In January 2026, Henry Zankov began collaborating with Banana Republic as the founder of the New York-based knitwear brand Zankov. By the time the collection was complete, however, he was the artistic director of Diane von Furstenberg. Still, from beginning to end, the Russian-born designer wanted to "highlight what Banana Republic is so good at and bring a freshness with the Zankov point of view," he tells Marie Claire.
Despite never working with a monolith of Banana Republic's scale, Zankov is debuting a 27-piece collection with the brand. "Wearability is really important, [so] how do you balance that fine line between pushing the product, but also making sure that it resonates with not only the audience, but also opens it up to a new customer?" He answered that question across an assortment of "heirlooms" rooted in archival Banana Republic codes—ranging from $90 to $600.
"Anything that's an heirloom always starts with quality in the craft," he says. "[It's] something that you project meaning onto or it gives you meaning because the quality is so beautiful." His overarching goal for Banana Republic x Zankov? For the collection to be "something that you want to hold onto."
According to Zankov, it all started with the collection's leather jacket and the chocolate brown pencil skirt. "When I saw the archive, I was really blown away by how well-made everything was and how beautiful the material is and the finishings are," he says. While the suede-and-leather skirt's paneling came straight from a circa-1986 Banana Republic line, the oversized oxblood leather bomber blended a classic silhouette with a bold, on-brand tint for Zankov.
"Zankov doesn't really do leather," he adds. "It was a really great opportunity for me to try other kinds of materials in other categories." He wanted the leather to feel wearable—the Zankov way. So, "[the jacket] is a special, very deep burgundy with a kind of raspberry undertone to it; color is important."
Intentionally selecting shades with a slightly unconventional but largely universal twist has remained a Zankov signature since day one. Pairing purple with orange and red, lemon yellow with cool blue, and burgundy with gray, he "didn't want the collection to feel trendy," he says. "I didn't want it to feel like something that's designed for hype."
So, Zankov returned to knitwear. Specifically, buttery soft brushed cashmere, the "foundation" of his eponymous brand's style vocabulary. "For me, even for Zankov, a lot of the knitwear is very much unisex," he says. Seeing the way his friends dress, and how they share clothes with their partners, it wasn't important for him to create "for this gender or another gender—but it does lean a bit more masculine," he adds.
The collection was made for mixing and matching, which is "very much a Zankov thing," he says. "I love when things don't match—the more wacky it looks, the better it looks to me."
Banana Republic x Zankov is, without a doubt, grounded in the season of giving. What better time to release the collaboration than on the cusp of the holidays? "It's a very special time of the year and we wanted everything to feel so special that you want to either buy it for yourself or buy it for someone else," he says. "When you think about the word heirloom, you think about passing on a gift, so holistically, it made sense."
To that end, Zankov designed every sweater, skirt, and scarf with a variety of cold-weather dress codes in mind. He doesn't want you to reserve this winter wardrobe for "special occasions," though. In fact, Zankov doesn't believe in such a thing. "What I love about the pieces is that you can feel really polished in them if you want to go to a holiday party, but then if you want to spend time with your family, you can also be really cozy and comfortable," he says.
Both teams wanted the complete collection to feel "very considered, like it had a personality, and had been hand-touched," he says. Zankov held the campaign to the same high standards, playing a role in the casting, the lighting, and eventually, the collages created by Belgian artist Katrien de Blauwer, "I worked really hard [to make] sure that the imagery felt sensual, personal, [and not] too digital," he says. "I wanted all of this to feel personal—not transactional, corporate, or cold." The campaign video (narrated by Zankov) even sourced inspiration from his memories of moving from Russia to America.
"The way you touch the sweater and the leather jacket, I wanted that touch and that feel to [be palpable] in the images and in everything we do," he adds. "It was really fun for me to explore how do we do Zankov in a different way, in a different place, and make it timeless."
The Banana Republic x Zankov collaboration launches on Oct. 20 and will be available online and in select stores. Bookmark this page to stock up on casually cool sweaters, luxe leather, and whimsical accessories next week. In the meantime, perhaps seeing how a Marie Claire editor styles the standout pieces could help plan your purchases.
How to Style the Banana Republic x Zankov Collaboration
Hot on the heels of the editor-beloved Banana Republic x La Ligne collaboration, I had high expectations for the luxury retailer's latest line with a New York-based It brand. As a fashion writer, I've sampled no shortage of knitwear, but the second I slipped into the striped brushed cashmere sweater, the slightly fuzzy style jumped to the top of my "Best Knits of All Time" list. Plus, it endorsed the color combination trend that I can't stop styling this season: red and purple.
Then, I tucked the hip-covering crewneck into the edgiest pencil skirt I've ever worn. Did I accidentally model the suede-and-leather look backwards, concealing the zipper and button closure? Yes. Did it work regardless? Also yes. Setting my slip-up aside, it shared the same column-looking silhouette as traditional pencil skirts, but it transformed the sometimes stuffy runway trend into my go-to statement piece of the season.
It's not often that I say the accessories are the star of the show. However, that was the case here. Reviving the triangle scarf trend beloved by Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and Zoë Kravitz last winter, I tied the tomato-red-and-cool-blue combo around the high-neck collar of the crewneck.
Not only did Zankov shade-match the scarf to the sweater, but he did the same with the identical socks, which also featured the velvety brushed cashmere. I finished the perfect-for-fall outfit with my favorite suede top-handle tote from Mark & Graham and brown Madewell loafers to complement my (albeit backwards) skirt.
Zankov waxed poetic about the mix-and-match potential of the collaboration, but he failed to mention just how layer-friendly the fits are. Case in point: the mustard yellow wool sweater.
I stacked a stark white long-sleeve shirt beneath the chunky crewneck's burgundy and black Fair Isle pattern, and yet, I didn't even begin to overheat. Medium-wash DL1961 jeans, black cowboy boots, and another triangle scarf draped over my black bag (and eventually, tied atop my shoulders) embraced the sweater's vintage energy.
Now, for the final test. Would it bulk up beneath the oxblood bomber jacket, the pièce de résistance of the collaboration? Much to my satisfaction, no! There was plenty of wiggle room for my arms, even with a surplus of shirts hiding below the drop-shoulder sleeves. Spacious pockets, short collar, and elasticized cuffs were all green flags in my book, but better yet, it looked just as chic (and just oversized enough) on my fiancé.
