John Lawrence Sullivan Fall/Winter 2026 For Intervention At Berlin Fashion Week

John Lawrence Sullivan Fall/Winter 2026 / FW26 For Intervention At Berlin Fashion Week

John Lawrence Sullivan FW26 / Fall/Winter 2026 collection reflects designer Arashi Yanagawa’s background as a former professional boxer, where intensity meets rigor. Stripped of excessive embellishments, the collection maintains a deliberate distance from others, from society, embodying both defiance and self-defense. These defense mechanisms are overlaid with the ascetic attitude found in Scandinavian black metal and other dark metal subcultures: an ethos rooted between restraint and confrontation, resulting in a collection that seeks to reveal those internal battles.

Long coats, tailored jackets, bomber jackets, and biker jackets – the hero pieces this season, compel the silhouette into a forward-leaning crouch, reminiscent of a boxer’s fighting stance. The forward-set sleeves, often seen in military garments, are radically reinterpreted, exaggerated in scale, thickness, and curvature, pushing the silhouette forward. This construction encourages and emphasizes a guarded, inward-facing posture. Shoulder lines are also shifted sharply forward, visually rounding the back and reinforcing a silhouette that evokes the immediacy and tension of a fighting pose.

Second-skin leather protects the body, while durable melton wool sits at the core of John Lawrence Sullivan FW26 / Fall/Winter 2026 collection’s textiles. Both materials operate as defensive membranes, shutting out the external world while heightening awareness of the body. Kenpi melton reminiscent of snow, silk-nep flannel, wool-silk nep knits, icy silver lamé, and richly expressive silver leather further evoke the Nordic natural environment through materiality itself.

The overall color palette centers on deep black, recalling Nordic nights, alongside snow white and ice silver that convey a piercing coldness. Added to this are two camouflage print patterns, one for autumn and one for winter: designed by art director Katariina Lamberg from KL Studio, as well as dot prints evoking falling snow. Graphic designs are inspired by the symbolism of forests and rivers found in stories and mythologies.

Accessories densely embedded with regimented stud work are not intended to decorate the looks, but to function as devices that generate tension. They also serve as a declaration of independence, resisting easy alignment with markets or trends. In addition to collaborative jewelry with YOSHiKO CREATiON, long combat boots created with KIDS LOVE GAITE feature TEMPESTI’s Elbamatt Liscio leather for the uppers and Vibram rubber soles, ensuring both practicality and durability.

The womenswear line shares the same core concept as the menswear, while presenting exaggerated shoulder silhouettes as a key visual element. Centered on garments that transpose traditionally masculine constructions onto the female form, the lineup includes long denim skirts with abundant tuck pleats inspired by HAKAMA and TOKKOFUKU (Japanese biker gang uniforms), as well as coats and tops that incorporate lingerie details in a fetishistic manner.

The music, composed by Jonas Karsten – an artist, film composer, and producer, was built around the idea of circular motion, with sound moving around the audience rather than progressing in a linear direction. Originally envisioned as a fully spatial and immersive setup, the composition emphasized a sense of orbiting energy. While the final presentation was adapted to a stereo format and rendered as a continuous linear piece, the circular concept remained at its core.