Vancouver designer Alex S. Yu on optimism and creating clothes for the everyday | Canada Voices

The Global Fashion Collective, an initiative launched in 2017 as an extension of Vancouver Fashion Week’s programming, landed in London on Sunday for its latest showcase. The collective curates fashion events in cities including Tokyo, Paris and Milan, and this week it presented a quartet of runway shows featuring new collections from Canadian designers Alex S. Yu and Allison Dunne of emerging label Dunne Cliff, as well as French brand Sayf and Ukraine’s Olena Adam.

Yu, a Vancouver-based designer whose pieces are also handcrafted in the West Coast city, is no stranger to London’s fashion scene.

Born in Taiwan and educated at the Blanche Macdonald Centre in Vancouver before completing a graduate degree in women’s wear at the London College of Fashion, Yu marked his fifth time showing at London Fashion Week. He has also launched collections at Vancouver Fashion Week, and his spring/summer 2025 pieces debuted in New York last September.

Yu’s fall/winter 2026 offering featured the frothy tulle frocks for which the designer, who celebrated his brand’s 10th anniversary in 2024, has found renown.

Yu expanded on his repertoire as well, with the use of utilitarian fabrics such as corduroy and attention to more masculine tailoring traditions.

Postshow in London, The Globe and Mail caught up with Yu to learn more about his latest collection and the evolution of his increasingly international career.

How does it feel to be showing in London this season?

I fell in love with fashion here – it’s where I started my dream. It’s my fifth time showing in London, and it’s an honour to come back.

You’ve been in the fashion business for more than a decade now. What are your biggest learnings?

Staying consistent, staying true to myself and, quite simply, how to come up with collections every season. It’s been an honour to be able to do this.

How has your brand evolved over the years?

When I first started, I had just graduated from the London College of Fashion, so I was interested in doing very unique pieces that one would wear for a special occasion. But being in the business for this many years now, my main focus is on ready-to-wear.

The slogan for my brand is “contemporary women’s wear for the everydaydreamer.” “Everydaydreamer” is a word that I created, and it means that the pieces are for wearing every day, yet they have unique details like colourful, dreamy tulle.

How does that idea relate to the collection we saw today? There was an interesting contrast between “masculine” and “feminine” design elements, such as a rugged fabric like corduroy used to make a playful ruffled dress.

The fall/winter 2026 collection is called “A Flicker of Murmur,” and it’s inspired by my childhood. I immigrated to Canada from Taiwan when I was seven, and I didn’t speak English. I didn’t have any friends and I spent a lot of time by myself, so I had a lot of imaginary friends. In the collection, you saw that a rabbit and a bear character were a main part of my inspiration. And then the wearability, the everyday aspect of it, is in the different textures that are present.

The concept of the “everydaydreamer” conjures up a sense of optimism. What’s keeping you positive right now?

Optimism is very central to my brand. I think fashion can be a form of escape, and I want people to put on my clothes and have it bring them a little joy.

What’s your favourite look from the fall/winter 2026 collection?

The opening look, because it’s something that I haven’t really done before. I’m known for very feminine silhouettes, but this season I tried designing more pant styles. Tailoring is something that is definitely new to me, but I feel like it’s something that will stay.

What’s it like being a Canadian designer right now?

Being a designer from Vancouver, which isn’t exactly known for its fashion other than athleisure and technical wear, I feel proud to show that there are other local brands, such as my own, that focus on contemporary womenswear.

Now that the show is over, what are you looking forward to this year?

I’ll be showing back at home during Vancouver Fashion Week in April, and then hopefully I’ll come back to London in September.

This interview has been edited and condensed.