Lii Fall 2026

A late addition to the CFDA calendar, Zane Li proved once again he could join a new vanguard of American designers alongside the likes of Henry Zankov and Colleen Allen. The 2026 LVMH Prize semifinalist, a Chinese native with a Chinatown studio, now shows in Paris, citing a lack of buyers in New York as the reason he can’t sell his clothes domestically.

Li’s peripatetic lifestyle is constantly in transit with pit stops in Chongqing which inspired his collection, evoking feelings of urban isolation. He drew a parallel to Scarlett Johansson’s character in Under the Skin, finding inspiration in her hidden, mysterious nature, which translated into subtly subversive takes on femininity.

The show opened with a black track jacket, slightly unzipped to reveal a flash of red, followed by color-blocked miniskirts in chartreuse, Martian green, and teal, paired with custom Nike Air Forces. From there, convention gave way to instinct: faux-fur lapels consumed Mod lady jackets, tabard tops formed sloping shoulders, and dress-cape hybrids crafted from seamed squares revealed Li’s 2D-to-3D patternmaking mastery, pieces that truly came alive in motion.