New York Fashion came and went, leaving behind another season of denim designs with commercial appeal.
New York-based label KidSuper teamed with the Brooklyn Borough Hall to launch The People’s Runway, a public show featuring five Brooklyn-based emerging designers including Daveed Baptiste. The interdisciplinary artist/designer showed jeans and jackets with mosaic-like denim patchwork and lasered portraiture. Wave and twisted seams and 3D butterfly appliques added even more dimension to pieces.
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Contemporary streetwear brand SUM London disrupted the traditional fashion week format with a guerrilla-style presentation in Chinatown. The collection, called JIĀ YÓU, featured utility-style pieces inspired by the 20,000 forgotten Chinese sailors who served the British war effort during WWII.
“So long as we have our community supporting us, we plan to keep sharing our cultural-diasporic stories long enough for the future generation of global citizens to feel a sense of home in SUM London,” said founder Margaret Sam.
Chinese mill Advance Denim produced the fabrics used throughout the collection. Fabrics were made with Lenzing’s Tencel and Modal, adding natural drape and durability.
“Supporting emerging designers like Margaret Sam who use fashion as a medium for creative storytelling aligns perfectly with our mission to create fibers that respect both people and planet,” said Tuncay Kilickan, global business development manager denim at Lenzing. “This collaboration vividly demonstrates that conscious materials can elevate, not compromise, creative vision.”
Coach continued to repurposes denim and workwear materials in pieces like wide-leg trousers and fitted jean jackets. The palette skewed lighter for spring, with a combination of whites, honey browns, tans and faded blacks.
“For Spring, I thought about a delicate balance of polish and shine with grit, a pairing I think of as very New York. And by grit, I mean resilience, and the beauty of how the city comes back to life every morning,” said Stuart Vevers, Coach creative director. “The glamour of the steel and glass made more beautiful by the bleaching sunlight, the patina of time, and the buff and burnish of life in our shared city.”
Brandon Maxwell chose long, slim fits to style with floral blazers and layered oxford shirts. Knee rips and distressing, as well as a drop-sleeve denim moto jacket added some New York attitude to the collection.
Ripped boyfriend jeans were part of L’Agence’s assortment, as well as skinny, straight and relaxed jeans accented with silver hardware.
Tibi applied double zippers to wide-leg jeans and showed relaxed styles with slouchy, slightly skewed fits. Wide-leg jeans gave Ulla Johnson’s boho aesthetic a fresh look. Front seam details elongated Theory’s wide-leg trousers.
In general, silhouettes and washes were varied. It was bold design choices that made some collections stand out.
Denim was part of Collina Strada’s collection called Shade. The designer showed oversized cargo jeans—their volume emphasized by pleated peplum waists. Aknvas played with cargos, lacing, ruffles and peplum silhouettes as well. A pair of low-rise jeans with lace-up legs was one of the most revealing denim fits of the week.
Cuffs are becoming a Khaite signature. The designer showed denim pencil skirts and cropped jeans with turn-ups. Washes, an Eckhaus Latta specialty, was on full display. Khaki color jeans were blasted with sky blue; others featured bold tomato red colorways. Coatings, overdyes and heavy destruction added a cool factor to Simkhai’s collection.
Campillo designer Patricio Campillo was inspired by Mexican basket weavers, evident in folded, braided and pleated structures of his jeans and denim blazers. Washes spanned deep indigo to faded and tinted.
Bandana prints took center stage in R13’s denim range. However, the vibe was more punk rock than Western. Other standouts included denim with barbwire print and studded trim, and woven coordinates with a worn-in look.
