The Fashion Showcase Carving Space in NYFW for Designers on the Rise
There is a beautiful side to every fashion week that you might not see in images studded with A-list celebrities and a BFA watermark plastered on top. Some of it happens off of the NYFW calendar. It’s the side born from “what ifs” and first tries and brave creative spirit. It’s where indie designers and cross-creative projects showcase something born from the heart and brought to life by hours of work from their own hands. It draws excited, inspired, curious people, and supportive, uplifting communities of creators.
If you look to fashion for artistic innovation or a peek into cultural movements both aesthetic and social, these things should not be overlooked. It’s to those undercurrents, I think, we should tune in most.
Each season, Rise NYFW produces showcases in this certain side of the New York Fashion Week whirlwind. Having gained recognition over the years and earned a place on the CFDA calendar, they remain committed to showcasing independent, “emerging fashion talent, representing the visionary spirit of New York Fashion Week.” This season was no different, as they lined up two fashion shows including runway collections from 6 emerging designers.
At 4 pm on a Fashion Week Friday at Wallace Hall, designers bravely presented their hearts by way of sartorial arts- many of which came through inspirations deeply ingrained in their cultures and stories. The run of events went as follows…
collection collages from L2R: AVNAH, Pierre Laborde, Marci Berlin
AVNAH
AVNAH started the show off with the collection that probably stuck with me the most. Titled GRACE after Grace Jones, each look included details that winked at an avant-garde sensibility. Among bold, sculptural silhouettes, I was delighted to see a couple of artful busts. The first was a collection highlight: a brown organic piece adorned with a take on the iconic image of Grace Jones smoking a cigarette. The look was completed with brown rope which moved beautifully down the runway. Its sister piece was another sculpturesque bus- this time embellished in dripping chains and a red lip that felt Schiapparellian. The look was completed with cherry red trousers– a color that echoed into the following look: an exaggerated tulle gown with oversized rosettes that immediately called for drama.
Pierre Laborde
This one was a bag collection. They all took on interesting and architectural shapes some almost reminiscent of lunch boxes only if lunch boxes were luxe statement pieces. Ring handles brought an artistic nature as well, and many functioned in dynamic ways. As models took them down the runway, they’d elegantly drop their hold from wrist to fingertip. Almost like a mini “reveal” of the purse variety.
Aries Closet
Andrea N. McCray, the designer behind Aries Closet, delivered a collection of blacks and reds and leather and lace. The timeless colors and fabrics, though, were constructed into the unique pieces that hit the runway. Sexy silhouettes, cutouts, and feathers made the collection cal to mind the sort of boldly expressed styles found in party and ravewear.
Marci Berlin
Simply put, I was delightfully impressed with the craftsmanship of the next collection to come down the runway. Marci Berlin’s presentation was a reminder of the classic, timeless cool of black leather. These models looked so clean and confident– plus I noted I could see those pieces retailing as is. Quiet luxury vibes.
Harus Tos’ runway collection was an ode to the designer’s community. Looks were inspired by “Hollywood icons with a native twist.” Pieces were cleverly infused with Native American aesthetics, techniques, and symbolism. The collection highlight was probably the bright take on Marilyn Monroe’s Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend look, brought to life here with turquoise elements and a stunning beaded collar accessory.
Buckanaga Social Club X
Duality Collection
Next up in the Rise sartorial world that day: a presentation that really stood out to me for its conceptual depth and aesthetic interest: this collection takes on the concepts of colonization and self-acceptance. It was a striking collaboration between two brands, Buckanaga Social Club and
Duality Collection, whose work is inspired by indigenous culture. What struck me was the balance here: between things like story and wearability, clean and yet interesting design, and traditional symbolism and distinctly modern look.
Franchón Crews Dezurn’s TheHHDiva
The designer of the afternoon’s final collection, Franchón Crews Dezurn, is also known as ‘The Heavy Hitting Diva’ thanks to her success as a middleweight boxing champion. Her runway brought alive a certain kind of fierce confidence in her models as in the room. Looks turned the color, texture, and glamour up to high with healthy amounts of velvet and regal symbolism. The eclectic collection was tied together by expressive personality and pieces that costume a vivacious soul of the wearer- perhaps a reflection of her experience designing fighting uniforms. My personal favorite was a velvet mini puffer dress. OH! And the soundtrack of the finale presentation: a live performance from Dezurn herself. Cause she’s a ALSO a great singer- and what a perfect fit it was for her designs.
During the last NYFW in Septemeber: I shared a piece critiquing the pop culture sentiment, “New York Fashion Week is Dead.” It read:
but truly… knowing what you know now, what wouldn’t you give to watch one of these now “great” designers show their early, controversial work before it was deemed “great”?!?
May I gently suggest another point of reflection: if we only have a taste for art previously established by time and power as “tasteful” and fed to us as “luxury”, how do we know anything about our taste at all?’
Which is just to say: explore emerging talent. Look closely at what independent designers are doing, saying, or attempting to challenge. Approach fashion week and fashion itself with curious eyes. It might lead you to places where you can see creative efforts that give meaning to cultural and artistic expressions in the first place.
