Romeo Hunte took on one of his biggest production challenges yet for fall 2026 — presenting a full runway collection at Gotham Hall in Manhattan, a venue that came together with a certain serendipity given that Tim Burton’s Batman had been his jumping-off point the previous season.

The Batman connection runs deep for Hunte. His mother made him wear the costume four Halloweens in a row as a kid — he didn’t choose it, but he grew to love it. What he loves most is what the film represents: a gritty yet glamorous vision of New York where everyone, villainous or virtuous, has swagger. That sensibility drives his design approach. “I like to start with the American classics, both tailored and preppy — your trench coat, your biker jacket, your classic blazer — and then try to innovate and remix it,” he said. Reinterpreting the film’s sharp late-eighties city-slicker silhouettes for now produced a double-breasted denim blazer with power shoulders, high-gloss croc-embossed trenches in canary yellow and oxblood, and a substantial leather cape that would do Michael Keaton proud.

Outerwear is where Hunte is most himself, and as a born-and-bred Brooklynite he understands that in New York, the coat is the outfit for at least half the year. Experiments this season included puffer vests rendered in denim, a dramatic train on a coat, and jean jackets flipped upside down. An almost-floor-length old-money-style black coat in real fur drew audible fanfare from the room. His built-in change purse detailing — now a recognisable signature — appeared again throughout. “It’s practical yet very intricate,” he said. “I like that it’s easy for people to understand, but it pushes the design forward in a way.”

Hot takes on denim were a particular highlight, especially in the womenswear, modelled across an array of body types. Hunte still styles his own shows — a habit formed during his years as a personal shopper and stylist at Barneys, where he developed what he calls a “styling mindset.” When he conceives a piece, he’s already asking: what’s the pant, what are the other elements, how many ways can this be worn? This season, that line of questioning felt more assured and confident than it has before. A designer finding his stride.