
Despite the multiple think-pieces about whether you need to present during Fashion Week to “make it” as a designer or if it should be so hard (or expensive) for young and hungry creatives, there are still plenty of emerging designers across New York who dream of being part of the schedule. Some of the most exciting talents among them are also figuring out ways to make their NYFW debut in their own way, on their own terms. With dinner performances where paper mache dresses are sculpted to life and high school runways with barnyard-style seating arrangements, New York’s next generation of designers got creative this season (and even out-did their luxury, big-budget counterparts).
Here, four of New York’s most talented up-and-coming designers chat to Dazed about making Fashion Week happen.
Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen SS258 Images
On Wednesday, September 11, after (most of) the fashion week madness, designer Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen hosted an intimate dinner presentation at TIWA Gallery. There, under the light of an ethereal but slightly hazardous combination of candles and linen, guests enjoyed hanging pockets of vegan cheese and salads served from woven baskets. Meanwhile, Whalen herself constructed a bustier dress from papier-mâché. After dinner, models walked the dining room runway. The entire experience was designed to be a “grounded and calm space” away from fashion week madness, says Whalen. “Sharing a meal together is a wonderful way to slow down and foster our connections to one another, which is what my focus is right now,” she says. “The dinner was also a spell, to alchemize whatever was needed for those who consumed it”
This wasn’t Whalen’s first NYFW appearance. Still, the designer’s SS25 collection leans heavily into being DIY by using papier-mâché, scraps of leftover paper, linen and cotton to create wearable sculptural forms inspired by her last two years of garment making. “This season, it was all about coming home to myself and taking time to feel the earth around me; a grounding,” she says. “It is extremely difficult to find financial support for new creative endeavours, but with that truth also comes grassroots comradery and community uplifting around fashion shows particularly.” Whalen hopes that her DIY spirit and focus on bringing people together with “joy and tenderness” will permeate through fashion spaces and into the larger global community.
Knitwear enthusiasts may have seen Gabe Gordon’s designs on Instagram (or on Kim Kardashian or Dua Lipa), but wouldn’t have seen them on a horse-themed high school runway until this season. The designer made his NYFW debut at New Design High School, seating attendees on straw bales, filling the room with the aroma of vetiver grass, and playing an unsettling soundtrack in the background. “I love building a narrative around my collections, and showing in person allowed my audience to be immersed on a multi-sensory level within this world,“ he says. “The new styles act as a study of the tension and harmony between traditional Americana aesthetics and the queer experience.“
According to Gordon, the stripe and varsity-heavy collection was inspired by vintage sporting motifs, like football uniforms and equestrian silhouettes, and horror movie tropes. “It was exciting to design with these references parallel to the inherent queerness and anxiety that is channelled through my work,“ he says. “There’s something special about being able to present all these handmade garments and textiles in person and felt by the audience members.”
Lamin Jaiteh made his NYFW debut this season with Rey Jaiteh’s SS25 collection ‘Business As Usual’. The Harlem-based designer says being part of the schedule has been his dream since starting the industry. “The opportunity to present my work on such a prominent stage was something I couldn’t pass up,“ he says. “Throughout the process, there were moments when I felt like I was navigating everything on my own, with only a few people to rely on. It taught me that collaboration and support are crucial in pulling off something of this scale.“
The collection merged streetwear and corporate-inspired looks (more than one briefcase was present) to poke fun at what Jaiteh considers a personal oxymoron and contradiction in fashion. “When designing this project, I stopped caring about extrinsic motivations and expectations,“ he says. “What’s expected of artists, what’s expected of your typical nine-to-five worker (myself currently included), and what’s expected of me.“
This season also welcomed the debut of another promising independent fashion brand, Campillo, by designer Patricio Campillo – a semi-finalist in this year’s LVMH Prize. On the runway, Campillo unpacked his fascination with Mexican volcanoes and pulled from three distinct influences – Charro culture, Mexican modernist architecture, and pre-Hispanic minimalism. “I decided to do New York because it feels like it’s the place where a Latinx brand can build a community,“ he says. “In fact, New York feels like it’s relevant because it can become the fashion capital where Latinxs have a voice and an identity for the first time in the fashion industry.“
The vision for the future of the brand, according to Campillo, is a strong identity and aesthetic language, avoiding fleeting trends or drastic changes. “This show was a vibrant expression of that vision,“ he says. “Showcasing the growth and depth of the brand while remaining deeply connected to our cultural narrative.“
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