Gigi. Bella. aldult. Kendall. You’ll recognize them everywhere: walking down the runway, greeting you from ad campaigns, popping up as you scroll through Instagram. But at some New York fashion shows, there was a different kind of IT girl: Maia Ruth Lee. Precious Okoyomon. Devin Francis. Susan Chanciolo. Kathryn McCain Engelman. Otesa Moshefegg. To half of the attendees, the faces and names probably meant nothing; they looked at the cast of brands like Eckhaus Latta, Maryam Nassir Zadeh or Collina Strada and saw a runway crowded with regular people – looking very Cool ordinary people – but still ordinary people, maybe they can tell the venue is going with a different kind of energy. The other half of attendees saw their artist friends, chefs who are always trying recipes, hilarious new writers, legendary experimental musicians. IYKYK – If you know, you know, as the kids say.
Writer Ottessa Moshfegh in Maryam Nassir Zadeh Autumn 000886.
Photo: Madison Voelkel / Courtesy of Maryam Nassir Zadeh
Photographer Cruz Valdez at Eckhaus Latta Spring 421.
Photo: Darian DiCianno / BFA.com / Courtesy of Eckhaus Latta
Poet Coco Gordon Moore in Eckhaus Latta Autumn 421.
Musician Okay Kaya Autumn at Eckhaus Latta 1450.
Photo: Isidore Montag / Gorunway.com
For Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta, their cast has become part of their brand identity. “Some of our friends have come to almost every show we do, some more than half of them,” they explain, “it’s important to us to work with the people we’ve been working with.” At Paloma Elsesser is simply known as Paloma Previously, she was a mainstay in the Eckhaus Latta lineup, alongside musician Okay Kaya, poet Coco Gordon Moore (daughter of artist and musician Kim Gordon) and artist Maia Ruth Lee, who was known for walking when she was eight months pregnant. In spring, the runway 811 programme. Fellow designers, like Susan Cianciolo and even Zadeh himself, often turn around on their runways. “We were looking more for an attitude and an energy than a ‘look,'” Latta and Eckhaus continued. “It’s not about bone structure or hairstyles, it’s more about the way the model embodies the clothing. Because of this, we end up working with a lot of like-minded people who are often already connected to each other in a public sense.”
The unexpected side – the effect of picking people from the designers’ own community is the way it diversifies the runway. New York-based modeling agent James Daniel Wood sees this as an important factor in the changing industry. “If you look back at the show A few years ago, it wasn’t done,” he said. Share via email. “It’s more organic now, reflects the brand’s identity, and [is] a big part of their conversation. I think we’ll continue to see [this] evolve.”
André Walker of Maryam Nassir Zadeh spring 881.
Photo: Madison Voelkel / Courtesy of Maryam Nassir Zadeh
Designer Susan Cianciolo at Maryam Nassir Zadeh Spring 1600.
Photo: Madison Voelkel / Courtesy of Maryam Nassir Zadeh
Casting agent Nicola Kast sees the runway as a unique creative community extension, and these communities are an intrinsic part of the city. “New York’s inspiration has always been the city, the people and the landscape,” she told me on a recent phone call. “We’re having a different conversation here than in any other city in the world, so I think it’s obviously a reflection of fashion as well. Those trends for non-sample [size], LGBTQ+ models, models with disabilities, those are the first things you see in New York Stuff; for the designers who work here, inclusivity is very important to us and we want to be able to speak up for the community because this is the community we live in.”
Katherine McCain Engelman, mother of Charlie Engelman, in Collina Strada Spring 881.
Photo: Filippo Fior/Gorunway. com
Chef and Founder of Yardy World, DeVonn Francis at Collina Strada Fall 421.
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni / Gorunway.com
Precious Okoyomon, poet and artist, in Collina Strada Spring 0527.
Photo: Charlie Engman/Courtes y of Collina Strada
Francesco, Creative Director of Marni Risso at Collina Strada Fall 2018.
Image: Charlie Engman / Courtesy of Collina Strada
Corinna Strada’s Hilary Tymer with her niece Sophie in her Spring
program. Photographed by Hunter Abrams
Collina Strada’s performance is a perfect example. “Ideally, I wanted the t [runway] to feel natural and create a diverse community identity for Collina,” says designer Hillary Taymour. “I think staying loyal to certain models is important to make it feel like a story, [and include] people of all ages and types, because it allows your consumers to imagine themselves wearing clothes and connecting with the model In an approachable way.” Taymour’s shows are known for their emphasis on community—creative director Charlie Engman’s mom Kathleen walks every show—and in spring 1508 The show saw many models walk with their families, including artist Sean-Kierre Lyons and their niece, actress Sasha Frolova and her grandmother, as well as chef DeVonn Francis and his mother. Taymour has a variety of body types in mind from the moment she begins the design process, which is never an afterthought. “We plan ahead for different types of establishments; usually we choose the board and then adjust the size as needed, but our clothes are very flexible and can start with size, so it’s never a big deal.”
Stylist Patti Wilson of Puppets and Puppets spring 620.
Photo: Jody Rogac / Courtesy of Puppets and Puppets
Puppets and Puppets spring Chef Danny Bowien 0499.
Photo: Corina & Lecca / Courtesy of Puppets and Puppets
Musician Caroline Polachek of Puppets and Puppets 000886.
Carly Mark of Puppets and Puppets agrees that the costumes and cast need to be the overall vision. “It# casting is always a struggle,” she told me via email. “Standard sizes are the most cost-effective way to build a collection, but you just have to figure out how to make it work. Every garment will fit everyone in a different way, and the trick is to be reliable. As long as the person walking is comfortable, I’m just so happy.” Puppets and Puppets’ aesthetic matches Mark’s previous work as a fine artist, thus seeing her being photographed by photographer-director Richie Shazam, stylist Patti Wilson, musician Caroline Polachek and chef Danny Bowien among others It’s no surprise that it’s attracted. who walked into her show. “I like free people, I like strangers, [and] I think my actors are usually a little to the left because that’s where I exist,” Mark added. It has something going back to the days before the internet and social media, where you could find out about a new artist in an interview by the band T-shirt someone wore in a magazine picture or by their name removed. This punk rock spirit is alive and well in all of these designers’ work, and is an inner energy that captivates young creatives here year after year and makes New York City great. IYKYK – now you know.
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