IN THE STUDIO WITH ASHLYN

THE NEW YORK-BASED DESIGNER BREAKS DOWN HER LATEST COLLECTION, THE DAY BEFORE HER NEW YORK FASHION WEEK RUNWAY

By Megan Liu

For Ashlynn Park, precision begins with “the curve of a woman’s body.” Her latest collection takes it as a central metaphor. The designer’s work has often been described as wearable art, and it isn’t hard to see why. Her clothes move between geometry and grace, pairing architectural foundations with a softness that never loses sight of natural form.

Before founding her New York-based label ASHLYN in 2020, Ashlynn moved between continents and ateliers: Yohji Yamamoto in Tokyo; Alexander Wang and Calvin Klein under Raf Simons in New York. She gained fluency in different design languages—Yamamoto’s layered complexity, Raf’s conceptual tailoring, Wang’s sleekness. Through it all, she never lost sight of her own conviction.

Fall/Winter 2026’s collection expands on last season’s persimmon theme—chosen for its roundness and ties to Ashlynn’s memory—by introducing the fruit as a broader container: body, mother, roots carried forward. New materials were introduced, nodding to the designer’s Korean heritage, such as a porcelain-inspired fabric and silhouettes emulating the Korean moon jar, one even appearing carried as a handbag on the runway.

After years of movement, New York has become Ashlynn’s vessel. That grounding, along with her vision, as sharp as it is lyrical, earned her the CFDA’s 2025 Emerging Designer Award. The designer holds her roots close as she stretches gracefully toward what’s next. The day before her latest runway show, we sat down with her to understand how she does it.