Junya Watanabe MAN FW26 Brings Together Jazz, Ivy and the Parisian Sidewalk

Summary

• The Junya Watanabe MAN FW26 runway was transformed into an intimate Parisian street scene where the audience sat at bistro tables

• A central collaboration with Stüssy reimagined the classic Ivy League uniform by embroidering iconic streetwear symbols

• The presentation featured a new New Balance hybrid shoe that blends sneaker technology with the silhouette of a formal Oxford, alongside reconstructed patchwork garments from ongoing partners Levi’s and Spiewak

For Fall/Winter 2026, Junya Watanabe MAN transported the audience to a romanticized corner of mid-century Paris. The runway was staged as a classic street scene, where guests traded traditional benches for bistro chairs and small café tables, creating an intimate atmosphere that felt more like a neighborhood rendezvous than a formal fashion show. This immersive setting provided the perfect backdrop for a collection that looked back to a specific “golden era” of style—the period between 1958 and 1962, just before the cultural rupture of rock ’n’ roll.

The collection functioned as a sophisticated remix of the mid-century American uniform. Watanabe took the pillars of Ivy League dressing—the navy blazer, the crisp khaki chino and the button-down shirt—and updated them with a subcultural edge. The most talked-about moment was the collaboration with Stüssy, which saw the streetwear pioneer’s legendary 8-ball and crown graphics embroidered onto the very fabric of traditional collegiate tailoring. It was a poetic collision of the 1950s “cool” represented by Miles Davis and the 1980s surf-and-skate revolution.

Building on this foundation of “sliced and diced” classics, Watanabe utilized his signature partnerships with Levi’s and Spiewak to introduce elements of industrial durability through patchwork and hybrid construction. The footwear continued this theme of refined utility with a new New Balance collaboration that leaned into a hybrid aesthetic. These weren’t standard trainers; the newest pair featured a sleek, low-profile silhouette that blurred the lines between a performance sneaker and a polished Oxford shoe, designed specifically to anchor the collection’s straight-leg chinos. As jazz melodies filled the air, the models moved past the café tables in silhouettes that felt like living history. By merging the disciplined lines of pre-1960s menswear with the rebellious spirit of Stüssy and the ruggedness of Levi’s, Watanabe proved that the most timeless style is found in the space between tradition and its creative dismantling.

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