Zankov SS26 — Wet Waves & Weightless Movement
When Henry Zankov finally stepped off from presentations and into full runway mode for his Spring/Summer 2026 collection, he brought energy that felt both airy and anchored. His show in a Manhattan studio was this moment of translation — from knitwear origin story to flowing fabrics, polished hems, bold texture. Zankov’s aesthetic has always been about contrasts: color vs calm, structure vs looseness, mood vs movement.
“SS26 proved that Zankov is no longer a knitwear label; it’s a house ready to play with color, energy, and texture on a much larger scale.” — Vogue Runway
Backstage, the mandate was clear: wet, wavy, high-fashion fresh. Hair direction by Junya Hair for Cutler Salons, polished and smooth, yet free to move. Full hair. Volume. Motion. Nothing rigid. Out of the face. Hair that could flow with the silks, chiffons, drapes, and lengths Zankov was sending down the runway. The fabrics had their own momentum; the hair needed to mirror that.
Trey Bower & The Hair Team: The Movement Architects
Trey Bower took the bow as lead in styling that pulled off wet-wave drama without tipping into chaos. One model’s hair looked like she’d stepped straight out of dawn’s mist: strands slicked, waves sculpted, edges clean — but motion built in from root to tip. Another stepped in with lengths that moved like water, and Trey let it fall loosely behind, letting gravity shape it, letting fabric catch the hair in soft tension.
And the team? They were precision machines. Stylists with fingers of silk, assistants catching flyaways mid-step, Junya Hair’s polish mixed with Boulder Hair Collective’s obsession with texture and finish. Everything was curated: hair that glowed, that moved, that looked freshly made yet lived-in.
“Henry Zankov traded his knitwear beginnings for a more fluid, draped collection that moved like air — silks, sheers, and prints crashing into one another with precision.” — Paper Magazine
Fashion Meets Flow
Zankov’s SS26 was a riot of texture and energy: shimmering knits, silk drapery, long sweeping hems, tailored contrasts, vibrant layers. Color combinations that clashed in the best way, prints and textures mashed up but balanced on models who moved as though in a breeze. The hair couldn’t simply sit still — it had to amplify, to complement, to become part of the silhouette.
Behind the Scenes: Beauty in Motion
What people don’t always see: the choreographed chaos of backstage. Under bright lights, hair tools heated, sprays glistening, Junya Hair’s direction passing through Trey, through every assistant’s hand. The wet look misted with gloss. Waves shaped and reshaped by fingers, brushes, clips. Polished roots, sleek sides, then volume on the ends, soft whips of movement. Every time a model turned or walked, the hair needed to behave like it was dancing with the fabric.
This wasn’t just about looking good under runway lights. For us at Boulder Hair Collective, this is what we strive for every day: hair that feels luxurious and lived in, polished and full of life. The same level of attention, the same balancing act between control and release, that Trey showed today — that’s what we bring back home.
Zankov SS26 felt like a turning point: knitwear roots fading into something broader, more alive, more ambient. The hair played a huge role in that translation. Wet waves, gloss, flow: it turned static clothes into moving statements. It showed confidence: that fashion isn’t always about stiffness or perfection, but about flow, about embrace, about letting movement speak.
Boulder Hair Collective’s Fashion Week Diaries: Full Circle
As part of our Fashion Week Diaries series, we don’t just watch the fashion — we live it. And what Trey and the styling squad did for Zankov — bringing out hair that breathes, that moves, that feels polished even in motion — is the same energy we channel with our clients. Whether you want sleek polish, glam waves, or a wet-look finish that feels high fashion, know that it’s not out of reach. It’s what we do.
Stay tuned — next post in the Diaries drops soon.
