Emerge, founded in 2009, comes together each Fashion Week (across the UK, USA, and European markets) to highlight emerging designers in order to launch them into the global sphere of the fashion industry. For NYFW SS23, Emerge kicked off an afternoon chock full of runway shows for viewers and buyers alike to behold the latest in emerging fashion.
Holding three back-to-back shows at 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. at Canoe Studios, Emerge presented designers Lillian Jenae Designs, Colleen Cecilia, Shannen Maria Samuel, Burnt Glitter Clothing, Lexlo, I.N.A APPAREL, Alicia’s Designs, nauni.j., Prémya by Manishii, 1 Atelier, House of Aarti, Garcia del Castillo, NH ALRabiah, Nahal Shad, Carson Fashion, Laura Lanzerotte, and the Moore College of Art & Design.
Backstage, models flitted around shifting in and out of intricate pieces moving from show to show. With collectives like this, models may walk for several designers per day, hitting the runway as many as 3-5 times.
Makeup artists touched up dewy skin under the stark spotlights. Designers styled and made slight alterations to looks as the runways were queued up. In between shows, we caught up with a few designers to ask about their inspirations. Here’s what they had to say.
Hailing from New Zealand, Ina, founder, and designer at I.N.A. Apparel debuted a nostalgic pastel-hued collection filled with unique, one-of-a-kind pieces.
“This collection was inspired by the covid pandemic, how everyone was at home stuck in lockdown. Everyone was kind of being nostalgic and thinking about the days when we didn’t have any restrictions. So I was inspired by my childhood, ‘90s, ’80s pop culture. I love that sporty, old-school Michael Jordan type of look. I love pop culture, like anything MTV, so this collection, all the colors are inspired by the good old days, which is the golden years – ‘80s, ’90s, and the early 2000s. The music and everything.”
Lexie of Lexlo debuted an eco-friendly collection that is entirely compostable.
“My collection is called don’t panic, it’s organic. It is all fully compostable, everything you see is a natural fiber; it’s all naturally dyed and there was a couple experimental bio fabrications. So I grew my own leather kombucha and the jewelry pieces were made with mycelium which is the root of mushrooms. So the whole collection was a social commentary on sustainable fashion and how usually when you see it, it’s all very earthy tones. And I wanted to bring something bright and fun to show that sustainable fashion can be those things and it should be those things. I learned how to combine science and art in a beautiful way in school and I just really got inspired to continue to do that and to see what the possibilities could be.”
Jilian Hacket, of Lillian Jenae Designs, debuted a stunning collection, inspired by the artful Texas landscape.
“The growth that we experience is human which is why the collection is called bloom. I wanted to make pieces that are both whimsical and wearable – something that you can wear out and about going about your day but also something that can be statement wear but also things that will build your wardrobe.
I love photography so a lot of my inspiration comes from my photography in Texas because I love looking at the landscape, the different plants, and the overall landscape of Texas is where I draw a lot of my inspiration from. There are so many beautiful things in Texas – the sunset is a big part of it, the perfect color palette.”
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