Yaku Stapleton AW26

The concept of world-building is one many designers strive for, though seldom is it captured as well as Yaku. The eponymous line, headed by Yaku Stapleton, is centred by this idea shown through chapters of The Possible Family Reunion in RPG Space. Each presentation touching on the context of previous collections, whilst further developing the idea of a world beyond reality, informed by Afrofuturism and rooted in virtual fantasy brought to life. This season’s offering is no different.

Stapleton subverts convention in a manner wherein the clothing is part of a larger offering, one of characters, performance, and story, with the looks acting as a guide for the narrative. Beings of this imagined world, the Télavani, are based upon Stapleton’s own family, creating the foundation of the brand’s chronology, with each chapter adding further depth. The previous presentation saw the caregivers of the Family learning to engage with their histories, wherein this chapter looks at history repeatedly ignored, and the conflict that can arise in doing so. Chapter 7, titled Evolution of Combat, follows Amir and Nathaniel, the protectors of the Family, with each look reflecting different interpretations of the Télavani brothers and the archetypes of the warrior.

The reworking of the form is nothing new to Yaku, and yet every chapter breathes new silhouettes and a refining of the craft, of both design and show- without forgetting the codes that have become signatures of warped jersey, spiked motifs, and exaggerated footwear. Immersion rests at the heart of each presentation, and this season follows suit. Opting away from models simply wearing and walking, the performers move fluidly through the space, taking cues from Caribbean martial arts for the combat-inspired movement. Each motion carrying weight, enhancing the crafted armour and those who don it.

Watching the Family’s protector stagger down the runway clutching their shield, arrows embedded throughout, it’s impossible not to be drawn into the fantasy of it all. Envisioning the story through details scattered between each look, it can’t be helped but to imagine the next instalment and how the story of the Télavani continues.