Turning to a photograph of his late aunt, Forza Collective designer Kristoffer Kongshaug creates a to-the-point autumn/winter 2026 collection populated with garments designed to fill out a modern wardrobe
Forza Collective designer Kristoffer Kongshaug isn’t big on themes, preferring instead to – season by season – gradually develop the design language of his brand. Building out the Forza wardrobe, as he often describes it. Whilst working on autumn/winter 2026, however, he did continuously return to a single image; an old photograph of his late aunt. In the picture, she wears a high-necked burgundy leather jacket and chunky silver hoops, her blonde hair effortfully tousled. “In her early 20s, she lived in Paris and worked for Air France – she’d fly back and forth from Copenhagen to Paris,” says Kongshaug. “I’m from the rural part of Denmark, so it’s my first memory of a woman who would dress up.”
The reference to Kongshaug’s aunt isn’t literal. Rather, the collection offers an ode to her spirit – at once glamorous and effortless, perhaps a little mysterious. The show, which took place in a stark industrial space, found models strutting down a pale pink carpet in the sort of striking garments that pique immediate interest in the woman wearing them. A peplum gown for instance, rendered in the brand’s signature sheer mesh in a hue that mirrors the runway features a daring raised ruffled collar – a “who is she?” moment if there ever was one (the collar reappears several times throughout the collection, including on the razor sharp grey tailored skirt suit that opened the show). Subtler pieces, too, like the chocolate brown trench in luxurious double face crepe with a contrasting pink collar and a single-button twill suit, the waist nipped just so, similarly tell a story beyond their immediate visual impact.
There’s something less fussy, more to the point, about the collection at large. A black halter neck dress – in that same sturdy double faced crepe - with its gently flared skirt is a confidently simple statement. Elsewhere, Forza’s emerging signatures – the bra cut-outs and drop-waist piped pleating – punctuate otherwise clean silhouettes. “It’s very much about architectural lines,” says Kongshuag. “It really cuts straight through to the point.” One of the few decorative flourishes is a structured neck tie, its concealed boning allowing it to hold its sturdy shape. The ladies silhouettes were juxtaposed by the pulsating Chicago house soundtrack, anchored by Swedish DJ Eric Prydz’s infectious anthem 'Pjanoo'.
The ultimate goal is to speak to a modern women’s desires. “I’m trying to follow the recipe of offering the full wardrobe,” says Kongshuag. “A brand were you can buy your coat and your evening dress and your day dress.” The sort of standout building-block pieces that, much like a picture, are worth a thousand words.
See the full Forza Collective AW26 collection below.
