The law of evolution is that the strongest survives, and this autumn/winter 2024 season, the designers at New York Fashion Week continued to grit their teeth and push forward. The US luxury market is still recovering, with the latest sales at conglomerates including LVMH, Kering and Tapestry yet to improve or growing at a clipped pace. This is against a wider global downturn where aspirational consumers are not yet in the mood to spend.
With 97 brands taking part, there was a healthy number of established and emerging names on the schedule, unlike seasons past when several designers decamped to Europe. But there was still much for the US fashion industry to prove, and business viability was a hot topic following announcements that independent labels Theophilio and AnOnlyChild would be cancelling their shows.
Then came the news that Carly Mark, founder of Puppets and Puppets, planned to leave New York for London and halt ready-to-wear in favour of accessories.
These events were a reminder that a slot on the schedule may help draw attention, but that marketing buzz doesn’t count for much when stores aren’t interested in buying your clothes.
The ups and downs are “all part of being an independent designer”, reflects designer Thom Browne, who also serves as chair of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. “It’s very easy at the beginning to be the new guy. Everyone’s interested. But what happens three years in when you’re not new anymore? You have to make sure that the work is interesting enough so that people stay with you.”
Peter Do, now into his ninth month as creative director at Fast Retailing-owned Helmut Lang, presented his sophomore collection in Brooklyn. Inspiration came from the archives in the form of bubble-wrap trousers and outerwear made from silk — a reinterpretation of Lang’s spring/summer 2003 bubble wrap jacket.
Do also revisited the Hong Kong plaid print, redeveloping and using it across shirts, trousers, skirts and boots. There were also jersey slip dresses, nylon padded puffers and oversized wool coats styled with balaclavas.
Reflecting on his spring/summer 2024 debut, Do describes it as a “foundational reset” that laid the groundwork for future collections. It’s certainly an arduous task, leading the house of one of fashion’s most referenced designers. (Proenza Schouler showed a collection of covetable outerwear and neck-to-ankle dresses that wrapped effortlessly around the body and arguably looked more Helmut Lang than current Helmut Lang itself.)
While Do’s pieces, such as a sweater cleverly fused with zips that allowed it to expand and hole-punched dresses and suiting, showed promise, an apprehension about confidently fusing Lang’s codes with his own identity remains.
At Khaite, founder Catherine Holstein presented floor-sweeping coats, flowing skirts and statement tops intended to convey “heritage” and a transition “from generation to generation”, according to the show notes. One would have hoped for Holstein to push her creative vision for Khaite further, having recently scooped the CFDA American Womenswear Designer of the Year award and secured a minority investment from venture capital firm Stripe. Nevertheless, an international buyer told me they planned to order more pieces from Khaite, whose trusty outerwear and luxe separates have consistent sell-throughs.
Seeking to convey beauty and power, Wes Gordon, who is into his sixth year as creative director at Carolina Herrera, presented a pragmatic collection of merino wool sweaters, embellished jackets and tailoring, as well as the usual voluminous gowns. He also retained some of Herrera’s signature styles, such as a crisp white shirt paired with a full skirt. The brand’s customers are loyal, says Gordon. “It’s very clear that our woman is not someone who tests the water and leaves.”
On Sandy Liang’s moodboard were the likes of actor and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow and publicist Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy from the 1990s. “I’m obsessed with the idea of uniform and catalogue dressing,” says Liang. Despite some flourishes of ribbons and flowers — perfect for the coquette trend that emerged in 2023, which embodies an ultra-girly, somewhat childlike style — it was a less cutesy approach for the ordinarily hyper-feminine label, which had a stellar year of hot collaborations with bag brand Baggu and sportswear company Salomon.
Bessette-Kennedy was also a source of inspiration for Stuart Vevers, who over the past decade has given Coach newfound relevance among younger customers who enjoy fashion that is not too precious. For AW24, coats were thrown over hoodies, camisoles paired with crinoline skirts, and sweaters featured bow and rubber-duck motifs. Bags were accessorised with Big Apple-themed tchotchkes that would normally be tacky but here appeared kitsch and collectable.
Tommy Hilfiger staged his show at the Grand Central Oyster Bar, where he presented oversized cable knits, tailored wool coats, varsity jackets and mini skirts (akin to the kind seen at Miu Miu) that channelled the 1990s and Ivy League style. Elevation was a key focus, according to the designer: “The coats are boxier, more oversized; the trousers are much higher waisted. A lot of the proportions are brand new.”
Particularly notable was the evolution in Hilfiger’s see-now-buy-now model, adopted in 2016. This season, the brand pivoted to dressing celebrities and influencers such as new ambassador Sofia Richie Grainge in looks that could be purchased immediately — indicating a shift, in that celebrities no longer just wear a brand’s designs, but play an active role in selling them too.
In the absence of other US heavy hitters such as Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Tom Ford, Tory Burch, Gabriela Hearst and Thom Browne fly the flag as the city’s modern-day highflyers, with sizeable businesses that appeal to customers beyond American shores. Burch, who has just passed 20 years in business, incorporated unusual materials, including calf hair, crushed nylon and tinsel raffia, and experimental shapes.
Hearst has been laser-focused on her own label since stepping down from her creative director role at Chloé. She took inspiration from architect and furniture designer Eileen Gray and surrealist artist Leonora Carrington for her cashmere shearling, hand-spun knits with swirl lace patterns and dresses that replicate Carrington’s artwork. “This my new chapter,” she says. “I’m looking at humanity and where we got things wrong.”
Meanwhile, Browne was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven” and simplified couture techniques for ready-to-wear, focusing on the different weights of materials such as tweed, cashmere and wool. His popular bags were updated with grey plastic covers — suitable for New York’s fickle weather, like the current snowfall turned slush.
But for the really cool ideas, look to the city’s emerging talent, who are carving out a space for themselves despite a wholesale market in flux. Willy Chavarria, 2023 CFDA menswear designer winner, delivered another extraordinary collection inspired by his Mexican heritage.
Chavarria expressed his vision, which reflects the various communities he identifies with (Latinx, LGBTQ, immigrant), in the form of blazers with jutted shoulders, ruffled blouses and shirts with spread lapels tucked into wide-leg trousers that skimmed at just the right length. The collection could easily have veered costumey, but Chavarria hit the right notes and it was anything but.
Closing the week was Luar, who brought a raving audience to Bushwick, including Beyoncé, who has announced the release of her eighth studio album, Renaissance Act II, next month. Sister Solange also came to support her son Daniel Julez Smith Jr on the runway, where Luar founder Raul Lopez sought to challenge the term “metrosexual” and whether at times it has been used as a defence mechanism to hide one’s sexuality.
The Knowles family appearance may have been the boost Lopez needed to cut through the noise of last Sunday’s Super Bowl, which diverted attention from some brands that presented their collections on the same day.
Much like Pharrell Williams’ menswear shows at Louis Vuitton, Beyoncé’s presence is a reminder of fashion’s growing intertwinement with pop culture and the pressure to create a “moment” that cuts through social media’s congested content stream. Both also ignited what may be 2024’s biggest trend: “cowboycore” western fashion.
One question stuck in the mind: since when did US fashion become so self-referential? Amid the casting for her show, Liang offered some perspective: “A lot of my inspiration comes from films, pop culture and things of the past. [These things] don’t change.” For some designers, that timelessness becomes a safe bet, which may explain why current fashion trends are stuck in the revolving doors of the 1990s.
For Michael Kors, it’s no bad thing. Inspired by his grandmother’s wedding dress and iconic American figures such as Katharine Hepburn and Whitney Houston, the designer bet on timelessness with his cashmere pullovers and tailored coats. “Rene Russo in The Thomas Crown Affair was the first movie that I ever designed clothes for. This year it’s the film’s 25th anniversary, yet when I look at the clothes, everything she wore you could wear today,” he says. “It transcends time.”
Find out about our latest stories first — follow @financialtimesfashion on Instagram — and subscribe to our podcast Life and Art wherever you listen
