Maxhosa Africa Brings Pan-Africanism to Paris Fashion Week
Creative director Laduma Ngxokolo’s label is the first South African brand to stage a full runway show on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar.

As London Fashion Week kicks off, BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed sits down with four London-based creative talents to explore how the city’s rich creative scene stems from its unique cultural diversity and the sense of community and collaboration this provides.

Many of the most promising young labels to participate in London’s NewGen scheme went boom… before they went bust. But the programme, which turns 30 this year, enables a laboratory of creativity that benefits the whole industry, writes Susanna Lau.

The event showcased Anna Wintour’s power to convene stars from across popular culture and positioned fashion — and the Vogue brand — as a kind of connective tissue between the worlds of music, film, theatre and more.

The second half of New York Fashion Week suggested the season wasn’t just about 90s influences but gossamer fabrics, trawling nets, big jackets over tiny skirts and when in doubt lace, lace, lace, reports Lynn Yaeger.

Some creatives say a tougher environment has spurred them to be more emboldened in their work — and to care less about waiting for fashion’s gatekeepers to open doors.

For emerging designers, fashion shows are a rite of passage, and a means of building both media buzz and relationships with buyers. But even a basic show can cost up to $300,000.

Designers Tory Burch, Jason Wu, Phillip Lim, Prabal Gurung, Sergio Hudson and Brendon Babenzien, together with Steven Kolb, Laurent Claquin, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Julie Gilhart, and more, joined BoF’s Imran Amed and Google’s Stephanie Horton.

From Collina Strada’s neo-Victorianism to Khaite’s icy elegance, Lynn Yaeger reports from the New York shows.

Post-Covid, people across fashion are seeking alternatives to the pressure and expectations that come from working in such a fast-paced industry, writes Imran Amed.

On the first two days of New York Fashion Week, designers Peter Do and Stuart Vevers showcased their takes on storied brands.

‘I think New York is hungry for the level of quality we offer,’ says designer Paul Helbers ahead of Fforme’s runway debut on Sunday.

“More than ever we need non-fussy clothing,” the designer told BoF in a preview of his debut collection for Helmut Lang — the once-groundbreaking label’s first outing in four years.
Creative director Laduma Ngxokolo’s label is the first South African brand to stage a full runway show on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar.
The trade body temporarily appointed Kuryk as it searches for a permanent replacement for former chief executive Steven Kolb, who resigned following a viral altercation with PETA protesters.
The trade body’s president physically restrained animal rights activists after they stormed a Cos runway show at New York Fashion Week.
Marks and Spencer Group Plc is looking to the runway to burnish its fashion credentials, having also hosted its own show at the British Grand Prix last weekend.
Watching the British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker’s collection he chatted animatedly to British Fashion Council chief Laura Weir and designer Stella McCartney on the front row.
The last-minute withdrawal from the couture calendar raises questions about the future of the label, which is majority-owned by the Pinault family investment fund Artemis.
The week will include Rachel Scott’s first runway for Proenza Schouler; while Raul Lopez’s Luar has opted not to show.
September’s edition of NYFW will see Alexander Wang return, as well as appearances from Europe-based Cos, Off-White and Toteme.