On the eve of the official start to New York Fashion Week, the Council of Fashion Designers of America threw a kick-off cocktail party at Le Rock in Rockefeller Center — the first stop for designers’ party-hopping throughout a busy Wednesday evening.
The cocktail was hosted by Thom Browne, chairman of the CFDA; Joseph Altuzarra; Stacey Bendet, and Sabyasachi Mukherjee. Before the party, the hosts and celebrity ambassadors Becky G, Sebastián Yatra, and Honey Dijon posed for photos on the steps of the rink to celebrate the launch of NYFW Live at Rockefeller Center, where NYFW shows, in partnership with Genesys, will livestream over the course of the week.
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Among the guests were Zac Posen, Tory Burch, Michael Kors, Vera Wang, LaQuan Smith, Carolyn Murphy, Colm Dillane, Paloma Elsesser, Emily Adams Bode Aujla, Wes Gordon, Richard Dickson, Dao-Yi Chow, Maxwell Osborne, Willy Chavarria, Todd Snyder, Tommy Hilfiger, Presley Oldham, Zane Li, Emily Dawn Long, Ashlynn Park, Trish Westcoat Pound, Andrew Rosen, Claire Sullivan, Charli D’Amelio, Lisa Smilor, Bach Mai, Kate Barton, Julie Gilhart, and Fern Mallis.
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Designers appeared to be energized about their upcoming fashion shows and New York, in general.
Wes Gordon, creative director of Carolina Herrera, was looking forward to showing at Lincoln Center on Monday. “For the 45th anniversary show, we created something beautiful. It’s a celebration of all things Herrera,” said Gordon.
“It’s my favorite collection to date. Its joyfulness reflects the fun we had creating it,” he said.
Bibhu Mohapatra said he was happy to be at the CFDA party to support his community. “There are a lot of people joining our community and putting together collections in different ways to introduce them. Look at the calendar, it’s packed,” he said. “I think as a former economist, Paris has glamour and it’s a lot of fun. Everyone needs the U.S. and New York to do commerce. The American market is massive,” he said.
“It’s a very big moment for us,” said Graziano de Boni, global chief executive officer of Diane von Furstenberg. DVF was getting ready to introduce Henry Zankov’s first collection on Thursday morning at a fashion show on the High Line. “It’s a joy to work with Henry. It’s a very good vibe,” said de Boni.
Steven Kolb, CEO and president of the CFDA, said he was excited about the upcoming fashion season. “It’s always exciting to have the debut of Henry [Zankov] at DVF, the Fashion Fund finalists on the calendar, Conner Ives showing in New York, and Sabyasachi Mukherjee bringing his magic here,” said Kolb. “Tory, Michael and Thom, it’s really the mix that I love…and Prabal,” said Kolb.
Prabal Gurung said that he’s really feeling a lot of energy in New York. “The New York summer was just amazing,” he said, adding that he also traveled to India and Nepal. He’s excited for his show Saturday. Afterward, he’s going to Bali and Jaipur to promote his book, “Walk Like a Girl.”
When asked what he loves about fashion, Gurung said it’s the people. “In New York, it’s the community and the love. Everyone shows up,” he said.
Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, the creative directors of Public School New York, were asked what is it that they love about fashion.
“We love everything about it,” said Osborne. “When you see someone wearing your clothes that you created, it’s just the best feeling.” Chow said he loves reinvention and “taking all the things and making them feel new.” He said their new collection is in Bergdorf Goodman.
They’re also excited about their CFDA nomination for Best American Menswear Designer, which was revealed on Wednesday. “It was a nice shock while we were working on our show for tomorrow,” said Osborne. “We’re super grateful to be able to come back,” said Chow, whose Public School brand was away from the market for seven years.
Amir Taghi, who is a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist and hails from Houston, said he’s looking forward to getting on the road after his show Friday and doing trunk shows around the country. He shows his collection in hotels, clients’ homes and restaurants.
Discussing what inspired him this season, Taghi said, “I’m Persian and every collection starts with Iran and shows it’s not all evil,” he said.
Kevan Hall wasn’t having a show but was showing his day-to-evening collection at 231 West 39th Street, Suite 609. He said he’s looking forward to touching base with his old clients and meeting new stores. After the shake-up in the industry with Saks Global, he wants to embrace a new crop of retailers and see Neiman Marcus and Saks come back strong. He noted that out-of-town retailers came to New York this week but some were going home for the Jewish holidays this weekend and weren’t planning to return for shows next week and do the usual market appointments. The way the schedule worked out this year “is difficult for the retailers and the designers,” he said.