Yaku Autumn/Winter 2026

Chapter 7: The Evolution of Combat

​In the landscape of London Fashion Week, few designers manage to bridge the gap between high-concept world-building and raw, personal nostalgia as seamlessly as the duo behind YAKU. For Autumn/Winter 2026, the brand unveiled "Chapter 7: The Possible Family Reunion in RPG Space, Evolution of Combat," a collection that functions less like a traditional runway show and more like a playable epic, questioning the very motivations that drive us to fight.

​The Set: From the Bunk Bed to the Arena

​The atmosphere of the show immediately established a duality that defined the designer’s upbringing. To understand the "Evolution of Combat," one must look back to the makeshift WWE rings of a childhood bedroom, where cardboard boxes were transformed into ladders and chairs.

​The set echoed this transition from the domestic to the digital. It wasn't just a runway; it was a "Tellyvani" space, a reimagined RPG environment where the early 2000s aesthetic of Old School RuneScape (OSRS) met the gritty intensity of Smackdown! Here Comes the Pain. The air was thick with the sense of a mission about to begin, grounding the high-concept Afro-futurism in a tangible, lived-in reality.

​The Protagonists: Amir and Fanyo

​While previous seasons focused on the caregivers of the YAKU universe, Chapter 7 shifts the lens toward the protectors. The collection centers on two brothers, Amir and Fanyo. While they inhabit the familiar visual language of the warrior archetype - bulky silhouettes, protective layers, and tactical gear, they are far from one-dimensional avatars.

​The designers used these characters to explore a heavy thematic question: What happens when history is repeatedly ignored by those with a fundamentally different relationship to growth and survival? The garments themselves told this story. We saw the signature "traveler" archetype evolved into something more defensive, yet more vulnerable. Massive, sculptural 3D-printed elements and inflated, padded textures recreated the exaggerated proportions of a video game hero, yet the intricate detailing suggested a history of combat, discipline, and consequence.

​The Narrative: A Story in Four Acts

​YAKU structured the presentation across four distinct acts: Discipline, Temptation, Confrontation, and Consequence. This narrative arc was reflected in the styling and movement of the performers, a mix of dancers and martial artists who blurred the line between a fashion walk and a combat sequence.

​Discipline: Focused on the "positive protagonist," featuring clean, structured silhouettes that suggested the rigor of self-improvement and the boxing gyms of the designer's youth.

​Temptation & Confrontation: Here, the silhouettes became more chaotic and aggressive. The "Possible Family Reunion" was threatened by a shift in motivation - moving from the power of self-mastery to the force of dominance over others.

​Consequence: The final act left the audience with a haunting question: What are we willing to sacrifice for the win?

​The Aesthetic: Afro-futurism and RPG Nostalgia

​Visually, the collection was a masterclass in texture. The iconic YAKU backpacks were present, but they felt more like survival kits for an interdimensional journey. The use of paper-like textures and upcycled materials acted as a nod to the brand’s origins, while the 3D prints pushed the boundaries of what is possible in wearable art.

​This is the heart of the YAKU mission: using an Afro-futuristic lens to reflect positive protagonists. It is a refusal to be limited by the "real world," instead opting to build a space where the designer's younger self - one who grew up on Blade, Enter the Dragon, and Berserk could finally see himself as the lead character.

​The Nike Collaboration

​Perhaps the most poignant moment of the collection was the official debut of the YAKU x Nike Recreation Program collaboration. This partnership has been three years in the making, but its roots go back much further, to a graduate runway where shoes were upcycled from school bin paper and fabric scraps.

​Seeing the collaborative pieces on the AW26 runway, ahead of their wider release in May 2026, felt like the ultimate "level up" in YAKU’s own RPG. It wasn't just a corporate partnership; it was a testament to the brand's core philosophy: expanding what feels possible. From paper-scrapped Air Forces to an official global collaboration, the journey of the shoe mirrors the journey of the brand evolution through discipline.

​Final Thoughts

​Chapter 7 proves that YAKU is not just designing clothes; they are designing a philosophy of movement. By exploring the "Evolution of Combat," they ask us to look at our own motivations. In a world that often demands force, YAKU advocates for the discipline of the warrior and the imagination of the child. It is a powerful reminder that while we may be playing a game, the stakes of how we treat our "family" are very, very real.