Image via Complex Original
New York Fashion Week has come and gone, but the past week of runway shows provided plenty of highlights.
For one, the week served as a bit of a return to normalcy for many designers who hosted in-person presentations following the virtual showings that took place during the height of the pandemic. It’s clear that many designers took full advantage of this too. Who Decides War hosted its inaugural NYFW presentation at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and models walked a runway surrounded by jets and helicopters. Telfar Clemens revealed new items like duffel bags by hosting a staged press conference that also announced the launch of Telfar TV—the label’s own television channel. After an impressive digital presentation last year, Tombogo made its in-person NYFW debut on a rooftop lined with greenery and had models navigate the runway on segways.
It was apparent that many designers couldn’t wait to flex their creativity and get back to the semi-regular scheduled programming of fashion week. While huge names like Louis Vuitton or Gucci headline fashion weeks in Paris or Milan, and are absent from the stateside schedule, New York Fashion Week impresses us with its eclectic mix of young and upcoming designers that provide a small glance at the future of fashion.
With NYFW officially in the books, we decided to highlight some of our favorite shows from the past week. Check out our thoughts on some of the standout presentations from New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2022 below.
Who Decides War
Ev Bravado and Téla D’Amore returned to their hometown to present their fourth collection for Who Decides War on top of the Intrepid, a decommissioned military aircraft carrier on the West Side of Manhattan. Against the backdrop of old World War II fighter planes, the designers unveiled a story about America, God, and war. And what better way to tell that story than through a collection rife with the distorted denim creations Who Decides War is known for and military-inspired garments. Again, biblical motifs were ever-present throughout the entire collection, appearing as patches resembling stained glass church windows or apocalyptic embroidery that covered everything from denim trench coats to oversized V-neck knit sweaters. One standout look in particular, made in collaboration with Steven Barter’s streetwear brand Barriers, placed figures like Malcom X, Marcus Garvey, and Martin Luther King Jr., inside stained glass window patches that graced a denim jacket and distressed jeans. While oversized bomber jackets, cargo pants with three-dimensional logo hits, and thermal sweaters featuring painted images of Tuskegee Airmen fell right in place on the Intrepid’s flight deck. But the final look was one of New York Fashion Week’s most memorable—and made just 12 hours before the day of the show by a Brooklyn-based factory named Storytellers & Creators. Trust that there’s nothing like seeing a model walk out with a puffy white vest that unfurls into an orange dress made out of parachutes on top of one of America’s oldest warships. Maybe the Intrepid isn’t just for tourists after all.—Lei Takanashi
Connor McKnight
Connor McKnight, the young designer who has experience working for brands like Kith and Bode, designed his first collection last year in the confines of his Brooklyn apartment during the pandemic as a personal response to the Black Lives Matter protests going on at the time. Last week, he held his first presentation in a Manhattan showroom, which saw an assortment of Black models situated across a small stage constructed at the center of the room in various poses as large windows poured in tons of natural lighting.
The second collection from the young designer picks up where the first left off with McKnight providing modern takes on classic menswear pieces that nod to his upbringing in Washington, D.C. Pieces like slouchy suiting paired with checkered ties, rugby shirt and shorts sets constructed of an intricate weave pattern made of leftover nylon ribbons, purple striped wool sweaters hand-knit in the Bronx, striped workwear pants inspired by a vintage pair from the ‘60s in his own closet, or a cropped leather jacket with a wide lapel and patchwork stitching are all things he would have seen worn frequently by his peers. What feels traditional on the surface is updated with subtle details like button-downs made of Velcro, patterned collars on shirts that add a bit of personality, iridescent taping, or elastic toggles used on the cuffs of sleeves. In totality, McKnight has provided a gender-fluid collection that can easily live in anyone’s closet for years. While some designers create pieces that look beautiful on the runway, but may be harder to pull off in an everyday setting, McKnight is providing the opposite. He’s giving a minimal uniform to anyone that has been doctored up by subtle nuances that are sure to please anyone who appreciates good design, but may not be in a position to fully recreate their favorite runway looks. His Spring 2022 line is the balance.—Mike DeStefano
Tombogo
Tommy Bogo’s second presentation for New York Fashion Week was held on the roof of Spring Studios and was set inside a skeletal greenhouse that closely resembled the look of David Hammons’ Day’s End sculpture just a couple blocks away. Titled “Nature is Healing,” Tombogo’s Spring/Summer 2022 was inspired by the collective rush to heal and return to normalcy after a tumultuous 2020. As suggested by the title of his presentation, there were plenty of garments inspired by the beauty of nature. Earth-toned colors were prominent throughout the entire collection and well complemented by knit cardigans influenced by wood grain or bags that resembled watering cans. Of course, the brand continued to expand on the utilitarian designs that it’s known for. Fans of Tombogo’s work will be excited to see that his popular convertible double-knee carpenter pants returned this season in new colorways. Aside from that, the designer also introduced cinched oversized pants, with removable zippered cargo or bucket pockets, alongside workwear-inspired utility jackets. Tombogo’s first in-person runway show for New York Fashion Week closed with a look by the one and only Teezo Touchdown, who walked on stage with a puffer that resembled a brick wall. Although Bogo is based in Los Angeles, he cites New York’s creative community as a major influence in his work. And it’s clear that his presence brings a fresh and young perspective to menswear at New York Fashion Week.—Lei Takanashi
Willy Chavarria
Willy Chavarria isn’t a new kid in town. He’s been at it for a while, designing his own line, and working/consulting for other brands including Yeezy, Joe Boxer, Ralph Lauren and American Eagle. He was recently named the senior vice president of men’s design at Calvin Klein. We are sure he’s watched the big guys in fashion look to certain communities, like the one the Mexican-American designer grew up in, and pull inspiration from their style of dress, but ignore their existence. He dedicates his shows to that community, casting Latino models of various heights, ages, and sizes and putting them in amped up versions of the pieces associated with Cholo style. The show opened with somber music you would expect from a church, and models walked out wearing baggy pleated pants that pooled the floor. They were cinched at the waist to reveal brightly colored nylon shorts or boxers. It signified that Chavarria was going to recontextualize the clothes he grew up with—this was an interesting contrast to the recently released Balenciaga sweatpants with an exposed boxer that drew online criticism. Chavarria was honoring these pieces that are a part of his roots while Balenciaga was co-opting them. This continued with shirts with extra large collars and wide sleeves, satin bomber jackets, baggy trousers, and jackets with thin chevron stripes. Chavarria is a master at shape and volume, and translating his Latinx roots into something even more intriguing.—Aria Hughes
Luar
Raul Lopez, the designer behind Luar, who co-founded Hood By Air with Shayne Oliver before leaving the brand to start his own line, took a three season hiatus but returned with a Spring/Summer 2022 collection that took place on Saturday evening in Bushwick. Titled Teteo Basico (teteo is Dominican slang for partying and basico translates to basic), the collection is a more commercial take on Luar. Lopez’s previous collections were for sophisticated club kids who wanted to look good during the day and night. He played with typical garment construction, showing pieces that would look amazing in magazine editorials or on a stage but might not sell well on a retail floor. With this collection he seems to be presenting a more buyer-friendly line, expanding outside the boundaries the industry creates for designers of color, and still holding true to who he is. The show opened with legendary Dominican model Ohmyra Mota, who was wearing a beautifully sculpted leather jacket with a thin beige belt going across the lapels (a signature detail of the collection). He utilized denim in interesting ways, constructing wide leg JNCO-esque pants with zippers trailing down the leg, and tailored pieces with new details like a chocolate brown pin striped sleeveless that looked like armor, and pants with a pleated flounce at the bottom. This was supplemented with more basic items like hoodies and sweatpants embroidered with the Luar logo, box frame bags with circular top handles, and fluid skirts with fabric draping that would suit a multitude of shapes and sizes. Based on his show notes, Lopez, who presented in the fashion week slot that’s been typically reserved for Alexander Wang, is thinking about how the masses co-opt culture without crediting the source. Lopez is the source and we hope he’s able to reclaim credit and properly profit from his ideas, which are individual and much needed. The show notes also insinuate that Kerby Jean Raymond of Pyer Moss was involved in some way via his Your Friends in New York incubator that he launched with Kering. We hope Lopez gets the resources he needs to sustain his brand.—Aria Hughes
Telfar
Was it a show? Was it a play? Was it real? Was it fake? That’s what might have been swirling through observers’ heads as they watched Telfar and team gather for a press conference announcing the launch of Telfar TV. The panelists included Telfar Clemens himself along with his creative partner Babak Radboy and members of their community including Ian Isiah, Jorge “Gitoo” Wright, Terence Nance, Kandis Williams, A$AP Ferg, Teezo Touchdown, Mishka Brown, Nkiru Emelie, Kamau Patton, Leilah Weinraub and Jonte’ Moaning.
Press conferences are usually sedate affairs, but the team at Telfar made it lively with dramatic introductions for each panelist, who walked up to the conference desk via a runway of sorts wearing pieces from Telfar (Isaiah brought his dog), and then sat down to answer questions about Telfar TV, a platform or app that’s available on Roku or Apple TV. They spliced the event with a short film, showing the group brainstorming around what Telfar TV should be, and a live performance from Isaiah. “It’s a drip, not a drop,” he crooned into the mic. Telfar TV is where they will drop the new Telfar duffle bags, which were revealed at the end of the event, along with Telfar’s popular shopping bags. They consider these releases drips rather than drops because they are smaller, more targeted releases that will drip at random. Consumers have to be watching Telfar TV and can purchase via a QR Code that pops up on the screen at random. The platform is a way to fight against bots, celebrate the Telfar community, who will be able to submit content, and wholly own the relationship with its rabid consumers. Telfar no longer wholesales his popular shopping bags to stores, but a lot of the Telfar content, and Telfar user generated content, lives on platforms like Instagram or Twitter that the brand doesn’t own. Telfar TV seems to be a way to control, curate, and cultivate on their own platform, fight against the algorithms that dictate what we see on our timelines, and grant creators with ownership. It was a fun presentation that offered a lot to think about and played on our desires as consumers and content creators.—Aria Hughes
Head of State
The young New York-based designer Taofeek Abijako continued to highlight his Nigerian background with a collection titled “Homecoming,” which was deeply inspired by FESTAC ‘77 or the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture. Held in January of 1977 in Lagos, Nigeria, FESTAC ‘77 was a month-long festival that celebrated African culture, music, fine art, literature, drama, dance and religion. The festival gathered approximately 16,000 participants from 56 different African nations and was the largest pan-African gathering to take place at its time. Nearly two and half decades later, Abijako brought the spirit of that festival into a small performance space in Chelsea, showcasing 25 looks through a performance dance piece that represented a modern interpretation of the guests and performers who attended FESTAC ‘77. Informed by interviews that Abijako conducted with his own family members about the festival, the garments within Head of State’s Spring/Summer 2022 collection were rooted in the nostalgia of the ‘70s while also capturing Abijako’s unique eye for futuristic shapes and patterns. The highlight of the show was the label’s womenswear debut, particularly a red dress that looked like it was frozen while the bottom was picked up by the wind. As a brand, Head of State continues to explore the past, present and future of postcolonial youth culture. But Abijako’s range as a designer only grows as he highlights these captivating Black stories that also tie organically into his own personal narrative —Lei Takanashi