Fresh, Edgy, Independent Designers At New York Fashion Week SS26

Above all, New York Fashion Week has become a place to discover new talented, up and coming fashion designers. Yes, there are the most established, high-profile shows, but let’s face it. Who can actually get into them? Not me. Livestreaming isn’t the same as actually being there and seeing the fabric flow, the textures, the audience reaction and the bashful designer with their head down, forced onto the runway at the end of each show. Here were some showstopping moments from this season’s runway shows.

Elena Velez

Held in the legendary nightclub venue The Box, which, if you haven’t been, is a burlesque-themed nightclub in the Lower East Side, Elena Velez showcased her latest collection, “Badland.” It explores what Velez calls “great depression dandyism,” heavy on the “dustbowl detachment and folkloric escapism.” The models skulked through The Box like zombies from a past life. We know Velez for dressing Netflix’s Wednesday star Jenna Ortega in gothic chic couture. She’s also known for corsets and having her friend Anna Delvey (aka Anna Sorokin) who walked the runway in a bonnet, while donning her ankle monitor. The new collection featured a century-old vintage touch, with overcoats, drop waist dresses and a peculiar mix of mesh. It keeps with the brand’s inspiration from apolctaluptic America. This show featured lingerie by Zhilyova, jewelry by Ask & Embla, hair care by Uberliss and luxury oral brand, Aurezzi.

Christian Cowan

We know British designer Christian Cowan as the partner of pop sensation Sam Smith, who was in attendance of his latest runway show, which took place in an alleyway in Tribeca.it was raw, very New York and boisterous in nature. Thank God it didn’t rain. Cowan’s new collection is inspired by the women in his family, as he grew up in Moana, Spain surrounded by the matriarch mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and aunts who ran their households. Striped polos, patterns and armor-like garments strutted down the runway. It had an anti-glam sentiment in its nature. Five twisted pieces were created in collaboration with Elias Matso.

Contessa Mills

New York designer Contessa Mills debuted her biggest collection yet, “The Lovers,” which was based on the tarot card, the Lovers, which depicts a couple, Adam and Eve. The dreamy new collection, which includes tulle dresses, lingerie and vintage-inspired two pieces, is a walk through fashion history. Her shorts and pants feature a signature button detailing that was first introduced with the Benjamin Capri pant, she breaks new ground with the bra and underwear Seraphim Set and uses ribbon accents and leather trims throughout this new collection. Speaking of the Lovers card, it almost feels like Mills fell in love with fashion all over again for this collection. It feels aligned.

Damson Madder

Responsible cult London label Damson Madder unveiled their collection “In The Slow Lane” at downtown’s Marble Cemetery. Just a tad morbid, this dapper collection reminds us in our digital every day to slow down, as the brand is all about slow fashion (the message is clear, we are scrolling our lives away). The models sat and played chess, rather than standing around looking bored. It was engaging and peculiar. A chess tournament followed the fashion presentation with Club Chess. The show’s makeup partner was New York Makeup Academy with hair by Unite Hair. But really, this one was all about the strategy.

Malan Breton

Malan Breton looked back towards the past for inspiration for this new collection, called “The Age of the Machine, The Heart of Humanity.” Benefitting the CaringKind charity, the runway show was presented in four acts: The Heart, Time, Transformation and Legacy. The looks were created in collaboration with Japanese watchmaker King Seiko, wigs from Wigs.com stylist Vivienne Mackinder and SohoMuse. The looks called to mind styles from the Gilded Age, featuring century old elegance of the late 19th century, from silks to master tailoring (something Breton is known for) and a musical narrative that carried the audience through a spectacle of fashion. Star model Elton Ilirjani closed the show in a stunning black and crystal-covered suit with a long, dramatic cape, calling to mind a Dracula-esque villain look.

Wiederhoeft

Fantasy fashion house Wiederhoeft is making a bold statement this fashion week with elegant corsetry, Versailles-esque gowns and a stunning array of silk gowns. For their Spring Summer 2026 runway show, the brand turned to soft pastel hues. Corsets, zips, transparent tees and miniature purses were mixed in with extravagant wedding ballgowns, which is what the brand is known for. They also partnered with sustainable jewelry brand SOLO, from Ukraine, for diamonds as its exclusive jewelry collaborator.

LUAR

If any designer has hype, it has to be Raul Lopez of Luar. He turned to the energy of Carnival, the annual Carribean festival, for inspiration for his latest collection, which he calls La Fantasia. One look, covered in what looks like gestural paintbrush marks across an outfit, was stunnnig. K-Swiss did the shoes for the brand’s runway show as the official footwear sponsor. For the show, Raul reworked two pairs of K-Swiss’ Classic 66s, weaving them into LUAR’s SS26 lineup.

Taken

The new swimwear brand founded by Nicole Sanchez is out to redefine swimwear and jewelry through bold shapes, craftsmanship, and sustainability. The Colombian-American graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Sanchez started developing the concept for her brand while she was in Costa Rica, which is where she first experimented with Shibari-inspired swimwear. She later refining her vision in Bali, creating Taken’s debut piece, “the Alta set,” a design that reimagines the lines of classic tank tops with a daring cut at the hips to celebrate the body. Built on the concept of experimentation, the brand is committed to sustainability

Times Square Fashion Week

You wouldn’t think that fashion would be in the heart of the touristic hell we know as Times Square, but Times Square fashion week, hosted by Jean Shafiroff, highlights up and coming designers you likely have never heard of. This year, they featured recent fashion graduate Lena Mars, who featured a runway show of her latest denim line.

Other Highlights

The brand Coolibar, which makes one-size garments (not all pieces however), has a new collection called Mott50 Edition with a runway show featuring 1990s runway model Niki Taylor andPuerto Rican actress Dayanara Torres. Indigenous Enterprise marked New York Fashion Week with an intimate launch event at Assembly New York, celebrating their Still Here merch collaboration ahead of the troupe’s upcoming run at The Joyce Theater (September 16–21). Runway 7 featured over 25 brands from Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, and Costa Rica. Diana Mahrach featured sequins as a key point of her latest collection, as well as the 3^rd annual New York City International Fashion Film Festival founded by Pedro Oberto. Marina Moscone unveiled her Spring/Summer 2026 collection in an intimate salon-style presentation showcasing her minimal chic collection.