Vibrant fabrics, unique shapes, and a room full of swag and confidence—it’s New York Fashion Week 2026! Starting off as “press week” in 1943, New York Fashion Week, commonly abbreviated as NYFW, has been a staple of, not only America, but the international fashion community. After WWII began and France fell under German occupation, many Paris designers flocked to New York, taking their fashion ideals with them. Since then, many people of different cultures have brought their influence to NYFW. Designers such as Anniesa Hasibuan, Vivienne Tam, Faluguni Shane Peacock, and LaQuan Smith have all been featured at NYFW, bringing traditions and heritage in their designs. This year NYFW takes place February 11-16 for the fall/winter collection and September for the spring/summer collections. The fall/winter collection was a combination of new and old money. Many designers made their fashion debuts while others took their usual seats. However, behind all the conventional beauty, some designers broke the mold, aiming to tell a story or share culture as opposed to just making pretty dresses. These are fashion designers that add soul to New York Fashion Week.
Fruity Venus
Created by Noah Pica and Paul Negron, Fruity Venus is a womenswear label that emphasizes a playful twist on comfortable, casual clothing. Heavier wools, corduroys, plaids, and stripes deliver a practical and fun approach to everyday clothing. Noah and Paul Negron created this label and all the designs in their Queens apartment in New York. They use only local fabrics from the garment center for sustainability purposes. The colors, shapes, draping, and silhouettes of their pieces are meant to signify a subtle cultural shift instead of overt references. Fruity Venus, specifically, dresses a cast of characters: the tomboy, the siren, and the ingenuine. Their collection appeared on the runway February 16th.
JASPER
From the ingenuous mind of Kooshan Dunn, JASPER sets out to create beautiful, intricate clothing with a story to tell. Growing up in 1970’s Iran, Kooshan was surrounded by the bold elegance and agency of Iranian women’s dresses. In an interview with ENVI, Kooshan explained that it shaped his understanding of style as a form of expression and resilience. This became pivotal at NYFW 2026, where his bold collection served as an ode to women’s strength—their autonomy, complexity, and emotional depth. Kooshan explained that the JASPER woman is “culturally curious and emotionally present.” Furthermore, his collection celebrated “the quiet power of women shaping their own narratives through what they wear.”
The main idea for his collection was controlled tension. “Visually, I wanted the presentation to feel intimate but charged, as if each look carried its own narrative while still belonging to a larger rhythm.” The collection doesn’t exaggerate power but rather displays strength through design, precision, intentional detail, and contours. Kooshan’s goal was to translate heritage into something livable and modern, further noting that these garments “aren’t nostalgic recreations or ethnic costumes; they’re an invitation to see heritage as something evolving and personal.” JASPER appeared on the runway February 12.
Menyelek
Named after its creator, Menyelek Rose’s 2026 collection invokes a walk through history to the Victorian era. Raised in Baltimore with Jamaican and Rastafarian roots, Menyelek got his love of fashion from his grandmother, who taught him how to crochet at an early age. Each piece is created by hand and reconstructed into sculptural silhouettes that toe the line between clothing and art. The 2026 collection not only takes you back to Victorian-era dress codes but also centers on a story of lineage and inheritance, specifically “emotional restraint, familial expectation, and the weight of what is inherited—both materially and emotionally,” according to an interview from Vogue. By mixing two unlikely worlds of crochet and Victorian symbolism, this collection utilizes dark colors and gothic-esque designs. In the words of journalist Perri Dash, “The focus was never the models themselves. They felt more like vessels carrying the spirit of characters only Menyelek fully knows, though the audience could sense them.” Menyelek’s collection debuted February 14th.
Veejay Floresca
Project Runway U.S. winner and Filipina bebot, Veejay Floresca defied conventional fashion standards. From the beginning in an interview with Vogue, she expressed that she had no interest in fitting into society’s boxes or clothing for a specific demographic. “I don’t want to dress a very specific demographic. I think it’s important that I dress up women of all sizes, shapes, and colors. And to me, that’s really important.” Her brand, unlike others, doesn’t adhere to a specific category of clothing; Instead, grounding her design ethos in architectural silhouettes and a balance between softness and strength. “I think I want to become a designer who makes clothes for people who want to feel good. Sometimes I would wonder, ‘Should I go conceptual, or should I go with accessible?’ But I think at the end of the day, I want to focus on the people who believe in me.”
Veejay’s NYFW collection prioritized clothing for women of all shapes and sizes, using complex garment cell division. Using several fabrics that range from emerald silk to worsted wool with unapologetic blocks of color. First was a collection of beautiful, silhouette-fitting dresses, then a bold and diverse line of suits. When watching the models come down the runway, Veejay explained that fashion was not just her profession but her reason for life. “Fashion is the reason why I wake up every morning. I really love fashion, and I will continue doing this because this is my love.” Her collection debuted February 16th.
Overall, New York Fashion Week is more than just a fashion event, but rather, a way for designers of all sizes, colors, and walks of life to come together and share their stories. NYFW consisted of 52 runway events and 46 presentations. Other designers that debuted include AKKI, Nicola Brognano, Alix of Bohemia, Andrew Curwen, Avon Anglers, Caroline Zimbalist, Contessa Mills, Cult Gaia, and Evan Hirsch. No matter your fashion style or preferences, everyone’s bound to find something they love.
Sources and further reading:
https://www.fruityvenus.com/about
https://fashionista.com/2026/02/nyfw-new-designers-fall-2026
https://www.vraimagazine.com/fruity-venus-fw26-at-nyfw/
https://envimedia.co/jasper-brings-layered-storytelling-to-nyfw/
https://www.superniche.com/menyelek-rose-nyfw-debut/
https://vogue.ph/fashion/runway/veejay-floresca-new-york-fashion-week-debut/
