Not everyone agrees that New York is the fashion capital of the world—lowkey, most of Europe. But what no one can deny is that New York City consistently produces some of the most exciting and boundary-defying designers in the world.
What we may lack in refinement and tradition, we more than make up for in attitude. Some might even say that our style is a reflection of how the city constantly shapes us: It’s scrappy, it’s hopelessly eclectic, and more often than not, it’s got zero fucks to give. In a single look, an average New Yorker might mix fabrics, identities and cultural references that span the breadth of time. Our styles tell stories, and that’s what makes New York City fashion great.
Fashion and a sense of it is present in every facet of New Yorkers lives. Samples sales bring lines that wrap around Lower East Side blocks, thrifting in Bushwick has effectively become a competitive sport that requires persistence and aggression, and Soho, the city’s shopping epicenter, has been called the “Gen-Z Times Square.” Bustling independent designers. Sandy Liang, who fully leaned into the coquette aesthetic, Eckahus Latta, Luar, and LEAK NYC, the racy clubwear brand. There are hidden shopping malls like Chinatown Mall and Dover Street Market in Kips Bay. It seems like every day, new designers spring out of seemingly nowhere, and in a city like New York, there’s room for them all.
Some of them have made it globally. Whether it’s the now-iconic bags from TELFAR, streetwear from Aimé Leon Dore, KITH tees or Marc Jacobs leather goods, New York has undeniably influenced global style. And while all of these designers were defined by the city, many of them were also shaped by its fashion schools: Telfar attended Pace, KITH’s founder Ronnie Fieg went to Baruch, and Jacobs is a graduate of Parsons School of Design at The New School.
“Our designers are getting great jobs in the fashion industry with companies like Calvin Klein, Khaite and Marc Jacobs,” Cathleen Sheehan, Chairperson and Professor at FIT's fashion design MFA program, tells Time Out New York. “Others are launching their own brands”
Students at these fashion programs learn from industry insiders who’ve actually worked as fashion design executives, says Su Ku, the chair of the fashion design department at FIT’s School of Art and Design. “They share their expertise in the classroom that mirrors the professional workplace.”
The learning doesn’t stop in the classroom. As soon as they step out, they have an infinite well of inspiration to draw from: Other New Yorkers.
For our September issue, we spoke with 16 graduates of Parsons and FIT about what to wear this fall, where they like to shop, where they like to go in the city and what they see for the future of New York fashion. They’re photographed with their respective designs.
