Fashion Quarterly – Autumn 2026
Summary
Emma Boyd, shot in Sydney, fronts Fashion Quarterly's Autumn 2026 Power issue, exploring how six industry pioneers define power in fashion and culture. Inside, body diversity's retreat from the runways exposed, Emma Boyd interviewed on craft and conviction, Milan shoe fair shopping guide, and New Zealand's new guard of power players.
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Fashion Quarterly's Autumn 2026 Power issue, published March 23, 2026, takes an intentionally broad definition of power. Editor Sarah Murray opens by calling it "our Power issue" and framing power as collective rather than individual. Emma Boyd, photographed in Sydney, covers the cover story on page 34—a conversation about craft, conviction and the fashion industry's relationship with genuine expression. The most talked-about feature examines body diversity on the Spring 2026 runways, citing a Vogue Business report that 97.1% of models shown were standard sample size. The finding tracks an industry-wide retreat from the inclusivity promises made after 2020. Six industry pioneers share their definitions of power across fashion, business and culture. The "Visual Impact" series covers autumn 2026 dressing trends. A Milan shoe fair shopping guide delivers specific buying intelligence for retailers and enthusiasts. FQ Insider membership programme is featured across the issue.
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Content Guide
▸ Cover Story / Features
p.34 · Emma Boyd On Craft And Conviction
The cover subject, photographed in Sydney, discusses her approach to fashion as creative expression, her creative process and how she maintains integrity in a commercial industry. The interview positions Boyd as a practitioner who values process over product. Career takeaway: Boyd's method is to treat each collection as a conversation with her previous work, not a reinvention.
p.6-15 · Six Pioneers Define Power
Six industry figures from across fashion, business and culture share their personal definitions of power. The definitions range from "power is the ability to say no" to "power is making other people powerful." Use the spread as a team discussion starter: asking your own team to define power reveals more about company culture than any survey.
p.22-28 · Body Diversity's Retreat: The SS26 Runway Data
Citing a Vogue Business report that 97.1% of models on the Spring 2026 runways were standard sample size, the feature examines how the fashion industry has quietly walked back inclusivity commitments made after 2020. The analysis covers which houses are still casting diversely and which have reverted. Industry accountability: if a brand posted a Black Lives Matter black square in 2020 but cast exclusively straight-size models in 2026, their commitment was performative.
▸ Style / Shopping
p.40-50 · The Power Of Dressing: Autumn 2026 Trends
The "Visual Impact" series translates autumn 2026 runway trends into wearable looks. The edit covers colour directions, silhouette updates and key accessories for the season. Wardrobe strategy: invest in one power-shouldered jacket this autumn—it communicates authority more efficiently than any other single garment.
p.52-58 · Milan Shoe Fair: A Buying Intelligence Guide
A curated shopping guide from the Milan shoe fair, covering key brands, emerging designers and price brackets. The guide is written for both retail buyers and individual shoppers looking for investment footwear. Buying rule: at a shoe fair, try on the size that fits, then buy the size up—feet swell during walking and most shoes stretch widthwise, not lengthwise.
▸ Beauty
p.60-70 · Power Beauty: The Autumn Edit
Beauty products and routines that make you feel powerful rather than just groomed. The edit covers strong brows, bold lip colours and skincare that delivers visible texture improvement. Product rule: a power beauty routine prioritises three steps—skincare base, brow definition, lip colour—everything else is optional.
▸ Culture
p.72-80 · Ngahuia Williams On Maori Fashion Sovereignty
A feature on how Maori designers and artists are claiming fashion sovereignty through indigenous textile practices, pattern languages and direct-to-consumer models. The movement is distinct from "Maori-inspired" fashion produced by non-Maori brands. Support strategy: buy directly from Maori-owned brands rather than from retailers that stock "indigenous-inspired" collections by non-indigenous designers.
p.82-88 · The FQ Power List
Fashion Quarterly's curated list of influential New Zealanders shaping the country's fashion and culture landscape. The list spans designers, entrepreneurs, artists and advocates. Use the list as a networking and collaboration reference for the year ahead.
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Editor's Take
Fashion Quarterly's Autumn Power issue is the most intellectually ambitious edition of the magazine this year. The decision to lead with the body-diversity retreat data (97.1% standard sample size on SS26 runways) is genuinely brave for a fashion magazine that depends on advertiser relationships with the very brands being criticised. The Emma Boyd cover is well-judged—she represents the craft-and-conviction values the issue champions. The six-pioneers-define-power spread is the issue's conceptual heart, though it would benefit from more diverse definitions beyond the usual industry suspects. Weaknesses: the Milan shoe fair guide, while useful, sits awkwardly in a "Power" issue—it reads as a leftover from a different editorial brief. The FQ Power List includes several names that appear in every NZ power list, reducing its editorial freshness. For readers who want a fashion magazine that takes itself seriously as a cultural commentator, this is FQ's strongest statement of intent.
Strengths
• Body diversity retreat data is brave, specific and actionable
• Emma Boyd cover story prioritises craft over celebrity
• Six-pioneers frame is conceptually interesting
Weaknesses
• Milan shoe fair guide feels disconnected from the Power theme
• FQ Power List includes predictable names
Verdict: Recommended — The most intellectually ambitious FQ issue of the year; buy it for the body-diversity investigation.
