September 21, 2025 |
The Yaku SS26 show, A Ground to Stand On, expanded the I̶m̶Possible Family Reunion universe – which “reimagines Yaku Stapleton’s family as archetypes in a boundless fantasy world” – with a steady, cinematic intensity. Set in a low-lit warehouse under stark downlights, the collection introduced three new family archetypes – Lorrelle, Ricky and Mum – through silhouettes that shifted between base, warrior and elemental forms.
Birthed from the nostalgia of RPG games, looks were dense with narrative. Trousers billowed like sails caught in wind, cinched tightly then released in soft collapse. Outerwear appeared aged and travel-worn, all straps, layers and raw hems. One shredded grey hoodie clung underneath a transparent knit, while acid green padded trousers were paired with a camo windbreaker – a collision of terrain and function. A graffitied coat layered over a shirt-tie hybrid and patchworked skirt-trouser ensemble hinted at worlds survived, not just imagined.
The silhouettes echoed the Télavani – figures drawn from pre-colonial Caribbean resistance histories. Their proportions became the design language and fabrics were dyed, burned, distressed – each one a surface for story.
With Jordan Fox’s score weaving grime, jazz and medieval motifs, A Ground to Stand On felt less like a runway show and more like a memory being forged in real time. Not fantasy, not futurism – just the many forms armour takes.
Photographer courtesy Yaku.
