In kilt with Black History Month in America, the month of February ushered in the New York Fashion Week Autumn-Winter 2022 season — with a mixed batch of digital and live shows taking place all over the city.
With the return of Black creative mavens such as Shayne Oliver and LaQuan Smith to the NYFW schedule, as well as the inclusion of exciting American contemporary luxury brands such as Peter Do and Kim Shui — all eyes turned to New York for the latest batch shows on the global fashion calendar. Needless to say — this season officially stamped New York’s long-awaited return to the international fashion scene.
Laquan Smith, Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear; Photograph by Isidore Montag
Laquan Smith, Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear; Photograph by Isidore Montag
Elena Velez, Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear; Photograph by Isidore Montag
“It’s an understated chic; flamboyant yet not excessive”, are the words which flutter to my brain as I re watch the Maryam Nassir Zadeh show. There is a flog of independent artisanal fashion designers on the loose in America and this has nourished their industry in so many different ways.
When you take a bird’s eye view of their current roster of designers, you begin to notice more and more brands of colour – from the more seasoned Pyer Moss and Telfar through to the emerging LaQuan Smith and No Sesso.
No Sesso, Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear; Photograph by Filippo Fior
No Sesso, Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear; Photograph by Filippo Fior
The collections kicked off last week Friday with upcoming fashion brands such as Proenza Schouler and Elena Velez showcasing on opening day. The former, Proenza Schouler, presented a strong feminine collection dominated by asymmetric silhouettes, nude colours and tones, loose fitting two-piece suits, flared trousers and chic jewellery and accessories – a quintessential New Yorker’s outfit.
On the other hand, Kim Shui presented their contemporary take on Y2K bimbofication with a collection including two-piece tweed suits, lumo gloves and headbands, as well as furry thigh-length skirts with the attitude to match. In 2019 the founder, Kim Shui, described the brand’s aesthetic to Forbes as: “It’s Ming Dynasty meets Eurotrash”.
Kim Shui, Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear; Photograph by Alessandro Lucioni
Kim Shui, Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear; Photograph by Alessandro Lucioni
Quite a few Black fashion brands took centre-stage by returning to the NYFW schedule, such as Pierre Davis’ No Sesso, Shayne Oliver’s relaunched Hood by Air (HBA), as well as LaQuan Smith’s self-titled brand.
No Sesso re-introduced their classic non-binary silhouettes with an exciting denim collaboration with Levis, the HBA reboot attracted it’s cult following once more – including Euphoria star Hunter Schaffer, in front row – and the LaQuan Smith show opened with the highly-publicised Julia Fox, in her fashion week debut.
Proenza Schouler, Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear; Photograph by Jonas Gustavsson
Proenza Schouler, Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear; Photograph by Jonas Gustavsson
Laquan Smith, Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear; Photograph by Isidore Montag
All of these events occurred while Telfar televised the launch of their new collection live on Telfar TV. Nnnadi of Vogue (2022) wrote the following on the new Telfar collection:
Somewhere between a fashion show, public-access TV, and performance art, last night’s event was a full-on 90 minute immersion into the freewheeling creative world of Telfar; call it Clemens’s answer to Warhol’s infamous Factory.
New York Fashion Week AW22 somewhat reminded me of what Fashion East is to UK fashion – a platform for all emerging fashion brands to be spotlighted, locally and internationally. Many of these brands are curated by Black femmes, or members of the LGBTQI+ community – hence why their empowerment (read betterment) is of vital importance. The New York fashion scene is acting as a melting pot of race, culture, tradition and identity – all connected through the golden thread of fashion.
Proenza Schouler, Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear; Photograph by Jonas Gustavsson
Laquan Smith, Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear; Photograph by Isidore Montag
Elena Velez, Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear; Photograph by Isidore Montag
Maryam Nassir Zadeh, Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear; Photograph by Madison Voelkel
