Milan is doing wonders for Yushan Li and Jun Zhou, the Chinese duo who have found a new home in the Italian fashion capital.
In the span of two years since joining the local fashion scene, the designers have evolved the Pronounce language, gradually fine-tuning the cohesiveness of the East-West dialogue they have always put at the forefront of their brand.
To wit, it seems like the Milanese influence – spanning from sartorial expertise to commercial instinct – is increasingly permeating the duo’s vocabulary and informing their more intentional and mature approach to collections. The fall 2026 lineup, which was presented in the art-filled halls of Fondazione Sozzani, further pointed to that direction through covetable tailoring, handsome leather pieces and a polished color sensibility.
Yet the designers didn’t forget to bring their own roots into the conversation. Backstage they cited the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda in Shanxi Province as the starting point of their creative process, highlighting the enduring beauty and nail-free construction of what is billed as the tallest surviving wooden pagoda in the world. The architecture’s verticality and colors in particular inspired the slender, layered silhouettes and shades the duo channeled in the coed collection.
This was imbued also with an ‘80s whiff that surfaced in the oversized shoulder proportions of the elongated blazer jackets and long coats, which were often cinched by carabiner-embellished belts. Their relaxed formality was amplified by the fluidity of silk separates and the denim incursions that grounded the collection with workwear options, too.
