional design codes, proving that the future of fashion belongs to creators who pair uncompromising viewpoints with masterful craftsmanship.
Patric Yikun Wang
Patric Yikun Wang’s untitled collection explores the intricate friction between concealment and revelation within the queer identity. Moving far away from celebratory, drag-inspired aesthetics, Wang navigates darker, deeply introspective territories, translating the trauma and emotional restraint of his upbringing in a conservative Chinese city into a rigorous structural vernacular. Utilising an austere palette of black, grey, and blue, the collection conjures large, organic silhouettes from unyielding materials like rigid horsehair, crinoline, and defunct silkscreens. Drawing conceptual oxygen from both classical millinery processes and the skeletal clarity of medical X-rays, Wang masterfully coerces these stiff textiles into fluid, feminine forms that operate as protective shrouds. By pulling internal supportive frameworks into the light, he transforms hidden structural elements into visible art. Fusing the meticulous precision of traditional tambour beading with innovative, three-dimensional screen manipulation, the resulting garments use transparency to subvert expectation, reframing personal vulnerability as a commanding material statement on the complexities of gender expression.
Simone Kerner Oguntala
Simone Kerner Oguntala’s graduate fashion showcase stands as an exceptional masterclass in narrative-led design, seamlessly unified under the conceptual banner of where curiosity begins. Prompted by a solitary portrait of her great-grandmother, Oguntala gracefully honours her West African heritage through a richly layered visual archive of lineage and inheritance. The collection excels through precise tailoring and an audacious interrogation of texture. By meticulously hand-applying Igbo Uli iconography onto the challenging medium of latex—a clever nod to her mother’s medical career—she deftly transforms personal vulnerability into an impactful, non-Eurocentric material statement. Each garment operates as an active dialogue between structural rigidity and fluid motion, capturing an overarching sense of autonomous reclamation. It is an intensely individualistic exhibition that firmly establishes Oguntala as a thrilling, forward-thinking designer to watch.
Brittany Patterson
Brittany Patterson’s graduate fashion showcase stands as an exceptional masterclass in narrative-led design, seamlessly unified under the conceptual banner of personal autobiography. Stepping far away from conventional runway expectations, the ex-Air Force designer applies an experimental ethos to structure, crafting garments that feel simultaneously industrial and deeply organic. The collection excels through precise tailoring and an audacious interrogation of texture, manipulating fabrics to challenge traditional silhouettes. By meticulously hand-crafting fragile crepe paper poppies against the stark backdrop of rigid camouflage, she deftly transforms military uniformity into an impactful material statement on reclaimed individuality. Each garment operates as an active dialogue between structural rigidity and fluid motion, capturing a poignant sense of memory juxtaposed against technical precision. It is an intensely individualistic exhibition that firmly establishes Patterson as a thrilling, forward-thinking designer to watch.
Olivia Pletkin
Olivia Pletkin’s graduate fashion showcase stands as an exceptional masterclass in narrative-led design, seamlessly unified under the conceptual banner of literary adaptation. Stepping far away from conventional runway expectations, the designer applies an experimental ethos to structure, crafting garments that feel simultaneously industrial and deeply organic. The collection excels through precise tailoring and an audacious interrogation of texture, manipulating fabrics to challenge traditional silhouettes. By meticulously distressing tough mediums like duck canvas, linen, and rope, she deftly transforms the chaos of Moby Dick into an impactful material statement on shipwrecked survival. Each garment operates as an active dialogue between structural rigidity and fluid motion, capturing a poignant sense of oceanic danger juxtaposed against technical precision. It is an intensely individualistic exhibition that firmly establishes Pletkin as a thrilling, forward-thinking designer to watch.
Jimena Villalobos
Jimena Villalobos’s 2026 graduate showcase, From Biology to Fashion, stands as an exceptional masterclass in narrative-led design, seamlessly unifying the worlds of science and style. Stepping far away from conventional runway expectations, the Mexican-American designer applies an experimental ethos to structure, crafting avant-garde knitwear that feels simultaneously industrial and deeply organic. The collection excels through precise technical execution and an audacious interrogation of texture, manipulating fabrics to challenge traditional silhouettes.
By meticulously executing complex machine-knitting techniques like holding, laddering, and plating, she deftly transforms the vibrant colours and fluid anatomy of marine worms into an impactful material statement on ecological beauty. Juxtaposing fragile mohair and silky threads against the stark backdrop of rigid metallic yarns and striking fluorescent tones, each garment operates as an active dialogue between structural rigidity and fluid motion. Rooted in childhood memories of sewing with her mother, the work rejects rapid production in favour of theatricality and slow craftsmanship. It is an intensely individualistic exhibition that firmly establishes Villalobos as a thrilling, forward-thinking designer to watch.
Katherine Von Kraut
Katherine Von Kraut’s 2026 graduate showcase stands as an exceptional masterclass in narrative-led design, seamlessly unifying high fashion with raw, avant-garde sculpture. Stepping far away from conventional runway expectations, the designer applies an experimental ethos to structure, crafting a grotesque yet whimsical fairytale of forest metamorphosis across seven evocative looks. The collection excels through precise technical execution and an audacious interrogation of texture, manipulating fabrics to challenge traditional silhouettes.
By meticulously fusing genuine gathered bark and fallen branches with rigid, resin-cast bodices, she deftly transforms the haunting chaos of being consumed by nature into an impactful material statement on tactile couture. A standout, moulded breastplate featuring beautifully turned wooden nipples—crafted in collaboration with her artisan father—adds a deeply personal, intimate layer to the dark aesthetic, ensuring each garment operates as an active dialogue between structural rigidity and fluid motion. Rooted in childhood imagination, the work rejects superficial decoration in favour of pure theatricality and slow craftsmanship. It is an intensely individualistic exhibition that firmly establishes Von Kraut as a thrilling, forward-thinking designer to watch.