NYFW 2026: Shao x Dagne Dover

A tale of two brands.

I met Shao and her team for the first time at her Canal Street atelier after a few creative and logistical zoom calls. They’re a delightfully easygoing and hardworking group with a distinct vision. It’s a type of vision that pushes boundaries, showing you that something that feels kind of regular can be transformed with the right attitude and impeccable tailoring. I also deeply enjoyed her dog, Peaches.

Here’s what happened: Dagne Dover partnered with fashion brand SHAO New York to create a small capsule of runway bags for their SS26 runway collection: Futures of the Past: Chrome Legacy.

“Iconic bag forms were reimagined with chrome edges, shifted proportions, and modular hardware, transforming everyday function into sculptural statement. Built on Dagne Dover’s DNA of care and utility, SHAO amplified form into culture; the bags walked, caught light, and moved with intention.” —ShaoNewYork.com

From the Dagne Dover perspective we saw this as an opportunity to tell a different kind of fashion week story that would resonate with our type of customer, one about how we fuel the people who run the things. While Shao was transforming bags into bespoke heirlooms, she was also making use of our most functional bags to get all of her supplies safely from a to b to z.

Video by: Stanton Productions

Photography by: Emma Trim

Telling this story from multiple perspectives gave it some real dimension, which wouldn’t have been possible without the unexpected pairing of brands. It left me thinking: Let’s do more of this, please.