Hikari no Yami presented its Spring Summer 2026 collection in New York under the title Chapter 9: The Invisible Man. Designer Jakarie Whitaker rooted the collection in Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man and Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks, two works that question visibility, humanity, and power. The collection framed invisibility as an oppressive condition rather than a gift, addressing the contradiction of being observed yet not acknowledged.
Whitaker described the clothes as vessels of psychological protest. Each garment carried the weight of a system that reduces and distorts Black men in America, challenging the audience to confront structures that sustain this invisibility. Through this lens, the collection invited viewers to imagine what liberation looks like when invisibility is refused.
Fabric choices reinforced the message while grounding the work in the brand’s origins. The collection used deadstock and recycled Japanese cottons, wool, and polyester blends, tying sustainability to conceptual rigor. A palette of black, white, and grey recalled Whitaker’s early experiments while emphasizing absence and presence as themes. Silhouettes drew from Japanese design codes and American streetwear, combining wide-cut denim, patchwork, and layered proportions to dismantle traditional distinctions between high fashion and utilitarian clothing.
The setting added a personal dimension. The show took place in the dentistry office of Dr. Lee Gause in Midtown Manhattan, chosen as a nod to Whitaker’s own path. Before turning to design, he intended to pursue medical school and train as an anesthesiologist. The influence of Virgil Abloh, and support from the Virgil Abloh Foundation, steered him toward fashion, a trajectory acknowledged in the choice of venue.
Footwear extended the dialogue between athleticism and tailoring. Under Armour sponsored the season, with Whitaker reworking the brand’s Echo sneaker. Using scraps from the ready-to-wear collection, he layered fabric onto the athletic base while keeping the sole intact. The result fused sustainable practice with avant-garde construction, underscoring the yin and yang philosophy that shapes Hikari no Yami.
Chapter 9 was presented as a realization rather than an answer. Through deconstruction and reconstruction, Whitaker dissected identity, chaos, and resistance, continuing the brand’s exploration of fashion as manifesto. The collection insisted on recognition and visibility, finding light within darkness – true to the name Hikari no Yami.
