Lii’s NYFW Debut — Beach Chic Rebirth
When Lii (designer Zane Li) stepped onto the NYFW SS26 calendar with his first official runway show, something felt born again. Fresh, dramatic, quietly fierce. The kind of debut that reminds the fashion world: new voices are rising.
“Lii emerges not with a bang, but with a graceful chorus of fabric, silhouette, and soft motion.” — Vogue Business recounting the debut. Vogue Business
From the moment you walked into the studio space, it was clear this wasn’t just another presentation. The lights, the layout, the intentional quiet before momentum — all spoke of a designer who’s been studying his craft, shaping his voice, then choosing the perfect day to speak.
Hair direction came from Dylan Chavles for Cutler Salons, and it was a reunion that mattered. The brief: beachy, chic, with just the right amount of separation and polish. Not loud. Not over-blown. Movement that felt alive, but still refined. Hair that moves with the wind over water, but also reads well under runway lights.
Trey Bower & The Team: Polishing the Surf
Watching Trey backstage was like seeing someone choreograph waves. One model’s hair was parted just so, glossed at roots, loose ends catching air, smoothing over shoulders. Another had subtle separation — hair flowing, fingers combed through, but never frizzing out. Dylan’s direction was all about texture that looks like sun-kissed strands, but with discipline.
The beauty of this look was in its restraint. Volume wasn’t the name of the game — it was about flow, polish, letting the fabric and silhouette lead, and hair following softly behind. Think wet beach post-tide, not hurricane-wrecked. Ends that move. Roots that shine. Faces framed by soft strands, not harsh pieces.
Fashion that Breathes + Beauty that Moves
Lii’s collection gave this hair direction room to live: fluid fabrics, silhouettes that coaxed movement, cuts that draped. Color tones that feel warm and sandy, textures that shine under soft lights, details that invite closer look. The way the garments moved, glided — you needed hair that didn’t compete but completed.
“Support from editors, stylists, and retailers like SSENSE signaled this was more than a debut — it was a realization.” Vogue Business
Because here’s what I believe: fashion this fresh deserves hair that respects it. Hair that complements, doesn’t distract. And that’s exactly what Trey Bower and the hair team pulled off.
Backstage & Boulder Flare
Backstage was serene-noise: stylists quietly adjusting sheen, assistants smoothing roots, Dylan calling directions, Trey nodding, hands flying over hair. Every misted gloss, every strand tucked or separated, was its own decision.
For us at Boulder Hair Collective, this is the kind of artistry we live for. Beachy polish plus runway precision. Movement plus control. The same attention to detail Trey and Dylan showed in Lii’s debut — it’s the standard we bring home. Whether you want soft texture, that sunbeam shine, or ends that whisper movement, we deliver.
Why This Debut slay’d
Because Lii didn’t just show clothes; he showed a mood: calm confidence, new beauty, rebirth. And in the dance between fabric and hair, movement and polish, you can see a designer who knows what he wants — and a beauty team that understands how to translate that into craft.
Lii’s first NYFW runway wasn’t just a moment. It was a statement. And the hair? It followed like a perfect echo.
As the lights dim on New York Fashion Week SS26, one thing is clear: beauty doesn’t just follow fashion — it shapes it. From Kim Shui’s sky-high edge, to Gabe Gordon’s wreckage-to-resurrection drama, to Zankov’s wet waves in motion, and finally Lii’s debut of polished restraint, every show proved that hair is more than accessory — it’s the pulse that completes the look. For Trey Bower, for our team, and for us at Boulder Hair Collective, this season was more than backstage access. It was proof that our artistry belongs on the world stage. And as we bring this inspiration home to Boulder, know this: the same hands that shaped Fashion Week hair are ready to shape yours. Until next season, the Diary closes here — but the story never stops flowing.
