Designer Jason Wu unveiled his spring 2026 collection, “COLLAGE,” on Sunday evening during New York Fashion Week, in collaboration with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. Both Wu’s designs—directly inspired by Rauschenberg’s art—and the choice to stage the presentation within a rarely seen installation, are part of worldwide celebrations honoring the late American artist’s 100th birthday.
Set in a raw, industrial warehouse at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the runway wound through A Quake in Paradise (Labyrinth) (1994), Rauschenberg’s maze-like installation composed of 29 silkscreened aluminum and Lexan panels. Models passed between mirrored and translucent surfaces in deconstructed coats and jackets, gowns printed with Rauschenberg’s imagery, and fluid slip dresses that carried the collection’s collage theme. As sunlight filtered through lofty windows, it ricocheted off the panels, turning the space into a glowing, exhibition-like environment.
Each of Wu’s looks nodded to Rauschenberg’s experimental use of material, echoing his groundbreaking three-dimensional “Combines,” which blurred the boundaries between painting and sculpture. Given access to the Foundation’s archives, Wu drew inspiration from two series: “Hoarfrost” (1974–76) and “Airport Suite” (1974), both known for their layered imagery and use of fabric. He reinterpreted elements of 10 specific artworks—a checklist of which was distributed at the show—into garments made from satin, silk twill, and organza. He described these as “living compositions.”
“Within the centennial initiatives, this dialogue between art and fashion affirms that Rauschenberg’s spirit of experimentation and connection remains vital, inspiring new generations to engage with his work in unexpected and resonant ways,” Courtney J. Martin, executive director of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, told Artsy. The Rauschenberg Foundation approached Wu about a collaboration in January 2025, knowing that the designer has named Rauschenberg as an influence.
Rauschenberg created the installation A Quake in Paradise (Labyrinth) at his Captiva Island studio in Florida in 1994. Designed to adapt to its surroundings and to be navigated by viewers, the work offered a creative yet fitting structure for a runway show. The installation was last shown to the public at MASS MoCA in 2018.
Wu has long intertwined his work with art: His spring 2012 collection was a collaboration with KAWS; his spring 2024 ready-to-wear show paid tribute to Isamu Noguchi and was staged in the artist’s Sunken Garden (1961–64) in Lower Manhattan; and during last year’s New York Fashion Week, he partnered with Chinese calligrapher Tong Yang-Tze.
Calling this latest collaboration “a dream come true,” Wu described the collection in a press statement as “my tribute to Mr. Rauschenberg’s work and my personal journey as an immigrant who collects what seem disparate references into my creations.”
“Seeing Jason Wu translate Rauschenberg’s radical fabric works into living, moving garments was both thrilling and a testament to Jason’s ability to channel the artist’s vision through contemporary design,” Martin told Artsy. “The collection doesn’t merely reference Rauschenberg—it carries forward his belief that materials, collaboration, and risk can transform how we see the world.”
Wu’s timely presentation comes just ahead of “Robert Rauschenberg: Fabric Works of the 1970s,” which will open on September 19th at the Menil Collection in Houston. It will be the first major exhibition to focus on the artist’s fabric works.
Also on Sunday, designer Ulla Johnson presented a collection inspired by Helen Frankenthaler—Rauschenberg’s contemporary and a leading figure in 20th-century American painting—at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. The two shows reflect fashion’s ongoing embrace of art in recent years. Other memorable collaborations this year include Dior’s collaboration with Artsy Vanguard alum Rithika Merchant and Rejina Pyo’s Edvard Munch-inspired collection.
