Word on the street was that NYFW was dead, chile.
A homogenous series of past events once hailed as the preeminent destination for American style when French fashion was inaccessible during World War II, New York Fashion Week has become something else. Depending on who you ask, it has turned into an overblown exhibition of celebrity posturing and obnoxiously overproduced trade shows—lacking originality and fresh ideas—all centered around an antiquated production calendar with zero relevance to the way today’s consumers shop.
In the age of instant access, social upheaval, economic and environmental crisis, the style affair seemed to have fallen from the pinnacle of taste many businesses and people in the industry relied upon. And to top it all off, the lack of diversity is still a problem.
Inadequate access to financing continues to top the list of barriers that block aspiring creatives of color from getting their businesses off the ground, but interestingly enough, while Black artists only made up roughly 15% of the week-long Spring/Summer 2024 season’s roster (it kicked off on Sept. 7 and closed on Sept. 13), Black folks managed to wow and dazzle New York Fashion Week’s lineup anyway, in some of the most creative and modern ways imaginable. With innovative events that highlighted apparel and accessories across the diaspora, the culture took the experience by storm.
Many ditched the overpriced, extravagant runway production in favor of more intentionally lowkey showings. Designers created digital lookbooks instead of long wait lines. Chic, intimate cocktail hours replaced drafty, cramped venues. Even meaningful partnerships with Black companies were on deck, rounded out by a full display of corporations that actually put some money where their mouths were.
Despite the ongoing hurdles creatives of color continue to face overall, it appears New York Fashion Week may have been resuscitated by a small group of refreshingly ripe Black talent.
Ahead, a few of Black fashion’s most standout moments at New York Fashion Week…and how they helped to get its mojo back.
Designers Were Up close and Personal
Of those in attendance at this month’s NYFW events, a common sentiment was shared among many: how much more personal it felt. Veteran designers like Anifa Mvuemba – founder of Hanifa, a global luxury women’s wear brand established in 2011 – rejected a full-on produced, traditional fashion show. Instead, she opted to feature selected pieces from her latest collection (it launched September 6th) over cocktails at the Silver Lining Lounge in the Lower East Side. Her doing so allowed guests to interact intimately with her while fully digesting the details of each piece.
The curated capsule of garments were also brought to life, donned by some of fashion’s top-ranked Black influencers like Asia Milia, Skylar Marhai and Tenika B.
Showrooms Brimmed With Up-and-coming Talent
The Black in Fashion Council, along with The Folklore Group – two woman-led collectives of Black creatives, editors, models and industry stakeholders committed to carving out space for more diversity within the fashion industry—held their annual showroom events that shined the usual, much-needed spotlight on Black designers from across South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and the United States.
The main attraction at New York Fashion Week, the organizations maintained their commitment to improving inclusivity in fashion by featuring 25 Black design houses from burgeoning brands like Fumi The Label, Tejahn Burnett and Kilentar.
HBCUs Have Entered the Chat
In its third season as sponsors of “NYFW: The Shows,” an initiative to drive diversity by promoting Black-owned fashion brands, UPS, IMG Focus and NYFW showcased the “BIG MOTION: An HBCU Runway” fashion show that featured an incredible display of collections from three brands whose designers have attended historically Black colleges and universities. Hosted by La La Anthony, and with a total investment of $150,000 in a small business stipend that the labels split to showcase their designs, the production did not disappoint.
It was met with the utmost adoration and pleasure from the crowd, the purring of ‘oohs and aahs’ heard throughout.
Collabs Were Actually Sincere
The racial reckoning of 2020 saw many brands join forces with Black businesses and experts, only to end a short time afterward when the spotlight shifted its attention. As a result, we couldn’t help but question some of these relationships going forward, but in spite of it all, collaborations with creatives of color at NYFW demonstrated true intent and real partnerships.
Elaine Welteroth, the award-winning journalist and former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue – she shook up the online publication by steering it toward social consciousness – has partnered with Rakuten, a site that allows the shopping of popular brands with cash-back rewards, to launch the first-ever “Wear the Runway” event. With over 40 retailers and top fashion designers aimed at making the runway accessible to a broader audience, the event included pre-sale pieces that consumers were able to purchase straight from the runway before they hit stores. The revolutionary collaboration of on-trend, must-have styles such as leather on leather, monochromatic styling and menswear with feminine touches was a huge success.
Uber popular Target While Black IG influencer Marissa Kearney held a conference (her first), that highlighted fashion panels, shopping, and connecting with new Black-owned brands. She educated her audience on entrepreneurship from the viewpoints of Black founders such as Jasmine Foster of BeRooted (an inclusively-designed stationery company), Shonté Parrish-Norgriff of Woosah Bride (a wellness company geared toward helping couples of color prepare for their wedding day), celebrity makeup artist Camara Aunique Helps, and many more.
Renowned fashion stylist Jason Bolden – he is widely regarded for his clean, elegant aesthetic for many of Hollywood’s It crowd – Michael B. Jordan, Trevor Noah, Yara Shahidi and Dwyane Wade, to name a few – unveiled reinvigorated designs for two of JC Penney’s most traditional private label brands, Worthington and J. Ferrar. With reimagined concepts of gender interchangeability, the designer has propelled the labels into a more inclusive space yet staying true to the core spirit and principles of the 122-year-old company.
