With blocky, padded boots, weathered, wide-leg cargo pants and axes fashioned out of fabric, Yaku Stapleton’s latest collection channeled the blocky world of Minecraft — in the best sense.

Stapleton views fantasy worlds through an Afrofuturistic lens for his brand, Yaku, designing each collection as a chapter in an epic that revolves around his family.

“The characters, which are based on my family, are preparing to go and combat their own paths and make peace with them. We’re addressing where hope comes from,” said the designer, who won the L’Oréal Professionnel Creative Award in 2023 at the annual Central Saint Martins MA Fashion show.

This season, Stapleton said his characters have arrived at a “wider world, which is already going without them.” This new landscape is inhabited by characters called the Télavani, which thepress release described as “a collective of abstract figures informed by the pre-colonial resistance histories of Jamaica and St. Vincent.” 

So, what does one wear to make their grand entrance to a whole new world with stylish residents to impress?

Well, Stapleton’s characters sported bell-shaped carpelets, boxy shorts, trompe-l’oeil shirts and plenty of outerwear with a cool, scruffy DIY feel in earthy browns, greens and blues. 

A particular highlight were the surreal fish, tools, and even a rock that came down the runway as lighthearted accessories.

Yaku, a emerging Newgen label, also used the presentation as an opportunity to show off its business savvy. Guests were able to purchase brand merchandise at the event, much like nabbing a T-shirt at a favorite musician’s concert.