This season, New York’s lineup balances spectacle with substance, putting some of the city’s most impactful voices on center stage. From LaQuan Smith’s unapologetic glamour to Khaite’s quiet-luxury authority, these designers are writing the American playbook on fashion for the 2020s. Each house carries a distinct philosophy, but together they showcase the intricacies of American luxury: democratic, dramatic and deeply tied to the cultural pulse of New York City.

LaQuan Smith

LaQuan Smith made his New York Fashion Week debut at just 21 after launching his namesake label in 2012*. An anomaly among his peers, the Queens native bypassed fashion school after attending the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan. His early NYFW presentations earned him champions like Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga, and he’s since gone on to craft legendary looks including costumes for Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour and the Summer Renaissance music video.

Smith’s designs are inseparable from the city that raised him. Born and bred in Queens, his collections channel the unapologetic energy of New York nightlife, hip-hop glamour, and street-to-red-carpet confidence. The city’s duality—its grit and its glitz—lives in his cutout gowns, latex bodysuits, and high-shine tailoring. He often speaks about designing for women who own the room, the same way New York itself demands presence.

Notable Moments:

• 2021 Empire State Building Show: Smith made fashion history as the first designer to stage a show inside the Empire State Building, transforming the landmark into a Fashion Week catwalk from lobby to observation deck. Sequined minis, metallic trenches, feather dusters, and Champagne in hand set a tone of decadent defiance: New York is back.

• Samsung Sleepwear Capsule: In 2024, Samsung tapped Smith to debut Lucid Dream—a luxe sleepwear capsule inspired by the Galaxy Ring. Premiering during his Spring/Summer ’25 show, the collection married technology and fashion through light-as-air silk robes, gowns, and unisex pants. The four-piece line emphasized how rest fuels creativity—and how sleek tech can redefine intimacy in design. This campaign was brought to life by your agency, anchored by smart partnerships and immersive staging.

• Met Gala 2025: Halle Berry stunned in a black and nude-paneled gown with a lace headpiece and satin bolero, while Ciara channeled Josephine Baker in a silver crystal-embellished gown with dramatic structure. Both looks cemented Smith’s status as the go-to for modern red-carpet opulence.

What to expect this NYFW: Smith is expected to double down on spectacle and sex appeal. With his growing Met Gala presence (Halle Berry, Ciara), all eyes will be on how he tops himself this season—and whether he uses NYFW to make another iconic New York landmark his runway.

Telfar

Telfar was founded in 2005 by Telfar Clemens, a Liberian-American designer from Queens who built a brand rooted in accessibility, identity, and community, with influences spanning his Liberian heritage, New York streetwear, queer nightlife, and a belief in accessibility in fashion. In 2017, he won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award and reinvested the prize money to scale bag production. The $150–$300 price point strikes a sweet spot: offering luxury design with genuine accessibility.

By 2020, the label was ready to meet demand for the Shopping Bag field by celebrity sightings from Bella Hadid, Beyoncé, and AOC. That same year, Clemens received the CFDA Fashion Award for American Accessories Designer of the Year, an honor he won again in 2021, cementing his influence on the industry.

Notable Moments:

• 2020 Breakthrough: The Shopping Bag, dubbed the “Bushwick Birkin,” became a global phenomenon. Affordable, covetable, and culturally resonant, it redefined what modern status symbols could look like.

  First Flagship Store (2024): Telfar opened its first brick-and-mortar space in SoHo, designed as half-retail, half-broadcast studio, complete with a “bag bar” and community programming.

• High-Profile Collaborations: From redesigning White Castle uniforms to outfitting Liberia’s Olympic team, Telfar has extended his ethos of “It’s not for you, it’s for everyone” into every corner of culture.

What to Expect at NYFW: Telfar enters a new chapter with its SoHo flagship, expanding its mission of accessibility. With the Shopping Bag already a modern icon, Clemens is poised to introduce new ways to make luxury truly democratic.

Area

Founded in 2014 by Beckett Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk, Area is a New York label that merges architectural precision with downtown experimentation. Known for sculptural silhouettes, crystal embellishments, and bold uses of negative space, the brand has carved out a space where couture-level craft collides with pop-culture spectacle.

Notable Moments:

• 10th Anniversary Show: Last year, the brand delivered a maximalist presentation of fox-fur bras, cocoon coats, and crystal gowns that cemented Area’s couture ambitions.

• Simone Biles at the Met Gala: In 2021, the GOAT donned an 88-pound crystal-encrusted gown that symbolized strength and athleticism while showcasing Area’s craftsmanship on one of fashion’s biggest stages.

• Taylor Swift’s Area Denim: From the viral butterfly jeans she sported in 2023 post-Joe Alwyn-breakup to the crystal slit jeans at Super Bowl LVIII, Taylor herself has become one of the brand’s most visible champions.

What to Expect at NYFW: Area thrives on maximalist spectacle, but the question this season is how they’ll translate that into the next must-have piece. Following all the recent hype, all eyes are on which runway fantasy becomes the cultural obsession.

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Khaite

Founded in 2016 by Catherine Holstein, Khaite has become the beacon of American quiet luxury. Rooted in a New York sensibility, the brand blends minimalist tailoring with unexpected textures like leather and cashmere to create pieces that feel both cozy and sharp. Its clean-lined staples and elevated basics have made Khaite a favorite among celebrities and a shorthand for modern American chic.

Notable Moments:

• Katie Holmes’ Cardigan-and-Bra Set: In 2019, Katie Holmes stepped out in a matching cashmere bra-and-cardigan look that sparked a viral frenzy that sold out Khaite’s knitwear within hours, introducing the brand to a global audience. Since then, the queens of quiet luxury like Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber and Zoe Kravitz have been spotted wearing the brand.

• Taylor Swift’s White Gown in The Tortured Poets Department Visuals: Taylor wore a flowing Khaite dress in promotional visuals for her most recently released album in addition to a few pieces from The Eras Tour tying the brand’s minimalist aesthetic to one of pop culture’s most dissected narratives.

• Fall/Winter 2025 Runway at NYFW: Holstein leaned heavily into leather outerwear, chunky knits and sharp tailoring, presenting a collection critics praised as the anchor of modern American minimalism.

What to Expect at NYFW: Khaite continues to define quiet luxury for a global audience. With Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner as its best-known ambassadors, Holstein’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection proved the brand’s authority—this season will be a test of how she evolves that minimalism to keep it fresh.

Thom Browne

Founded in 2001, Thom Browne began with custom suits from a West Village atelier. Known for his radical tailoring—shrunken silhouettes, cropped trousers, and iconic gray suiting—Browne quickly redefined American menswear. His theatrical runway work, like the 2009 “Office” performance-art show with live tableau and typewriters, cemented his avant-garde reputation.

Browne’s embrace of the pageboy/newsboy silhouette channels punk and rock references, redefined through his meticulous craftsmanship.

Notable Moments:

• The Infamous “Office” Show: In 2009, Browne staged his infamous “Office” show, transforming the runway into performance art with typewriters, filing cabinets, and gray suiting that cemented his reputation as fashion’s surrealist tailor.

• 2025 Grammys—Doechii: Doechii wore four custom Thom Browne looks across the red carpet, performance, and award ceremony, each one reinterpreting his uniform core aesthetics through her bold, theatrical persona.

• Met Gala Sculptural Couture: Demi Moore, Lorde and others turned red carpet into runway theater in Browne’s architectural gowns.

What to Expect at NYFW: Thom Browne remains the theatrical heartbeat of American tailoring. Following Doechii’s show-stopping Grammys looks and his Met Gala dominance, Browne’s upcoming presentation will be scrutinized for how he weaves his signature gray uniformity into another act of runway theater.

Europe may be buzzing with a game of musical chairs, but New York has its own intrigue built less on drama and more on designers cementing their legacies. American designers enter Fashion Week with momentum driven by red-carpet dominance and celebrity endorsement. The shows ahead feel less like “what’s next” and more like “what’s lasting.” It’s a different kind of thrill: not a shake up, but a steady rise of dynasties. Time will tell which ones last!

Louis Vuitton announced on February 14 that Pharrell Williams would be succeeding Virgil Abloh as the menswear creative director.

Last week, he debuted his first campaign featuring a pregnant Rihanna

Yesterday, his first collection debuted on the Paris Fashion Week runway

The collection featured several pieces with the brand’s signature Damier print, referencing a 2018 Abloh collection and emphasized bags, from belt bags to luggage.

Dazed wrote, “The show opened with a short film of an actor strolling along the banks of the Seine, before approaching a bench where he admits he is afraid of confessing to the grandeur of his ambitions to a sage elder. ‘Actions speak louder than words,’ he replies, which might be Pharrell’s response to all the naysayers on High Fashion Twitter who took umbrage with his appointment.”

Several celebrities showed out for the event in head-to-toe LV

According to ABC News, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Kim Kardashian and Jared Leto were seated in the front row at the show, while Quavo, Megan Thee Stallion, Jaden and Willow Smith, Naomi Campbell, Kelly Rowland, Miranda Kerr, and Tyler, the Creator, were also in attendance.

Read more about Pharrell’s appointment in his profile by The New York Times.

This year’s Met Gala is swiftly approaching, taking place on Monday, May 1. Fashion’s biggest night will celebrate the life and legacy of Karl Lagerfeld, the controversial yet legendary German designer who passed away in 2019. Lagerfeld collaborated with several historical giants during his lifetime including Fendi, Andy Warhol, and Chloé before joining forces with Chanel in 1983 and launching his own label the next year.

His Controversial History

Karl’s career was not without controversy. While he found himself in hot water for comments typical for those in the fashion industry, often calling people ugly (did he have a mirror?) or fat, and saying sweatpants were a “sign of defeat.” He said that Heidi Klum was “no runway model,” asserting that she was “is simply too heavy” with “too big a bust.”

Beyond vanity, Lagerfeld also repeatedly criticized the #MeToo movement, saying he was “fed up” with the new societal standards surrounding consent. "What shocks me most in all of this are the starlets who have taken 20 years to remember what happened," he told Numero magazine. "Not to mention the fact there are no prosecution witnesses."

He defended several of his colleagues who were accused of sexual misconduct, including stylist Karl Templer, who was accused of pulling down models' underwear without consent, saying: "If you don't want your pants pulled about, don't become a model! Join a nunnery, there'll always be a place for you in the convent." He also defended Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the director of the International Monetary Fund, who was accused of raping a hotel maid in 2011. Style.com that women "get horny from politics, from power. And he had unbelievable charms. He is really charming. He's fun, he's great. He's a sweet guy — as long as you're not a woman. That's the problem."

Further, he spoke out against Germany’s border policies, telling a French talk show, "One cannot - even if there are decades between them - kill millions of Jews so you can bring millions of their worst enemies in their place.”

He never clarified or apologized for any of his controversial comments.

A look at his career

Karl Lagerfeld Career history

• December 1954: Karl won a coat design competition held by the International Wool Association in Paris, which led to his first job in fashion

• 1955: Becomes Pierre Balmain’s assistant

• 1958: Hired by Jean Patou in 1957 where he spent the next five years on 10 different collections for the fashion house

• The 60s – Karl began to freelance for brands like Valentino

• 1964: Begins collaborating with Chloé

• 1965: Begins collaborating with Fendi as head designer for its ready-to-wear and fur collections until his death. He produced 100+ collections

• 1966: He is named as creative director of Chloé

• 1983: Lagerfeld joins Chanel as creative director “chief artistic director” – responsible for interlocking the C logo as we know it today (took Chanel as a challenge; people thought it was dead and gone)

• 1984: Launched his own label, Karl Lagerfeld

• 1987: He began to dabble in photography in addition to designing

• 2005: He sold his eponymous label to Tommy Hilfiger

• 2010: The Fashion Visionary award from the Couture Council of New York's Fashion Institute of Technology & Commander's Cross of the Legion of Honor (Croix de Commandeur de la Legion d'Honneur) by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy in June 2010 

• 2012: KARL by NET-A-Porter

• 2015: Outstanding Achievement Award at the British Fashion Awards

• 2017: Grand Vermeil medal, which is the highest honor in Paris, at Chanel's Fall 2017 couture show

• December 2018: walks the runway for the last time at Chanel's Métiers d’Art 2018/19 show at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Lagerfeld walked with godson Hudson Kroenig, and Virginie Viard, who is taking over the designer's role at Chanel.

What looks to expect on the red carpet

• Black with gold chains and embellishments

• Colorful tweed

• 1920s silhouettes with embellishments

• Crazy hats & hair

• Black & white boxy shirts with pussybows

• More ‘no pants’ looks

• Campy ostrich feathers and/or ruffles

Attendee predictions

I predict that these celebrities will attend for the first time ever or in awhile:

• Taylor Swift (last attendance 2016)

• Lana del Rey (last attendance 2018) 

• Beyoncé (last attended 2016) 

• RuPaul (last attended 2019)

• Gisele Bündchen (last attended w tom brady 2021)

• Alix Earle (never attended)

• Jennifer Coolidge (never attended)

I predict that these celebrities who normally attend, will be mysteriously absent:

• Kourtney Kardashian Barker

• Khloe Kardashian

• Kylie Jenner

• Justin & Hailey Bieber

• Amy Schumer

• Pete Davidson

But these days, celebrities are seemingly acquiring more wealth via entrepreneurship than their talent. As both a shopping addict and pop culture fanatic, I have compiled a list of my favorite celebrity-owned brands and some that don’t live up to the hype.

Worth It:

1. Fenty Beauty

   Duh. Rihanna is a genius and has truly revolutionized the beauty industry with her FULL range of coverage. As a biracial person who is mixed with Nigerian and Scottish, it’s pretty damn hard to match my color. But Bad Gal Ri-Ri gets it right. I’m a huge fan of her Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Liquid Foundation. It is truly weightless and actually MATTE. I also adore her Fat Water Pore Refining Toner. It is a great toner to wear under makeup! It is super gentle and doesn’t sting or burn the skin. I’m also obsessed with her lip duo, the Pro Kiss'r Lip Balm and Scrub Set. It keeps my lips hydrated and flake-free all day long.

2. SKIMS

   I am a known critic of Kimberly Noel Kardashian, but boy, does she make some good shape and loungewear! My biggest tip is to purchase through Nordstrom instead of the SKIMS site because she has less inventory. I have several products of hers and I really can’t recommend it enough. It’s important to pay attention to the laundry instructions with her products because the seems may unravel if treated too roughly. I highly recommend the Rib Boxers for lounging. They are my absolute FAVORITE sleepwear, which is something I’m passionate about. I bring my boxers on every overnight trip. Honestly, I’m going to buy another pair right now as I write this. I also have the Pointelle Boxers but I prefer the ribbed ones, comfort-wise. I honestly have so many SKIMS items that I can’t link them here, but check out my faves on LTK here.

3. Rare Beauty

   Y’all. Selena hit the ball out of the park with these products. My bestie Selena Gomez (not really but we went to the same place for voice lessons?) makes my favorite lip gloss of all time, the Stay Vulnerable Glossy Lip Balm. I also live for her Positive Light Liquid Luminizer Highlight! I have her Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation, but I prefer Fenty’s to this one. I recommend it for folks with oilier skin than I as I tend to be drier.

Not Worth It

1. Good American

   Okay, look. I gave this brand several chances. I ordered some jeans in my typical size and I couldn’t get them past my knees. I mean, it was insulting. I also happened to order a couple of swimsuits and one of the straps busted before I ever even got out of the hotel room. (This one was not too small because I learned my lesson the first time) I am aware that there are plenty of folks who disagree with me.

2. Goop

   I have beef with pseudoscience, especially on the heels of a GLOBAL PANDEMIC… HELLO?! What are we doing here? Anyway. For some reason, our girl Gwyneth has gone from being Hollywood’s local hippie to some kind of holistic medicine guru. A lot of her brand’s rhetoric is dangerous and I’ve fallen victim to it myself. In 2020, right before the pandemic, I purchased her High School Genes supplement package. Unfortunately, I didn’t get my high school metabolism back.

3. Aviation Gin

   I hope and pray that Mr. Blake Lively never sees this. But his gin sucks. Like, it’s bad. My husband loves a gin & tonic. I fancy a French 75 myself. But this stuff was undrinkable, even in our favorite cocktails! I hope this doesn’t ruin my shot at a future relationship with him. Sorry, Ryan.

I’m so sick of Balenciaga. They’ve been everywhere lately since their recent emphasis on strategic partnerships. Balenciaga is responsible for those sock shoes, Kim K’s full-body Met Gala catsuit and poots (pant boots). They had freaking Nicole Kidman walk in the Paris Fashion Week show. They’ve been on top of the world. Now, they’re in deep after two back-to-back disturbing ad campaigns.

The Skinny:

On November 16, the brand issued a press release announcing their Home Objects campaign in which they’d be releasing a line of home goods called Balenciaga Gift Shop. Balenciaga also released photos alongside the announcement shot by documentary-style photographer Gabriele Galimberti. The campaigns, which featured images of children holding teddy bears in BDSM gear and a court document from United States v. Williams, a historic child pornography ruling, caused such severe backlash that fashion lovers are debating whether or not the fashion house will be able to come back from this.

On November 23, the brand apologized on its Instagram story, reading: “"We apologize for displaying unsettling documents in our campaign. We take this matter very seriously and are taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items for our Spring 23 campaign photoshoot.”

Five days later, they issued a second, more thorough apology, which is now the only content on its Instagram profile. In it, the fashion house says, “We strongly condemn child abuse; It was never our intent to include it in our narrative. The two separate ad campaigns in question reflect a series of grievous errors for which Balenciaga takes responsibility.”

The Reaction:

By this time, conspiracy theories about the Iluminati and Satanists began to swirl and clueless people like Teresa Giudice were being admonished for wearing Balenciaga in public. Considering the rise in popularity Balenciaga has experienced in recent years, particularly with celebrities, lots of angry people are paying close attention to their reactions.

Here’s who the internet is most angry with:

Bella Hadid

The younger Hadid sister starred in Balenciaga’s campaigns for the last two seasons, in addition to walking in their presentation at Paris Fashion Week. She has yet to speak out against the brand’s recent flub, despite outcry from fans. However, she subtly removed the photos from her campaign from her Instagram feed.

Kim Kardashain

Kim Kardashian is perhaps the most famous name associated with Balenciaga, as she has acted as the face of the brand since February of this year. Some theorize that this is tied to her divorce from Kanye West, but that’s for another time. Kim has been exclusively wearing Balenciaga for what feels like years now and as a mother of four, many fans were shocked when she did not immediately speak out about the controversial ads. On November 28, Kim finally spoke, before the brand released a statement of their own, condemning the use of BDSM imagery with children in the campaigns and claiming she was “reevaluating” her relationship with Balenciaga moving forward.

Fans are taking this to mean that while she does not approve of the ad, she plans to continue working with Balenciaga, which many think is simply not enough. That same day, she was spotted out, carrying a Balenciaga bag.

Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek is married to a man named François-Henri Pinault, who happens to be CEO of Balenciaga’s parent company, Kering. The couple is frequently spotted at Balenciaga fashion shows and events and Salma has promoted the brand on her social media in the past. Despite this, both have remained silent on the recent scandal.

The Takeaway:

This ordeal reveals the biggest flaw within influencer culture: the lack of authenticity. By remaining silent, these highly influential people are showing their hand, revealing to us all the levels of their greed and proving that those who make it to that level of wealth have to sacrifice some humanity along the way. This is detrimental to their relationship with their audience, lifting the veil on the parasocial relationship and revealing that they never cared about you in the first place - just their coin.

Remaining Questions:

Will Balenciaga ever recover? What will it take to get back in the public’s good graces? And what happens when celebrities max out their influence? Time will tell!

But overall, my thoughts on the matter: