New York Fashion Week is a vibrant event that brings together diverse creativity. The newest edition included over 90 US designers’ Spring/Summer 2024 ready-to-wear designs. The designers at this year’s display continued to draw inspiration from art and blur the lines between art, craft, and commerce. And then, here are some of the most memorable moments and designers who showcased art at this renowned fashion event.
Dauphinette: Crossing Surrealism and Fashion
The creative Olivia Cheng took Dauphinette to New York Fashion Week success. Cheng earned notice when two of her outfits appeared in the Met’s 2021 “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” As the youngest designer in the study, Cheng’s brand uses unusual materials including metal, PVC, resin, and flower petals to attract a loyal audience. She describes her current book, “Gods, Girls, & Monsters,” as “slightly surrealist.” Dauphinette’s creativity is limitless, from chandelier-inspired garments to beetle-adorned ones. And then, Cheng’s creative use of anatomical components and inanimate items distinguishes her label.
Palomo Spain: Gender Fluidity & Artistic Inspiration in New York Fashion Week
Obviously, Palomo Spain’s gender-fluid designs were inspired by art history. At the Plaza Hotel, creative director Alejandro Gómez Palomo showed men in corsets, lace, and transparent embroidered covers. And then, Palomo appreciated the show’s romantic flair and Spanish historical painting influence. The collection combined art and fashion to question standards, referencing Velázquez’s courtly topics.
Couture Meets Fur Art
Area’s creative director, Piotrek Panszczyk, concentrated his couture collection on fur. Panszczyk modernized fur, one of the oldest types of apparel. Moreover, photographed animal skins were printed on denim for his runway models in huge faux fur jackets. From Titian’s Renaissance nudes to Rubens’ Flemish Old Master portraits, European painting has referenced fur and riches.
A Return to Medieval Art with Puppets in New York Fashion Week
Puppets & Puppets, a Downtown cult brand, explored Middle Ages art. The East Village Immaculate Conception Church display was inspired by ghosts and medieval art. The collection included translucent gowns with Met Cloisters-inspired designs and monastic-style puffed sleeves. A unicorn representing Christ reminded us that old art influences modern fashion.
Khaite and Proenza Schouler Unite Fashion and High Art
Famous fashion labels Proenza Schouler and Khaite tried to engage with commercial art elites. They picked places that conduct high-end art events without mentioning prominent artists. Proenza Schouler’s presentation was in Phillips auction house’s Park Avenue headquarters, where art and commerce met. Khaite wore sturdy overcoats and gold-bar bags, evoking heists. And then, both companies examined how art’s commercial viability is evaluated.
Diotima: Fashion-Art Collaboration
DIOTIMA creative director Rachel Scott worked with Jamaican artist Laura Facey on her current collection, “Nine-Night.” The Caribbean funeral tradition Dead Yard inspired the collection. Models wore Diotima woven materials and Facey’s carved pendants. And then, this collaboration showed how innovative collaborations can blend art and fashion.
Eckhaus Latta: Runway Artists in New York Fashion Week
Eckhaus Latta, famed for merging fashion and art, collaborated again. Aria Dean and Susan Cianciolo walked the brand’s catwalk, mixing fashion and art. The collection’s utilitarian, avant-garde designs stressed durability and sustainability in a fast-paced business.
New York Fashion Week 2024 concluded with fashion and art’s longstanding friendship. Art history inspired designers, who pushed traditions and cooperated with artists to produce collections that blended these two creative domains. Finally, as fashion and art continue to merge, inventive and thought-provoking designs may reach a wide audience.
