A (HORSE)FLY ON THE WALL
AT OCEAN SAVAGE SS26
Images by Kaden Bard Dawson
Words by Lily Moskowitz
Words by Lily Moskowitz
10.01.25
Ocean Savage is the New York based brand proving that you can in fact have the best of both worlds. Known for a black and white, sport-meets-street design style and gender-vague tailoring, their Spring 2026 collection is a masterwork in opposites. Titled “Horsefly,” the presentation marks the label’s second showing and their first capsule drop – an exciting expansion for the young designer whose work has already been worn by the likes of Linda Evangelista, Ashley Graham, and Kendrick Lamar.
This season draws from the economic principle ceteris paribus, or “all other things remaining equal.” If fashion is an ever-changing variable, Ocean Savage asserts itself constant and fixed, a steady voice of reason in an industry drunk off impulse, immediacy, and ingenuniung nowness via whatever microtrend is dominating TikTok Shop. Though the brand caters to the pulse of the moment (silhouette-forward streetwear, highbrow / lowbrow collision, the many-faced iterations of all black), their pieces embody function and durability. Steely, forceful garments that do not evoke sensation but ongoingness. A wardrobe for the authoritative yet understated, the uniformed hustler whose deceitfully simple denim transitions from sport-to-studio with impeccable ease.
Ocean describes her designs as “fast paced but slow fashion,” a hybrid ethos that trickles into the line’s production strategy. Five pieces from the collection are for sale but the rest remain as one-of-one exclusives: a smart tactic for the emerging label to bridge accessibility and couture.
House staples appear in pronounced cuts and puddle pants, monochrome sweatsuits and relaxed fits. Branching out from their usual B&W are separates in robin’s egg blue as well a standout navy-on-navy ensemble featuring a sheathed hoodie with winged ends like a cobra about to hiss. It’s a successful fusion of pared back and elevated, opposites held together through head-to-toe styling, incisive construction, clean lines. Head stylist David Goldburg explains the collaborative source of this juxtaposition: “I go more minimal and she goes more maximal. We’re kind of in between elements, which is beautiful.”
Also contributing to the collection’s concept is the designer’s heritage, which offsets boxy, quarterbacked shoulders with a distinctly Anglican touch. Tartan accents peek out from an XXXL trench and set a firmly cut blazer. A padded hoodie unapologetically taps Midhurst, West Sussex, the United Kindgom in bold font.
“I’m British myself. I didn’t realize the beauty of England and coming here [to New York], there’s such an appreciation in every single culture, blended culture, every type of person. And it made me appreciate my own.”
Despite its streamlined surface, the collection is highly intertextual, littered with references both personal and historial. A leather saddle recalls the equestrian skew of the show, which is titled after Ocean’s love for horseback riding and dedicated to her late horse, Dre. He appears on a screenprinted t-shirt. The brand’s signature two stripe motif nods to Adidas, to the re-positioning of the rugby stripe. Something in the suiting recalls the oversized swagger of Balenciaga, the shoulders punctuated with a Margiela slant. A pair of high, high waisted trousers is tailored with bespoke precision, evoking London, Savile Row, McQueen.
Yet these elements still read like Ocean’s own. Familiar archetypes patchworked, synthesized and reduced into something unique and ubiquitously desirable - an impressive feat in the height of a remix culture that tends to flatten even the most sincere homage into floppy derivative.
The brand’s own design language is made new, reconstructed, and expanded. The flouncy ostrich feathers adapted from last season’s iconic hoodie appear on sheer tops and floor length dresses. Custom press on nails (also genderless) feature the same lace pattern printed on the garments themselves. Even the set design plays into the self-referential; the centerpiece of the runway is a larger-than-life rendition of the label’s signature bow bag, which reappears this season in black canvas for spring.
“Ocean does the pattern making, the construction, she’s a powerhouse... We all want to see her win.”
Though the brand is not yet on the official NYFW calendar, Ocean Savage has accrued a following of longtime loyalists both in and outside the house. Models backstage help sew the finishing touches on a coat, telling me that working with Ocean feels as if they’re growing a family together. The nail team has been traveling from Milwaukee to work on each campaign. The hair and makeup squad has been with Ocean for several years. It’s an all hands on deck production, a chain reaction of friends and collaborators, peers and supporters whose faith in the vision has found a way to marry community and creation in a two striped storm.
A series of three bridal-adjacent dresses close out the show as if to say there’s a lot of love here. Watch this space.
CREDITS
PHOTO Kaden Bard Dawson
WORDS Lily Moskowitz
DESIGNER Ocean Savage
CASTING Ocean Savage
PR Moda Rebel
ART DIRECTOR / GRAPHICS Abby J Hilton
STYLIST David Goldburg
STYLIST ASSIST Niiu Park
SET DESIGN Josh Mena
SOUND Hanti (Yongwhan Kim)
KEY HMUA Axel Hurtado
MUA Artists Giovanna Lopez Christian Batty Regina Castro Odilis Trinidad Ashley Rosario Mariah Molina
NAILS Emily Castillo Andrea Rubio Susi Flores Emily Topp & Candace Knights
OCEAN SAVAGE INTERNS Ryanna Beshtea Thomas Kunisch Jun Lee
MODELS RIO @plantbasedrio YUJI @vvyuji GRACE @gracetaylorr ROHAN @lekkertroy JAY @jaytooonice ASHLEY @ashleyfelton PIERCE @worls_pierce YUNG MUJI @yungmujii FARRAH @farrahwohlford RILEY @rileyhundleywoodell KITTY @kittyumina JABARI @jabariiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii JOSH @inrxreform JEDI @j3d.i MATTHEW @mattxmcguire POLINA @polina.stogov TIMOTHY @timothyckc URIEL @uriswrld AFFRATA @affrataj MAYA @onehandedoverdressed JULIA @juliaclancyy LEE @guvmanian OULICHI @oluchhiii FEGA @princefegaa