Even with names like Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs and Thom Brown missing from the New York fashion week calendar, we still bore witness to many exciting collections. Join us as we take a look at our top 5 NYFW collections below.
Victor Glemaud
New York-born, Haitian-American designer Victor Glemaud originally made a name for himself with knitwear after founding his eponymous label in 2006. This New York Fashion Week, the designer ventures into new waters. Inspired by his collaboration with the American Ballet Theatre, Glemaud debuted his first-ever cut-and-sew jersey pieces.
Discussing his approach to the new collection, the designer stated “The idea was to take away all the surface texture and pattern, so you wonder is it knitwear or cut-and-sew.”
The show saw an all-black cast of models take to the runway in monochromatic looks. Each wore a chic head-wrap that matched the solid colour of the outfit — be it black, white, beige or tangerine.
The collection was inspired by the 1966 film “Black Girl” by Ousmane Sembène, who is often referred to as the father of African cinema. The film itself was one of the first African feature films to gain international acclaim.
It centres around a young Senegalese woman who moves to the South of France after receiving a job offer as an au pair for a wealthy white family. However, she finds her duties reduced to those of a maid and is treated very poorly upon her arrival.
The protagonist uses her simple, polished style — including her silk headscarf and shift dresses — as a form of rebellion against her circumstances.
Glemaud says “I found so much strength and beauty in the character and her look.”
Glemaud dedicated the show to “the countless women who left their homelands for the American Dream”. It was a celebration of body and shape, but most of all it was a celebration of Black women.
Collina Strada
Collina Strada, founded by Hilary Taymour, has been on the rise for the past few years. Since the brand was named a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist in 2019, it has become renowned for its irreverent sense of humour, and with its emphasis on diversity and inclusion, the brand has become representative of the next generation.
Their catwalk shows are among the most inclusive of New York Fashion Week, with models representing a wide range of races, genders, ages, physical abilities and sizes.
The AW22 collection was presented through a short film called “The Collinas,” — a parody of the mid-2000s reality show “The Hills” (Collina translates to “hill” in Italian).
Just as the first episode of “The Hills” revolves around its star, Lauren Conrad, embarking on a fashion internship, “The Collinas” tells the story of a new intern starting at Collina Strada. The protagonist is played by Tommy Dorfman — a trans woman best known for her role in 13 Reasons Why.
While her character is rather clueless on how to actually do her job properly, her fantastic taste for fashion is undeniable. The other employees of Collina Strada are somewhat stuck-up as they judge her, for example, for not owning her own refillable rhinestone water bottle (which is actually a popular product the brand sells IRL).
Taymour said that the show is intended to highlight how ditsy and airless fashion can be, and the joke seems to be on any fashion brand that considers itself sustainable — including Collina Strada — which takes the position that there actually is no such thing.
“If you can’t make fun of yourself, who can make fun of?… Fashion takes itself so seriously. Like, ‘I used 50% less water in this one garment, this one time.’ Come on, guys. We can care about things and do our part, but no fashion brand is saving the world. I don’t care what they say in the press. They’re not.” — Taymour.
The collection has a strong 2000’s influence and embraces the colourful and chaotic prints that the brand has become known for. The playful pieces donned by Dorfman are accompanied by hair and make-up that nods to the early-mid 2000s — but with a 2022 update.
Check out the full 13-minute episode of “The Collinas” here — you won’t be disappointed.
Laquan Smith
LaQuan Smith tapped a newly single Julia Fox to open the show in a party-ready black dress with cutouts that has since been dubbed “the ultimate revenge dress“.
However, her arrival was preceded by a moment of silence for Andre Leon Talley — Smith’s former mentor who died in January. Talley played a key role in Smith’s career — he gave him the money he needed to travel to Paris for the first time and was the first person to write about his work.
“This one’s for you, Andre,” said a voice over the sound system before the show began. Talley, who loved glamour, would have been proud.
The models strutted the catwalk in sky-high heels and the collection itself was a super sexy display of sparkly sequins, skin-tight party dresses, micro-mini skirts, lace bodysuits, and fur-trimmed coats. It was a perfect representation of the style that Smith has made his trademark, and it’s fair to say Smith succeeded in his mission to bring sexy back.
As well as glamour, Smith is gaining a reputation for his location choices (specifically, iconic American landmarks). He became the first to stage a show inside the Empire State Building last September, and this show was presented in a private club right at the heart of Wall Street.
Speaking on the location, Smith remarked “My woman is a bit provocative, and there’s something quite provocative about this space.”
The Elder Statesman
Founded in 2007 by Greg Chait, The Elder Statesman has become known for its laidback yet luxurious cashmere.
The brand is driven by a deep appreciation of artisan craft and the human hand. All pieces are developed by a team of traditional in-house artisans who hand-loom, tie-dye, and sun-dry each piece.
The collection was presented via a short film that was shot in and showcases the beauty of Portland, Jamaica.
In an interview with HighSnobiety, Chait notes that “[Our] entire universe is essentially one big collaborative effort, internally and externally,” — and the spirit of collaboration is certainly evident here.
Bailey Hunter (The Elder Statesman creative director), Savannah Gee Baker (a photographer and stylist from Portland, Jamaica), the legendary Lee “Scratch” Perry and more pulled together to work on the project.
The collection features just about everything knitwear — from trousers, shorts, cardigans and shirts, to dresses, hats, hooded vests and more. Some of the pieces were created by Baker’s niece, the British-Jamaican artist Kione Grandison. Vibrant and colourful, the collection truly reflects the spirit of Jamaica.
Check out the short film on their Instagram.
No Sesso
‘No Sesso’ (which is Italian for “no sex/no gender”) was founded in 2015 by Pia Davis, who runs the LA-based brand with Autumn Randolph. The label has made a name for itself with its genderless, hand-embroidered creations.
Community is a central tenet of the brand’s philosophy, which focuses on empowering people of all colours, shapes, and identities by challenging the traditional conventions of fashion, art, culture and design.
In 2019, Davis became the first trans woman to present a collection on the official New York Fashion Week calendar. The models used to showcase the brand’s collections are often friends of the No Sesso team or part of the wider LGBTQ+ community in LA. As Davis notes, the brand is more than just a name, it is a lifestyle.
Their AW22 collection (titled “The Girls With Dolphin Earrings”) consists of up-cycled pieces made using discarded knitwear, neckties, vintage varsity jackets and more. True to the spirit of No Sesso, many of the designs ditched the conventional notions of binary gender as men took to the runway in skirts, dresses and make-up.
Their collaboration with Levis (which was actually an effort that started in 2020 but was delayed due to the pandemic) was also debuted. The designers flipped dead-stock denim pieces into laced-up corsetry, lingerie and undergarments.
