BENJAMIN REITMEIER AT VANCOUVER FASHION WEEK

April 23, 2026 | 11:47 am

Vancouver Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2026

Benjamin Reitmeier

On the third night of Vancouver Fashion Week (VFW), there were several runway debuts, one of which was designer Benjamin Reitmeier. In the celebration of firsts, it is always exciting to see what new designers bring to the runway,

There's a particular kind of tension that makes a runway moment memorable—the push and pull between what we expect to see and what actually walks out. Benjamin Reitmeier understands that tension intimately, and for Fall/Winter 2026, he leans into it with a collection that feels both controlled and quietly unruly.

At first glance, you might think you’re in familiar territory: tailoring, shirting, the foundations of menswear. But stay with it for more than a beat, and the narrative begins to shift. This is not about reinforcing tradition—it’s about reworking it from the inside out.

Benjamin Reitmeier : Built, Not Just Designed

If you're trying to understand Benjamin Reitmeier, start with structure—but don't stop there. Originally from New Denver, British Columbia, and a graduate of Blanche Macdonald in Vancouver, his creative language is shaped by an unexpected trio: architectural drafting, culinary arts, and now, fashion. Yes, it’s giving multi-hyphenate, but more importantly, it’s giving intention.

That architectural training is evident in his precision—every seam feels mapped, every silhouette considered. But it’s his time in the culinary world that adds something richer: a sensitivity to texture, balance, and composition that you can almost feel when the garments move. The result is work that treats clothing less like fabric on a body and more like a living structure—disciplined, dynamic, and just a little bit seductive in how it reveals itself.

BENJAMIN REITMEIER THE REVIEW

It's rare for me to get to write about a menswear collection; unfortunately, there are few menswear designers presenting collections at VFW. Enter Benjamin Reitmeier, who brought Someone Else a collection of 10 concise menswear looks that had this critic sit up and take notice. Benjamin Reitmeier's Someone Else doesn't just walk the runway—it invites you into a quiet, daring act of reinvention. At its core, the collection is a meditation on self-evolution, on the kind of courage it takes to acknowledge that identity is never singular, never fixed, and certainly never finished.

Here, fashion becomes more than adornment; it becomes a playground for transformation, a space where the rules of selfhood can be bent, stretched, and reimagined. Reitmeier poses a question that lingers long after the final look: if you gave yourself permission to be someone else—even just for a moment—who would you dare to become?

Traditional men's formalwear is black, and Reitmeier didn't stray from that, but that's where his obedience to convention ended. Traditional men's formalwear is completely consumed by tailoring. The designer finds unique ways to play with tailoring, silhouette, and structure. Reitmeier doesn't abandon tailoring—he interrogates it. A pinstripe suit look, for example, appears almost traditional until you notice the interruption: fluid panels, unexpected fabric shifts, a softness that destabilizes the expected rigidity. It's tailoring that refuses to behave.

Shirting follows a similar trajectory. Crisp white cotton is cut asymmetrically, elongated, and recontextualized. What was once a uniform becomes something expressive, even a little rebellious. An oversized white shirt reclaims its narrative here, falling asymmetrically, as if it simply refused to follow the rules. Paired with thigh-high black boots and a single glove, the styling leans into a controlled imbalance—clean but with just enough disruption to keep your eye moving. A lot can be said about taking a classic and transforming it from a shirt into a caftan-style blouse.

And then there's the fabric story, which deserves a moment. Faux leather sits against sheer mesh. Denim is softened by silk. Wool is layered with transparency. These juxtapositions create a tactile conversation—one that moves between strength and vulnerability without settling on either.

There's also a notable relationship with the body itself. Rather than armouring it, Reitmeier frames it. Mesh inserts and sheer panels don't just reveal—they shape perception, offering a version of menswear that acknowledges sensuality without overplaying it. It's confident, but not performative.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF VANCOUVER FASHION WEEK

PHOTOGRAPHER ARUN NEVADER

As someone who writes from a queer perspective, there's something deeply resonant in this collection—the freedom to play in the space between masculine and feminine rather than choosing one over the other. It's a space I personally gravitate toward in my own style, and Reitmeier captures it with clarity and confidence. By the final look, that dialogue comes into full focus: a tailored black base softened by a sheer halter neckline, where structure gives way to sensuality. It doesn’t resolve the tension—it embraces it, closing the collection with a look that feels unapologetically fluid and unmistakably modern.

Final Thoughts

Benjamin Reitmeier doesn't tiptoe around menswear traditions this season—he walks straight through them, rearranging the furniture as he goes. This collection feels assured in its point of view, pushing against long-held ideas of masculinity and asking why they've been so rigid in the first place. It brings to mind that unforgettable red carpet moment when Alexander Skarsgård wore a white halter and somehow made it feel completely, unquestionably masculine. That same confidence threads its way through every look here.

What's striking is how Reitmeier expands masculinity rather than rejects it. Sheer fabrics, sculpted shapes, and softer gestures aren't presented as contrasts to strength—they become part of it. There's a kind of self-possession in these clothes, a refusal to shrink or simplify identity into something easily defined.

And that's where the collection lands with impact. It doesn't just reinterpret menswear; it challenges viewers to rethink their expectations of it. Not as a fixed category, but as something fluid, evolving, and—at its best—completely self-assured.