On Friday afternoon, Off-White™ transformed the rooftop basketball courts of New Design High School on the Lower East Side into a kaleidoscopic runway for its Spring 2026 show, “Pop Romance.”
The setting, splashed with murals from legendary New York graffiti artists Daze, Lady Pink, Mast, and CES, paid homage to Virgil Abloh’s legacy of celebrating street culture and community. Between the painted walls, Creative Director IB Kamara sent out a vivid manifesto in motion — a collection honoring the brilliance of Black culture and its seismic influence on global pop culture.
This season, Kamara looked to the 1970s, an era of breakthrough for African creatives across disco, hip-hop, and streetwear. The result was a wardrobe alive with energy: flared silhouettes, sheer satins, sharp prismatic tailoring, and extroverted varsity jackets — Off-White™ signatures reimagined in a setting that couldn’t have been more fitting.
“This collection is ideally charged with that same energy and spirit, but there is nothing nostalgic about it,” Kamara explained. “I am after the sense of urgency and presence that’s equally and quintessentially NYC.”
A special highlight teased a new collaboration with the New York Liberty, complete with the team’s mascot Ellie the Elephant cheering from the front row — a playful, city-rooted nod that reinforced the show’s themes of resilience, reinvention, and romance in motion.
