Fashion Week 2026 / HENGDI WANG - SS26
HENGDI WANG'S
EXOGENESIS
We had the privilege of stepping into the world of HENGDI WANG’s “Exogenesis”, not only front row but deep backstage, where the pulse of creation unfolded under dramatic light that evoked the abyssal depths of the sea. Between shadows and iridescence, the collection emerged like a vision — a meditation on the origins of life itself, somewhere between myth, memory, and a future yet to arrive.
In the glow of stage lights, 3D-printed accessories gleamed like relics from other worlds, while makeup, hair, and nails shaped beings that hovered between alien and earthly — fish, insects, celestial creatures — each detail channeling a vision of who we are and who we might become. It was a choreography of resilience and fragility, directed with the precision of cosmic storytelling.
“Exogenesis” reframes Eastern mythology as fragments of collective memory — myths not as fantasy but as echoes of interstellar encounters, lost starships, and otherworldly bestiaries resurfacing in fabric and form. Through sacred geometries etched in metal, bioluminescent threads, and skeletal spirals crafted in 3D, the garments carried both strength and vulnerability, merging the mechanical with the organic, the past with the future.
This was not simply fashion — it was an exploration of continuity, transformation, and survival, clothing as vessel and code. Under the futuristic stagecraft, Hengdi Wang offered us a glimpse of humanity’s archive projected into the infinite unknown.
Thanks for the access @idea.pr & @youyou_zhou
HENGDI WANG
'Exogenesis'
Demi-Couture Collection
Spring/Summer 2026
For SS26, HENGDI WANG presents EXOGENESIS. This collection is a meditation on the exogenous origins of life, where Eastern mythology converges with post-human biological constructs, digital craftsmanship, and futuristic materials. EXOGENESIS envisions clothing
as more than ornament, more than protection. It is a vessel of memory, a code of survival, and a bridge between the cosmic and the human.
In this narrative, ancient Eastern myths are reframed not as fantasy but as traces of humanity’s fragmented memory, distant recollections of unknown star systems and interstellar encounters. The legendary bestiaries of Shan Hai Jing reemerge as echoes of extraterrestrial forms, while Kunlun is reimagined as a crashed generational starship, a colossal relic of forgotten journeys across the stars.
Through 3D-printed textiles and metals inscribed with sacred geometry and nebula imagery, the collection reconstructs bones, scales, and mechanical exoskeletons into new forms that imagine resilience and fragility as one. Traditional embroidery and jacquard are recast as vessels of information, intertwining with digital algorithms, creating an organic aesthetic that lives simultaneously in the past and the future.
The SS26 collection examines myth, memory, and futurism through three key axes:
● Mythological Reimagination
Inspired by Shan Hai Jing and oracle bone script (Jiaguwen), primordial beasts and
cosmic myths become biomorphic archetypes of extraterrestrial life. Ancient
cultural codes transform into contemporary design languages.
● Biological and Mechanical Structures
Exoskeletal chitin, segmented armor, and iridescent scales are reimagined through
advanced 3D printing, forming skeletal spirals and sacred geometries. These
hyper-organic morphologies balance fragility with strength, merging the biological
and mechanical.
● Mechanical Oracle Script
Borrowing from early inscriptions and digital coding, fabrics are laser-etched with
“Mechanical Oracle Script,” a hybrid visual language of geometry, ancient scripts,
and NASA celestial imagery. These garments glow with bio-luminescent filaments,
acting as living codes that speak the narratives of connectedness across cosmic
and cellular scales.
With EXOGENESIS, HENGDI WANG proposes a radical exploration of continuity, cultural resonance, and transformation. Clothing is not merely worn. It becomes a container of time, a vessel of collective memory, and a living code that transcends the human body into the infinite unknown.
About Hengdi Wang
HENGDI WANG is the eponymous fashion brand founded by Hengdi in 2023, with studios based between London and Shanghai. Rooted in Taoist philosophy, the brand fuses ancient Eastern thought with biomechanics, botanical mind, and sacred geometry to carve out a radical new futuristic aesthetic. By interweaving traditional Chinese embroidery and dyeing craftsmanship with 3D-printed textiles, Hengdi reimagines haute
couture as both deeply conceptual and materially innovative. Emerging from a background in jewellery design, Hengdi pioneered the integration of 3D virtual jewellery technologies into garment creation, shaping a genderless, multidimensional, and fluid fashion language. In 2024, with the support of Labelhood, HENGDI WANG debuted its SS25 couture runway collection at Shanghai Fashion Week, achieving worldwide press recognition. The collection led to collaborations with styling teams of artists including Lady Gaga, Rosalia, FKA twigs, SZA, Grimes, Aespa, IVE, and Jolin Cai.
Hengdi earned a Master’s degree from the London College of Fashion in 2024 with distinction and was named by VOGUE Singapore as one of the breakout designers to watch in 2025. That same year, Hengdi was featured on the Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list, further establishing the brand’s position at the forefront of conceptual design and material innovation.
Creative Direction @hengdiwang
Associate Direction @aivi_phong
Stylist @zxh225
Production & Lighting Design @youyou_zhou_
Movement Direction @yiling_zhao_
Consultant @alvingoh
Casting @youyou_zhou_ @zxh225
Original Soundtrack @yaoajun10000
Hair @johannacreebrownhair Special thanks to @indolauk@sleekhair
Makeup @lanslondon using @weledauk @byterryofficial
Nails @nosiphonaledilc
PR @i.deapr
Set Design Lead @abbie.siu
Set Design support: @mgjlawrence
Runway Photography @marcushartelt
Runway Video: @dalecampbell_dop
Hengdi Wang Team @xiaoxi6643 @rocurokub1 @erniee.w@f_.daa @hannahkolitabloodx @ladunpaigurou @huyyyyyyuxin
And thank you to our incredible collaborators & partnership:
Powered by @britishfashioncouncil @londonfashionweek
Crystals sponsored by @swarovski
Atelier & Textiles @blackq_gmbh
Rhodium Jewellery @stim.precious.metals
Gift Bag @whiteearth
Transportation Partner @londonevcompany
Venue Partner @unlockedshoreditch
Photography & Direction Marcus Hartelt
BTS Photography: Emily Georg @emily.2307
BTS Photography: @leticialima_____ @theoniculae
Guests Photography: @photo_window_t
BTS Video: @_bobbyleon
Samples can be requested at
hengdiwang.com @hengdiwangofficial
