Public School’s Back in Session

On a Wednesday evening, fashion crowds packed into a Chelsea venue, buzzing with palpable anticipation—and for good reason.

 

Beyond any typical presentation, Public School New York—the defining label helmed by Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow—officially stepped back onto the runway for the first time in over seven years, marking a full-circle moment for the brand, and for the city that shaped it.

Public School has always been bigger than clothes. Since its rise in the 2010s, PSNY has stood as one of this generation’s most culturally resonant New York brands: sharp, resonant, and built for the people who actually live here. When word spread that Osborne and Chow were coming back with a full runway collection, it was sure to be a marker of the Fall/Winter ’26 calendar.

The duo described the collection as an emotional and ideological homecoming: a body of work centered on loss and rediscovery, and the strange, complicated joy of returning to a process you once thought you’d left behind for good. “New York City doesn’t wait for anyone,” they write in a press statement. “It’s about understanding that the whole time you were running from something, it was leading you back to right now.” The past seven years weren’t only a hiatus—they were a reckoning with time, and a contention with the pressures of an ever-changing industry. At a certain point, they admitted, it became difficult to tell whether they were pushing culture forward or rising to the occasion out of obligation.

From the first look onwards, the collection felt like a mirror of past, present, and future—a true evolution of their roots. Elevated streetwear, precise tailoring, and a distinct rebellious edge stayed true to their DNA, while remaining rooted in a contemporary point of view. Wool blazers carried sharp shoulders and thoughtful proportions; pleated trousers and utility-leaning separates nodded to the brand’s downtown ethos. Leather played a central role, too—from hardy jackets and anoraks to croc-effect aviator styles that brought texture and tension to the lineup.

Other highlights included hybrid garments that mirrored the brand’s blend of manifold points of view—shorts that referenced trousers, outerwear that felt both bomber and sweatshirt, and soft knits contrasted against glossy leathers. The palette stayed grounded in neutral blacks, grays, and blues, while bursts of red and a hazy city print brought a jolt of energy.

To ring in the return, PSNY hosted a bevy of pop-ups—from custom embroidery workshops to DJ sets—underscoring their reentry into New York City’s culture alongside its fashion world. The duo called the collection “a lesson in evolution,” proving the power of stepping back only to return in full force. One thing’s for certain: they were sorely missed.