Yuhan Wang dishes on her David Lynch inspired Spring/Summer 2026 collection
The Chinese designer tells us which pop star she wants to see in her David Lynch inspired collection.
It’s easy to see why Yuhan Wang is a favourite among today’s pop stars, such as Blackpink’s Lisa and NewJeans’ Danielle. Presenting her Spring/Summer 2026 collection at London Fashion Week, the Chinese designer flirted with the macabre, taking inspiration from David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive.
With Armor of Roses, Wang explored the dark side of femininity, where the soft meets the severe and tenderness meets defiance.
‘I was drawn to the way [Mulholland Drive] blurs dream and reality,’ she tells me. ‘Showing women trapped in roles shaped by the male gaze, I wanted to rewrite that narrative.’
The collection was a masterclass in duality, capturing the surreal tension of Lynch’s world. Wang’s signature affinity for lace and girlhood silhouettes collided with padded pieces that evoked the armour of American football players – fragile and intimate, yet with an underlying unease.
Composer Angelo Badalamenti’s haunting score for the film opened the show, serving as Wang’s starting point for the collection.
‘The soundtrack mirrors this progression,’ she explains. ‘It begins with a mysterious, uneasy atmosphere, echoing the disorientation of that scene. Gradually, piano notes are introduced, layering intimacy and emotion, before the music builds into something more expansive, lifting the story into a space of transcendence.’
In Wang’s hands, Lynch’s surrealist nightmare becomes a new kind of narrative for women: one that is self-authored, defiant, and emotionally resonant, reflecting the complexity of desire, identity, and performance in the contemporary moment.
As for who Wang envisions wearing Armor of Roses, it’s none other than Olivia Rodrigo. To Wang, the pop star embodies everything the collection represents.
‘She carries the purity and vulnerability of youth,’ Wang explains, ‘but also expresses sharpness, rebellion, and strength.’ With her ability to channel heartbreak and empowerment in equal measure, Rodrigo mirrors the duality at the heart of Armor of Roses, making her an ideal muse for Wang’s vision of modern femininity.