NYFW

There is a special buzz around New York City in early September during Fashion Week. Already in constant motion, the city transforms into a space for designers to gather and express their ideas through clothing.

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend New York Fashion Week as press and covered four runways hosted by Runway 7 at Sony Hall —– 235 W. 46th St —– and engaged with the scope of contemporary fashion while considering the individual stylists that make up this industry.

From athleisure to bridalwear to experimental design, there is no singular view of what fashion truly is. The past weekend presented a range of evolving, unconventional and expressive identities shown through their designs.

SHOWCASE 1
Yvie Style It, Influence Athleisure, Swaroop Collections, Inava5 and Amour de la Mer

These five designers kicked off Fashion Week with their noticeably different designs. 

Yvie Style It combines sustainability, African heritage, science and experimental design, making the collection feel rooted in the intersection of culture and innovation. Influence Athleisure, meanwhile, approaches modest fashion through luxury comfortwear, combining functionality with more careful tailoring. Swaroop Collections draws from Indian textile heritage, emphasizing handloom craftsmanship, silk, embroidery and cultural artistry.

The contrast between collections became part of the experience. Culture, comfort, craftsmanship, swimwear and sustainability could all occupy the same runway without becoming interchangeable.

SHOWCASE 2 - Alejandro de los Reyes, Mr Crazy & Lady Sexy, Aurea Argentina, Dream Dress Bridal and Amaya Butron

Our evening 9pm show covered much more avantgarde glamour into the runway. 

Venezuelan couturier Alejandro de los Reyes brought embellished gowns and pageant glamour to the runway, while Dream Dress Bridal represented the highly ceremonial side of fashion.

The volume, proportions and movement transforms how a person occupies a room. The evening show presented drama traditionally with fashion’s most formal categories.

SHOWCASE  3 - Mack Smith, Princess Metalhead, Human Concept, Marie Minks, Mann Made Athleisure and Ourworld Luxury

With seven designers represented, this was the largest of the showcases I covered.

What happens when one designer's designs give way to another's? How quickly does an audience adjust to a new silhouette, styling language, or idea of who the clothing is for?

Those transitions are easy to overlook when watching individual images of collections online. Sitting in the room makes them much more apparent.

The experience also reinforced how broad the term fashion has become. Athleisure, luxury, experimental work—there is no requirement that these categories resolve into one definition.

SHOWCASE 4 - Mesolite, Janeke Luxureuse, Mahogani Collections, Ellen Piper Designs, PinketteStylezz, L'Unico e Solo and Stylez and Designz by Miranda

After three previous shows, I began to notice myself paying less attention to the idea of a singular "Fashion Week look" and more attention to the individual decisions that made a collection recognizable.

It was very rewarding to see and think about what makes this designer's work feel like their own.

A collection establishes an identity through repetition and variation. Silhouettes relate to one another. Materials reoccur. Certain proportions or styling decisions become recognizable.

Fashion Week can sometimes feel like an industry built based on exclusivity: guest lists, front rows, photographers, names. As a student journalist, I find that people make clothing because they want to communicate something. There is no single way to dress a body, and there is no single way to define fashion.