Jiayi Xu, Cracks In Being, 2026

Cracks In Being explores the material language of time through fracture, erosion, and reconstruction. Inspired by a deteriorating wooden archive of photographs, the collection translates memory into surface and form. Distressed textures, fragmented structures, and layered transparencies evoke the tension between rupture and continuity. Silhouettes shift between rigidity and collapse, suggesting garments caught in a state of becoming. Cracks are not treated as damage, but as active lines of transformation—where material breaks, space opens, and new forms emerge. The body becomes a site where time is worn, altered, and continuously rewritten.

The Design Show

The Design Show features garments, accessories, lookbooks, fragrances, and portfolio work, offering visitors an opportunity to engage with both the finished collections and the creative processes behind them. Together, these presentations reveal the breadth of ideas, approaches, and perspectives that define the Fashion Design Class of 2026.

The work on view reflects the creativity, rigor, and vision of a new generation of designers shaping the future of fashion through thoughtful and engaged practice.