Some collaborations feel like a brand borrowing credibility. This one feels like a brand getting a rare moment of fashion insider attention. Banana Republic has taken on Henry Zankov, a designer that many fashion insiders already follow closely, and the result is a holiday capsule that is fun, cool and easy to wear. It also gives Banana Republic a new spotlight at exactly the right time of year.
Zankov’s ZANKOV label, founded in New York in 2020, is known for its bold use of color, pattern and texture, and its 2024 CFDA American Emerging Designer of the Year win cemented his place among the most talked-about names in ready-to-wear. His reputation has grown quickly, and this capsule puts his sensibility in front of a much wider audience.
Designer With a Growing Fashion Profile
Zankov’s influence now reaches beyond his own label. He has also taken the helm of Diane von Furstenberg as the brand’s new creative director, and the house has just presented its first runway show in New York in almost a year. That appointment places him at one of the most closely watched creative seats in American fashion, and it explains why this Banana Republic project carries weight beyond the holiday calendar. Our coverage of the Diane von Furstenberg Spring Summer 2027 show looks at the first collection shaped by that new direction.
Banana Republic is not drawing attention to that role in its announcement, but for anyone following fashion, the timing is hard to miss. A designer with his own label, a new post at a legacy house and a collaboration with a heritage American brand is a story in itself. You can read more about Zankov’s own collections in our Zankov Spring Summer 2027 coverage.
This collaboration with Banana Republic is really an exploration of the visual language I’ve developed through my work, brought together with the brand’s rich sense of craft and heritage. The pieces were created with a spirit of playfulness, but with an enduring, timeless quality. I wanted each garment to feel beautiful in the hand, to have that tactile, almost instinctive appeal, and to feel like something you could live with, love, and eventually pass down as an heirloom.
Most collaborations trade on a designer’s signature or a brand’s nostalgia, and the two rarely meet in the middle. This capsule does something more specific. Zankov went through the Banana Republic archive, pulled out pieces from its past and rebuilt them with his own vocabulary of unexpected color, patchwork construction and stripe. The Helene, a paneled leather and suede pencil skirt, takes its cue from a 1986 style with similar construction. The Mateo, a deep burgundy leather bomber, reinterprets an archival reference with a ZANKOV signature stripe at the interior cuff.
Zankov described the starting point this way: “This collaboration with Banana Republic is really an exploration of the visual language I’ve developed through my work, brought together with the brand’s rich sense of craft and heritage. The pieces were created with a spirit of playfulness, but with an enduring, timeless quality. I wanted each garment to feel beautiful in the hand, to have that tactile, almost instinctive appeal, and to feel like something you could live with, love, and eventually pass down as an heirloom.”
Cashmere, Wool and The Case for Slow Dressing
Material sits at the center of the collection. Brushed cashmere runs through the range, most visibly in the Auden sweater, the hero piece that comes in vivid stripes and solid colors inspired by vintage sportswear. The same fabric appears in the Sasha cardigan, which pairs navy and pistachio stripes, and in the Frankie, a classic long-sleeve polo with a malachite green placket.
The Lev, a reimagined 1950s car coat, is cut from Italian wool produced in Prato, Tuscany, and finished with a leather collar and a voluminous silhouette. A proprietary wool yarn gives the Lucien Fair Isle jacquard sweater its texture. These are pieces built for repetition. A sweater that works with a leather skirt on Monday and cargo trousers on Thursday earns its place in the closet, and the brushed finish suggests it will age well rather than thin out.
Approachable Pieces For a Shared Wardrobe
The collective spirit of the capsule may be its most appealing quality. The assortment spans menswear, womenswear and accessories, cut with relaxed proportions and universal sizing so the pieces can be mixed across categories and worn together. Traditional codes are deliberately blurred. The grey tank top, cardigan and pencil skirt set, finished with blue wisteria piping in tissue brushed ribbed cashmere, is the most overtly feminine look in the range, yet its soft proportions suit a wide range of wearers.
Accessories round out the idea with reversible brushed-cashmere hats, colorful cashmere socks and scarves, so a full look can come from a single collection. It is an approachable way to dress up without overthinking it, and it suits a holiday season when people want pieces that feel like a treat but still work for everyday wear.
Color As Structure
Zankov’s signature is color, and here it works as structure rather than decoration. Saturated blue accents and multicolor stripes do much of the work that cut and tailoring usually do, giving Banana Republic’s classic palette a sharper, more playful edge. Meena Anvary, Chief Marketing Officer of Banana Republic, described the approach: “From the beginning, we saw an opportunity to reinterpret Banana Republic’s codes through ZANKOV’s approach to color and texture. We brought together two distinct points of view, grounded in heritage, craftsmanship and creativity.”
Discover more of the collection in our gallery:
She also framed the collection’s purpose: “The collection represents our shared appreciation of quality made pieces, with a bit of the unexpected, designed to be lived in and loved for years to come.”
Future Heirlooms
The campaign pairs photography by Andrew Jacobs with works by Belgian artist Katrien de Blauwer, commissioned for the project to evoke emotion through color. An anthem video features Zankov’s voice describing the tactile references behind the collection, including leather softened by a long journey and the feeling of cashmere on the skin. The campaign leans on memory and warmth rather than trend, which suits a collection built around pieces meant to last.
Encore loyalty members get early access on October 19, 2026, and the collection opens to everyone on October 20. The 27 styles range from $90 to $600 and will be sold at select Banana Republic stores and online. With the holiday gifting window opening, it is a collection that works as a gift for someone else or as a reward for yourself.
