Source: Noam Galai / Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
New York Fashion Week (NYFW) is around the corner. As a fashion girlie, I am geeked.
Held September 7 – 13, the event will feature collections from fashion houses across the globe and draw fashion-lovers from just as far and wide.
Each season, NYFW rocks the Big Apple, literally. The event creates buzz about the hottest styles on the runway, the next trends in fashion and beauty, and the newest designers to watch. The preliminary schedule boasts a robust list of showings, presentations, and runway this September.
The shows will begin with Bronx and Blanco and Prabal Gurung and end with Badgley Mischka and The Blonds. Other favorites with in-person presentations include Frederick Anderson, Studio 189, Sergio Hudson, Alice + Olivia, 3.1 Phillip Lim, and Kim Shui. In addition, digital releases and presentations will premiere throughout the week.
The Black In Fashion Council NYFW Discovery Showroom
The Black in Fashion Council (BIFC) has partnered with IMG to return its Discovery Showroom to the NYFW schedule this season. This September marks the eigth BIFC showing.
The BIFC gives Black designers an international platform to feature their work each season. Providing brands who traditionally had no access to NYFW runways or capital to participate, the Showroom schedule helps level the playing field and increase the profile of up-and-coming Black talent.
Further, the Showroom is an experience for both designers and fashion insiders and enthusiasts. While there, attendees can talk to designers, feel fabrics and details, and take pictures of apparel and inventory.
Many Black designers credit the BIFC for helping expand their brands. “With nearly a decade within the fashion industry, it took the BIFC NYFW Showroom to really bring Editors to really experience Michel Men.” Whitney Michel, designer of Michel Men told Forbes in 2020. “More importantly, it also allowed space for a closer bond amongst the black designer community, ensuring that we see each other’s efforts and levels of commitment to really changing the market and making our voices heard.”
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Ten designers will be featured next month as part of the BIFC Showroom. With a diverse group of accessory and ready-to-wear designers, small and large established houses, and minimalist and maximalist aesthetics, the newest fashion cohort brings a ‘fresh perspective for the culture.’
We list them below. You will see familiar names on the BIFC list. Participants include “Making the Cut” personalities, celebrity designers, and HBCU graduates. They are couture curators for the culture – and we are excited to see what they bring this season.
Stay tuned for more updates from NYFW.
1. Trendy and Fly – Tia Adeola
Tia Adeola is a self-named brand that started in the designer’s college dorm room in 2017. Using her art and history background, Tia created a line to revolutionize history, culture, and fashion for people of color. At the young age of 25, Tia is already taking the fashion world by storm. The Nigerian-born designer has dressed celebrities such as Gigi Hadid and Sza and held runway shows during NYFW.
2. Hello Yellow – Ciara Chyanne
Ciara is an HBCU grad inspired by color, silhouette, and texture. She has appeared on “Making The Cut” and “The Tamron Hall Show” and dressed celebrities like Sheryl Lee Ralph. According to her site, she “focuses on designing elevated staples and minimal looks for individuals who are bold and love fashion.” This monochromatic, tailored yellow look is a prime example of the young designer’s aesthetic. Get into it!
3. Curves for the Girls – Fumi The Label
Fumi The Label is the brainchild of Fumi Egbon, a Toronto-based designer. The contemporary womenswear brand brings effortless style that is rooted in self-love, empowerment, and confidence. One glance at Fumi The Label pieces, like this body-hugging purple, red, and pink dress, shows how this brand has grown in presence and style. The Fumi The Label woman knows who she is. Period.
4. Taking Up Space – Kaphill
Kaphill is a brand and community. Encouraging women to “stand in their power and take up space,” the brand is described as not just an apparel line but a safe space for women along their journey of self-discovery. Designed by Krystal Phillips, a New York-based Caribbean-American, the brand includes dramatic denim, flouncy dresses, and bodycons.
KHOI is a sculptural jewelry and accessory brand recently worn by Janelle Monae in her “Waterslide” music video. The accessories stand out and are available in limited quantities monthly. The brand website says, “Each collection tells a story and theme.” The brand was founded by entrepreneur and influencer Hayet Rida in 2022. According to KHOI’s site, all marketing campaigns are shot by local Ghanaian creative teams.
6. African Contemporary- Kìléntár
Kìléntár was launched in October 2019 by British-Nigerian designer Michelle Adepoju. The brand roots its designs in African history and timeless designs while highlighting femininity and elegant silhouettes. The multi-colored patchwork detailing featured in the brand’s recent Instagram post is evidence of this aesthetic.
7. Crochet Couture – Korlekie
Worn by celebrities and artists such as Cynthia Erivo and Tiwa Savage, Korleike offers “the best of handcrafted luxury garments and accessories” made in London. The brand was created in 2013 by British-Ghanaian designer Beatrice Korlekie who studied fashion in the UK. The detailed crochet work on each piece is immaculate; there is no item from this brand exactly the same.
8. Polka Dot Princess – Lurelly
Named after Jamaican designer Lurell, Lurelly is a brand marked by luxury beauty and womanhood. Lurelly includes sexy embellishments, sheer caging and sparkle, and body-skimming maxis. The brand makes the woman wearing it a step above by pairing classic prints like polka dots with exaggerated skirts and fun, flirty cuts.
9. Haute Heels – Tejahn Burnett
The perfect accessory to every outfit is a great shoe. Designer Tejahn Burnett has a slew of them. The Canadian-Jamaican designer started her collection in 2018 to be size-inclusive, stand-out, and fun. Her footwear boasts embellishments, strappy detailing, and cowrie shells. Her shoe game has elevated the style of celebrities like Joan Smalls and Cardi B.
10. Maximalistic Glamour – Onalaja
Onalaja is a contemporary women’s-wear brand experimenting with demi-couture elements. The brand blends multiple concepts, such as the designer’s Nigerian heritage, Italian design aesthetics, and an appreciation of beauty through detailed, embellished, well-crafted pieces. The brainchild of Kanyinsola Onalaja, the brand has grown in popularity and is worn by celebrities such as Kandi Burress and Letoya Luckett.
