Cinema, rebellion and futurism at New York Fashion Week

As the history of New York Fashion Week has shown, the event is defined by its remarkable diversity. The official schedule features around 70 shows and presentations, ranging from Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren to emerging and independent designers. It is precisely this coexistence of major American fashion houses, established brands and new names that shapes the distinctive character of New York fashion.

Over the years, the city has developed its own fashion language, where practicality meets sportswear, denim, minimalism, sensuality and a strong sense of individuality, while the everyday wardrobe effortlessly enters into dialogue with luxury.

In its account of American fashion history, the CFDA itself highlights defining movements and aesthetics including American sportswear, 1990s minimalism and grunge.

Today, New York remains particularly appealing to international names — not only because of the scale of the American market, but also because of the exceptional level of attention it receives from the global fashion industry. This season, Magda Butrym made her New York runway debut, attracting a notable audience that included actress Demi Moore.

Which other collections defined this season and deserve particular attention? We take a closer look below.

Elena Velez 

Designer Elena Velez continues to examine the events and shifting moods that shape the image of the contemporary individual. Her «Smite» collection explores power and violence, challenging the conventional divide between aggressors and victims, good and evil. Its point of departure is the collision of different cultures and eras — East and West, the ancient and the contemporary. This idea extends into the clothing itself, where utilitarian aesthetics take on a tougher, more functional character. Particular attention is given to surface and texture: instead of the familiar wet-look effect, Velez creates her own cracked prints. Their distressed texture evokes dust and the traces of time, giving the garments the feeling of an ancient, almost archaeological landscape. For the collection’s visual concept, the team collaborated with actress and performance artist Sheila Vand, known for her role in A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. The looks are completed with Cat Footwear, reinforcing their practical, resilient and deliberately uncompromising character.

Photo: PR Elena Velez

Photo: PR Elena Velez

Photo: PR Elena Velez

Nardos 

Art and nature become two sides of the same visual dialogue in Nardos’ latest collection. The looks draw inspiration from the delicate beauty of flowers and works of art capable of retaining their emotional power across generations. Sculptural silhouettes, weightless layers of tulle and organza, hand embroidery and intricate beadwork transform the garments into expressive works of art. Colour plays a central role, intensifying the sense of a living composition within each look. At the heart of the collection is an idea of beauty, patience and hope for a new bloom.

Photo: Tagwalk

Photo: Tagwalk

Photo: Tagwalk

Area

For Nicholas Aburn, expressiveness does not always require complexity — sometimes it is enough to trust the first impulse, allowing curiosity, memories and the pleasure of play to shape the direction of a collection. Airy white lace and draping unexpectedly contrast with neon accents, creating a dynamic tension between delicacy and boldness. Familiar garments and everyday materials are reimagined through slashes, distressed textures, folds and unexpected combinations. Denim takes on the appearance of ink stains, T-shirts unravel into fringe, while metallic knitwear becomes shimmering dresses that shift in character with movement. Vivid shades of orange, electric blue and white establish an energetic, almost surreal rhythm. Jump ropes emerge as a graphic motif, transformed into striking dresses, while shells, pearls and feathers evoke the designer’s personal memories. Fantasy is balanced by everyday ease, with wide denim shorts, lightweight tank tops and deconstructed knitwear bringing a relaxed sensibility to the collection.

Photo: PR Area

Photo: PR Area

Photo: PR Area

Campillo 

In his new collection, «In Media Res», Patricio Campillo explores joy, nostalgia and those fleeting moments that remain etched in memory. Moving away from last season’s restrained palette and sharply tailored forms, the designer introduces sunset-inspired shades of intense red, orange, yellow and pink. Relaxed silhouettes revolve around ultra-short shorts, satin shirts, plunging tank tops and distressed denim. The collection’s playful spirit is reinforced by new T-shirts featuring deliberately discordant logos and distorted lettering. Mexican craftsmanship remains central to the collection, bringing texture and movement to otherwise pared-back silhouettes. One of the defining elements is horsehair, inspired by charro culture and dyed in vivid shades, forming dynamic vertical fringes on trousers and jackets, as well as belts and accessories. The tradition of working with Mexican silver and onyx continues through jewellery and decorative details created in collaboration with artisans from Mexico City.

Photo: Tagwalk

Photo: Tagwalk

Photo: Tagwalk

Shao 

Shao Yang continues his exploration of the aesthetics of 1990s triad cinema, shifting the focus from its outward drama to the inner lives of its characters. Rather than a conventional runway, “Softness in the Shadows” unfolds as a cinematic scene set inside a restaurant, immersing the collection in the atmosphere of its original inspiration. The second chapter of the “Underworld Royale” project moves beyond violence and the visual language of the criminal underworld to explore loneliness, betrayal, love, loss and grief. This shift in focus is reflected directly in the silhouettes, which become softer and more fluid while retaining the designer’s signature sense of structure. Leather, denim and wool once again form the foundation of the collection, but their former rigidity gives way to a more fluid expression. Leather pieces open at the back, denim follows the movement of the body with greater freedom, while wool gathers into soft, voluminous folds. The familiar structure does not disappear but seems to retreat beneath the surface, continuing to define the garments in a subtler way. The tension between outward vulnerability and inner intensity becomes one of the collection’s central motifs. Here, softness is not presented as the opposite of danger, but as its quieter and more complex state.

Photo: PR Shao

Photo: PR Shao

Photo: PR Shao

Akki 

Akki continues its exploration of The Blue Iris universe, first introduced by designer Akki Zhao in her debut season. This time, the collection «A Knowing of Her» takes inspiration from the cultural exchange between Japan and Europe in the late 19th century, reinterpreted through the lens of childhood perception and curiosity. The collection seeks to understand femininity not only through precision of construction, but also through intuition, emotion and a woman’s inner sense of self. This idea emerges through a dialogue between Chinese silk, Japanese pleated floral lace and richly expressive botanical brocades. Japonisme and Art Nouveau are given a contemporary interpretation through rich textures, botanical motifs and fluid, sculptural silhouettes. Akki’s signature construction, defined by exposed seams and box pleating, creates a distinctive relief while accentuating the contours of the body. Chinese silks and brocades from Zhejiang hold a particularly important place in the collection, drawing on a region with an almost 5,000-year history of silk production.

Photo: PR AKKI

Photo: PR AKKI

Photo: PR AKKI

Public Serv-ce

For the new season, Public Serv-ce founder and creative director Rafael Young continues to explore craftsmanship through a futuristic lens, bringing together artisanal techniques, industrial aesthetics and architectural precision. Expressive geometry is defined by pronounced shoulders, a fitted lower silhouette and elongated tops, creating an extended vertical proportion. Sleeveless jackets and coats are reduced to their essential construction, while sculptural shoulders and moulded leather details blur the line between utility and ornament. At the heart of the collection is an in-house mineral treatment developed by the brand over several months. Applied to jersey, fleece, denim and wool suiting, it creates the effect of a precisely fractured surface while preserving the softness of the fabrics. Shorts appear in a variety of interpretations, from mineral-treated denim and cotton fleece to sharply tailored wool styles paired with sculptural jackets. Footwear takes on a distinctive role, including handmade sandals inspired by ancient Roman designs, with each pair crafted in Romans-sur-Isère by the designer’s uncle.

Photo: PR Public Serv-ce

Photo: PR Public Serv-ce

Photo: PR Public Serv-ce

Grace Ling

Grace Ling’s vision of elegant gothic beauty and concealed danger emerges through motifs of scorpions, fangs, claws and predatory collars. This imagery gives the brand’s familiar aesthetic a darker, more dramatic and theatrical dimension. The designer explores the tension between femininity and masculinity, sensuality and strength, presenting them not as opposites but as two sides of the same identity. The idea unfolds through corseted silhouettes paired with traditionally masculine suiting fabrics, fluid dresses defined by sharp lines, and tailoring that combines formal structure with freedom of movement. Grace Ling’s signature sculptural details take on particular impact while maintaining a more practical and wearable character throughout much of the collection. The opening look draws on the story of Adam and Eve, pairing a sculptural top and leaf-inspired skirt with an apple as a symbol of beauty concealing a threat. The finale centres on the contrast between a white draped skirt and a sculptural raven-shaped top, heightening the dramatic mood of the presentation. Through an elegant gothic aesthetic, the designer creates the image of a contemporary femme fatale — at once fragile, powerful and dangerous.

Photo: Tagwalk

Photo: Tagwalk

Photo: Tagwalk

Fforme

The image of a new Manhattan «tribe», infused with the rebellious spirit of American sportswear, forms the foundation of FForme’s latest collection. Familiar wardrobe staples are taken apart and reconstructed, transformed into precise contemporary forms. Judy Blame’s aesthetic finds a new expression in the jewellery, where everyday objects and metal elements are given unexpected purpose. Miniature bottles, silver clutches, fishing lures and rings become striking accents, blurring the boundary between utility and ornament. Shirts, jeans and coats are reduced to their essentials through precise tailoring, the removal of excess and deliberate cuts. A lightweight silk-cotton coat is paired with a narrow skirt, while architectural shirts and sharply tailored trousers form a renewed urban uniform. In some looks, open backs and exposed constructions reveal the body, bringing a sense of freedom to otherwise structured silhouettes. Workwear in Japanese indigo is combined with soft nappa leather, while sheer mesh, metallic fabrics and minimalist tailoring heighten the interplay between exposure, structure and the reflection of city light. The palette moves through ebony, bone and optical white, accented with indigo, steel and aged gold, completing FForme’s vision of a new urban uniform.

Photo: PR Fforme

Photo: PR Fforme

Photo: PR Fforme

Adeam

Memories of childhood dressing provide the starting point for Hanako Maeda’s latest collection. This personal story becomes the foundation for a wardrobe that combines the spontaneity of youthful style with a precise approach to form and construction. Romantic pieces naturally coexist with sporty and utilitarian elements. A fresh palette of sorbet pastels gives the collection a light and optimistic mood. Ruffles and soft draping appear alongside functional details and architectural silhouettes, preserving a sense of freedom in the way the pieces can be worn. Flowers emerge as a central motif, while a faded vintage floral print on sheer fabric recalls cherished garments from the past. The same floral pattern reappears in transparent knitted jacquard, taking on a new textural dimension. Taffeta plays a particularly important role, allowing Maeda to create precise silhouettes for trench coats, shirts, jackets and suits while reimagining a traditionally practical fabric. Contemporary proportions and layering give familiar wardrobe staples a fresh and modern character. Suiting fabrics, dense stretch knitwear and technical taffeta are paired with lace, organza and sheer knits, creating a dynamic interplay of weights and textures. In this way, Adeam transforms the checked patterns, romantic dresses and sporty pieces of youthful memories into a considered wardrobe for the modern woman.

Photo: PR Adeam

Photo: PR Adeam