February Fashion Week |NYC
From relaxed suiting to patchwork, another fashion week has come and gone. Long ago, fashion week made sense to me; because it offered photographers, editors, marketers, and buyers a chance to preview collections and trends trickling down to stores in six months. Consequently, allowing magazines plan-time for campaigns and stores to make purchase orders far in advance.
But this season was somewhat silent, with a few standout moments to highlight.
Tie-dye made a big splash last season, with no signs of slowing down this season. Designers like Prabal Gurung leaned into bright sportswear. Quilted outerwear and two-piece separates also made a continued appearance this season.
February Fashion Week |NYC
The shows I attended this weekend had looks highlighting faux fur. Though faux fur is a blend of polyester and acrylic fibers, it's also known as fake or synthetic fur. A pile of fabric that simulates real animal fur. Introduced in 1929: faux fur was originally from alpaca hair.
Sustainably speaking, faux fur is an "eco-friendly" fabric. But if you peel back the layers, acrylics are not biodegradable – impacting the planet immensely. Acrylic fabrics can last in a landfill for up to 200+ years; similar to its synthetic sister, polyester. According to Eco-Stylist, as much as 35% of all primary source microplastics in the ocean are fibers from synthetic clothing.
Why I'm leaning toward a more sustainable fashion future:
Sustainable fashion is redefining fashion, challenging overconsumption, and empowering people to have a more conscious relationship with the garment industry. The reality is we discard fashion at alarming rates. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, fashion accounts for about 10% of global carbon dioxide output—more than international flights and shipping combined.
September Fashion Week |NYC
The best part of this Fashion Week was sitting in on a discussion where Nigel Barker was the speaker. Assuming he'd be as intense as he was during his time on America's Next Top Model, it was the exact opposite. He was above funny, while transparent about his thoughts on people pursuing careers in fashion.
His advice, so I heard it: take risks! In approach, he encouraged us to learn if we suck as an artist through trial. Why spend years in practice, struggling to move beyond your current level? When the truth is, you suck. Or maybe you don't suck, but your counterparts are just better.
The learning here was that even though I'm attending notable NYFW shows with people who look the part, some of these individuals will never aim to be anything more than a guest at a show. The fear of rejection keeps them terrified or stuck.
Out of all the shows, I enjoyed the Venexiana MBFW show the most. She had a well-presented design aesthetic.
September Fashion Week |NYC
My first [official] NYFW week was this September 2013. I won the opportunity through a grad school writing competition. The prompt: how is social media impacting fashion?
The experience was life-changing. The shows I attended were not sidecar attractions but productions scheduled on the NYFW roster. Though, that was not the life-changing part of this experience. The intensity behind the attendees wanting to show off their curated ensembles; while not caring about the actual fashion show was disappointing yet interesting.
For years I imagined my first official NYFW to be some highbrow merge of Mahogany and The Devil Wears Prada. It was nothing like that. Instead, it was constantly walking with stampedes of people conversing about growing their social media followers, people looking for bloggers to pose for, or influencers (longstanding & emerging) appearing annoyed they “had“ to attend.
Even when the lights went down, a few front-row girls filmed shows with their phone, never looking up at the runway because they were too busy talking the entire show to the person next to them.
I remember thinking, what is all this about?
After the last show, it hit me that social media has made fashion less seductive. The mystery is gone because social media has made fashion accessible to everyone; we are all it girls.
