Thousands of designers, models, photographers, celebrities, and fashion enthusiasts gathered in New York City this month for New York Fashion Week. Designers such as Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors created several beautiful and unique pieces. Fashion Week started on September 6 and ended on September 14. 

This year featured creative design when it came to the location of fashion shows. Shows were held in abandoned subway stations, the Apollo theater, and one show even featured a choir performance. Many designers made their shows about more than just the clothing. Tory Burch dedicated her show to the late Princess Diana, with pieces inspired by her style. Emerging designer Susan Alexandra created a collection inspired by Bar Mitzvahs; her collection highlighted the typical fashion of twelve and thirteen-year-old girls. 

Some designers used their platform to raise awareness for issues that go beyond fashion. Hillary Taymour of Collina Strada wanted to emphasize sustainability. Her show featured a farmer’s market where guests were able to interact with the fashion show process, and all of her clothes were made out of repurposed materials. Other designers worked to raise awareness in different ways. A typical fashion show is chaotic with hair dryers and other hot tools plugged into every outlet, in order to keep the models looking their best. Gabriela Hearst worked to change this. She wanted to have a carbon-neutral show free of any heat and carbon-emitting tools, so her models had their hair slicked back in braids as they walked down the runway.

Recently, New York Fashion Week has worked to emphasize the importance of diverse representation. Even though there still are certain prejudices in the fashion industry, many designers chose to highlight diversity in a variety of ways. Kate Spade’s show featured models across three generations. 65-year-old Debi Mazar walked the runway with her teenage daughter, Evelina Corcos, along with other women striving to break the stereotype that models must be young. Meanwhile, Chromat, a popular swimsuit brand, showcased their designs on models of different body types, races, and ages. These brands are bringing the world one step closer to equal representation in the fashion industry.

New York Fashion Week is always an exciting time to see what designers have in store for the coming season. Although the pieces will not be available until spring 2020, we can draw inspiration from the creativity and originality of the shows in the meantime.

Sources: New York Times, CNN, The Cut

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons