Performance Meets Perfection (EXCLUSIVE)
When I asked Hideaki Yoshihara and Yukiko Ode, the married couple behind Japanese fashion label HYKE, what specific military designs informed the brand's Spring/Summer 2026 collection, their response was to list ten disparate pieces of specific tactical gear.
This might seem less than obvious when beholding the understated dignity that is HYKE SS26 but, really, it's par for the course.
HYKE's seasonal collections are always packed with vintage military references, from French Navy sailor pants to American G-8 WEP flight jackets first issued in the 1950s. This is all part of HYKE lore: Yoshihara and Ode owned a vintage store specializing rare militaria before starting the brand.
The difference is in how HYKE smoothly integrates these hardwearing garments into its graceful womenswear, reimagining garments designed for pure utility as a wardrobe of extreme elegance.
This act of reinventing the tough as the tasteful is partially what makes HYKE one of Japan’s best-kept fashion secrets.
“For SS26, we were drawn to marine and sailor themes, but we chose black as our main color instead of the navy most people associate with nautical [clothing] to offer a new proposition,” say Yoshihara and Ode. “The darker color choice may have contributed to a more formal impression.”
The digital presentation begins with a jet black sweater tucked into flowing oversized black pants, the only obvious link to sailing attire being the trousers' 13-button front flap borrowed from US Navy “Crackerjack” pants. Those buttons are a motif that surfaces throughout the succeding 40 looks, gracing everything from faded denim jeans to tailored jumpsuits.
HYKE has always incorporated tailoring into its collections but it was especially prevalent this time around, underscored by a strong showing of cropped double-breasted blazers.
This more formal feel is also partly due to the exclusion of HYKE's popular The North Face collaboration, which ended a year or two ago. This departure “allowed us to explore new themes that were less focused on outdoor and sports elements,” say Yoshihara and Ode.
However, as always, HYKE infused its tailored wearables with functional fabrics as luxe as its wool suiting, including its typical weather-resistant Pertex and sheer polyester double-raschel mesh that wicks sweat. '
These materials were all chosen with equal intent to allow comfort even in hot climates — this is a summer collection, after all.
“Due to recent heat waves that have been experienced throughout the world, we have been conscious of using high-quality fabrics that are crisp and comfortable without clinging to the skin,” say Yoshihara and Ode.
In quintessentially HYKE fashion, these clothes are both obviously urbane and quite useful, the very definition of the perfect modern wardrobe.
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