This year at New York Fashion Week (NYFW), trends were so bold it felt we were witnessing a fashion version of Holi, the festival of colour.
Though the ultimate king of colour, South African fashion megastar Laduma Ngxokolo didn’t feature officially as part of NYFW. Instead, he participated in the energy circulating around NYFW, painting Manhattan’s vibrant shopping district, SoHo, not just red, but also every other colour of the spectrum.
MaXhosa, Ngxokolo’s brand of Xhosa knitwear, inspired by amakrwala (Xhosa initiates), served as a brightly coloured North Star in SoHo at his recently opened shop on 325 Canal Street.
Ngxokolo’s beadwork and striking patterns symbolise various aspects of his Xhosa heritage and culture. His label is regarded as the epitome of African luxury, merging traditional styles with contemporary designs. For lovers of fashion, his clothes and accessories are becoming one of the most recognisable of brands in SoHo.
MaXhosa was also recently at Paris Fashion Week 2024, which ended on October 2. TRESemmé was the official hair partner, styling hair textures as diverse as our rainbow population.
Colour-coded decadence
Jonathan Simkhai’s 2025 spring collection was inspired by a photo of his mom Orna as a bride, in a lace gown made with fabric from his grandfather’s lace mill in Iran. The designer used this as a blueprint to create laser-cut floral pieces in bright colours. He also showed a vegan leather, one-shoulder orange dress with criss-crossed sailor’s knots down the side.
US brand L’agence (French for “the agency”) paid homage to the iconic New York Plaza Hotel, showing glammed-up jean creations and multicoloured tweed jackets. The garments boasted a cherry blossom installation as a background, designed by New York plant and floral design company Popup Florist.
Ese Azenabor, the Nigerian-born Canadian designer, went all out with her colourful designs, including florals, bright sequins and a Nigeria-inspired woman’s blazer.
Fashion that never sleeps
Though the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s official programme included only about 60 shows, more glitz and glamour took place on unconventional runways in locations throughout the city.
NYFW continues to evolve positively while simultaneously sidestepping crucial questions about the role of body positivity, diversity and the declining number of plus-size models.
Beyond fashion
Jude Kingston, founder of Mind Your Fashion, a mental health organisation serving the fashion industry, gave a moving speech at the fourth Times Square Fashion Week — an unofficial spin-off of NYFW, reminding those assembled that mental health in the fashion sector is an issue as important as profitability, ethical practices and sustainability.
Designer Daniel Silverstein — better known as Zero Waste Daniel to his ozone-protecting, genderless and eco-conscious followers — proved the fashion industry has the ability to reduce its overall footprint and thrive in an environmentally friendly manner.
Instead of constructing a runway — like heavy-hitter Michael Kors, who took over a midtown building and recreated the Amalfi Coast — Silverstein used upcycled and recycled Broadway-worn materials and costumes for his show titled Sustainable Fashion is a Cabaret, held at the Midnight Theatre.
Vogue Business released its seasonal report confirming a notable downturn in the number of plus- and mid-size models, not only at NYFW, but also at the Milan, Paris and London fashion weeks too.
Sidebar: Three trends from NYFW 2024
Uneven hems — According to designers like 3.1 Phillip Lim, Michael Kors, Jane Wade and Monse, even hems are so 2023. Dresses that featured multilevel or diagonal hemlines were advocated for by Collina Strada, Alaïa, Tory Burch and Prabal Gurung.
Martial arts-inspired jackets — Tory Burch, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Bach Mai and Rachel Comey were just some of the creatives who dabbled in a bit of “wax on, wax off” as they were inspired by judo, kung-fu and ju-jitsu to come up with some original jacket designs.
Diverse hair — TRESemmé helped highlight many diverse hairstyles and textures, including dreadlocks.
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