ShopTR's NYFW Faves!
In my opinion, NYFW 2022 is one of the most individualistic season that I can remember. I have been a student and follower of the “Big 4” fashion weeks since a teenager. Back then I used to search my local library for all things FASHION. With my appetite for fashion being something that dates back to the mid-late 90’s you can imagine how many fashions weeks I have had the pleasure of reading about. Even with that in mind, as a lover of NYFW I would count this year's F/W collections as the most unique.
The display of fashion on the runways of New York last week were beautiful, complex and interesting to say the least. There was so much individuality with each featured designer that I found it difficult to spot what the up and coming trends were going to be.....and I pride myself on being able to spot trends before they actually happen lol! Don’t misunderstand me, there were designers like Prabal Gurung who managed to use every color of the season and still maintain the uniqueness that he is known for but in totality, I believe the first priority of every featured fashion house was a "no rules" approach.
I don’t have concrete proof of the origin behind this unorthodox approach to fashion week, however; I would be willing to bet that it has a lot to do with the new fashion designers that are emerging everyday!
Originally, fashion design was reserved for individuals who were already born into wealth or countless years being exposed to those with wealth in hopes of gaining the capital and clout to become a successful fashion designer. Going back to my library card days, I remember even reading a book that said my chances in becoming a successful designer were like 1 in a million! Can you believe that?!?! You had to be a part of a small elite crowd to be featured as a designer and to be invited as a guest.
However, the capital and man hours that it takes to debut at NYFW is still more than those who are just starting have the access to. So as a new designer, in this technological age that we live in, do you spend years hustling in hopes of having a featured show during NYFW or do you create your own shows? Emerging fashion designers, especially those that are not exposed to fashion meccas like New York and Los Angeles, have had to become comfortable with coloring outside of the lines for the forward movement of their companies. This means organizing fashion shows that would debut outside of the standard and archaic SS and FW NYFW seasons.
If new designers aren’t sticking to the schedule of fashion why would we expect them to stick to the seasonal looks? Furthermore, if you take a fashion designer that has become successful from following their own formula and place them as a featured designer at NYFW……can we truly expect that they would attempt to fit into a particular mold? Of course not! That would be equivalent to asking a zebra to change it’s stripes to fit in with a pack of leopards! You are not in awe of a zebra because it looks like a leopard.....a zebra in all of its unique glory is what makes the animal amazingly breath taking!
We have to thank the unafraid and unashamed designers of the last 5-10 years who go against tradition for the sake of a more inviting future in fashion. I think in the seasons to come we are going to continue to see uniqueness on the runways and unorthodox methods when it comes to the world of fashion. As far as who had the best collection? I’ll let you decide. For me, it is a draw between Laquan Smith and Christian Siriano!