As you probably know thanks to Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter- New York Fashion Week just wrapped up. With the biggest names in the industry incorporating new ways of doing shows to stand out, there were a few highlights you should know about. Many brands used emotional and metaphorical concepts to inspire their audiences. They also raised awareness about current issues going on in America today. What better platform to use other than the show stopping runways of New York City?
Christian Siriano, former “Project Runway” star and world renowned designer, turned heads on Saturday. He featured five plus sized models in his pieces that night. He told Today Style, “I just wanted to have different sizes. That’s all it was. But it’s great that it made such an impact; that’s awesome. I’m glad people were excited. I really didn’t think people would even think about it!” High fashion is typically known for only using size 0 and 2 women on the runways. Most American women don’t measure up to that size, it is refreshing Siriano showcases that beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
J. Crew also kept it real at their show featuring their classic style and “models” who were all friends, family, and co-workers of the brand. Everyone who walked were of all shapes, races, and ages. One model in particular that stood out was one J. Crew’s stylists Jenny Kang who was 7 months pregnant. In a recent J. Crew Instagram caption, Somsack the head of women’s design, said, “We were inspired by the real people who wear J. Crew. People in the office, friends, family, who all bring the clothes to life through their own personal style. And we wanted to honor that by doing the show with them, which is something that feels very us. And just is kind of fun.”
Another standout designer from Mondays shows was Anniesa Hasibbuann. Her collection made NYFW history since every model wore a full hijab. Gorgeous pastel and metallic kimonos, wraps, and pants in her collection. In her Instagram post she said she got the inspiration for her line, D’Jakarta, from the cultural, colorful, and vibrant world of the Capital of Indonesia. Hasibbuann told CNN, “I am so proud and thankful for everyone on the team who helped me so this event could happen, and I am thankful to international and local media from Indonesia for exposing my show. I did not realize the result can be this amazing, and I am thrilled and humbled by the welcome reaction given.”
Of course we did not forget the 15 year anniversary of our county’s most tragic event and neither did NYFW. Celebrities and fashion icons bowed their heads or stood in remembrance for heroes and loved ones that lost their lives on 9/11. At the Erin Fetherston show, the designer gave thanks and honor to the city by writing in her program, “And much love to the ultimate dream maker, the incredible city of New York. In your honor, we will be donating a portion of our sales to the 9/11 Memorial Fund.”
New York Fashion Week never fails to surprise audiences and make a statement on and off the runway. Hopefully we will continue to see the fashion industry incorporate diversity and American culture in its shows. Let us know what you think about NYFW in the comments below.
-Madeline Therrell
Credits: Christian Siriano, J. Crew, Anniesa Hasibuan, 9/11 article
IMC Hawks Blog 
I was so happy to hear about fashion week this year and it’s efforts to be culturally diverse. Although, I do enjoy the “typical” models walking the runway, It’s always nice to see real women in the show. I like the message it sends out.
This is so interesting to see how fashion world is changing! The integration of diversity on the fashion shows is a proof that mentalities are changing. I didn’t know that this creators had created this amazing clothes, created for real people. But seeing this fashion world, sometimes pretentious, sharing real values have changed my vision of this industry.
I’m so glad you chose to bring light to the fact that the fashion world is changing! I think it’s so refreshing and amazing that these large brand names are finally breaking away from the “typical model” who is white, 5’7″, and size zero. Also, the fact that this much diversity was shown at NYFW is another huge indicator that the fashion world and the media in general is FINALLY changing for the better. Two other companies that come to mind when thinking about advertising diversity are Arie and Dove, although they would never be featured at NYFW. Such a great read!
I love that NYC’s fashion week reflected the diversity of the population. I was particularly intrigued by Anniesa Hasibbuann’s use of hijab in the show. As Rachel said, the typical NYC fashion week model is white, 5’7″, and size zero. I am happy that more diverse backgrounds and even bodytypes are being represented in fashion this year.
I’ve always looked forward to New York Fashion Week growing up and the news about their efforts in being culturally diverse truly made me happy. It’s a breath of fresh air to see diverse models getting more recognition in the fashion world. Also I find it important in the message it sends out because of how girls(and boys) will see themselves now especially with models that may “look like them” in a way. This was a great read!
This is a very important thing to highlight that’s going on in our world today. We should be celebrating diversity around the world and I think that NYFW is a great platform to celebrate and reflect on our world using fashion. There have been stigmas about the fashion industry because they have been so exclusive about who they would allow to walk on the runway. To see the industry evolving to include so many different representations of people like the real world is truly a good change for our society.
I love the way this blog post reflects the way that fashion labels are adjusting their brands to accommodate the way society is changing. We’re all well aware of the recent surge of posts that promote diversity and acceptance and it’s nice to see historically very selective designers backing the movement.
I sadly admit that I religiously followed Fashion Week over social media. I really enjoyed this post because critics of popular culture propose that there are more many more important things going on in the world to publicize, than what the stars wore last week. However, it is good to see that the designers in fashion week are constantly striving to create new culture based ideas, while also respecting different cultures. The fact that the people participating in fashion week donated to the 9/11 Fund makes the entire show worth it. Attempting to build up a healthy American “brand”, both inside and out of the country, was accomplished very simply by the Fashion Week in my opinion.
I love NYFW, but never really get the chance to see anything from it unless it is on Snapchat or I find the time to go on Instagram. I really enjoyed this post updating me on some of the highlights and the meanings behind some of the shows. I love how you hit on Christian Siriano’s show and how he used models of all sizes, this is a big issue right now and it’s important to a lot of women. I’m a huge fan of J. Crew so I loved reading about them. I also think it was great that you mentioned the 9/11 remembrance at the Erin Fetherston show and the Anniesa Hasibbuann show and how she incorporated hijab’s into her show. This was a great article!