Shopping small is helping those who think big. In February, Governor Kathy Hochul announced New York State would partner with the IMG Fashion Alliance to implement a grant program to award funding to 10 independent fashion designers to be used for their NYFW productions this season. Recipients include AnOnlyChild, Barragán, Batsheva, Deveaux New York, Elena Velez, Fe Noel, Interior, Studio 189, Theophilio, and Willy Chavarria. Meet the designers below.
Studio 189
Studio 189 was co-founded by Abrima Erwiah and actor Rosario Dawson in 2013 as a fashion lifestyle brand and social enterprise. The clothing is produced at a manufacturing facility in Accra, Ghana, by local artisans who specialize in traditional techniques, such as hand-batik and kente weaving. “We are really thrilled to have been selected as small business recipients this NY Fashion Week,” Erwiah and Dawson say of receiving funding from IMG for their runway production, a platform they explain helps to “scale and grow our message.” Studio 189 has shown at NYFW since its in- ception, and the artisan-focused brand strives to empower through the creation of jobs and supporting education and skills training. “The grant allows us to focus on our mission of using fashion and social change by relieving us of some of the pressure of searching for funding and providing extra support for the show,” the pair says. As an added bonus: “We get to be around the company of fellow grant recipient designers that we love and are inspired by!”
THEOPHILIO
Ever since the Jamaican-born, Brooklyn-raised designer Edvin Thompson launched Theophilio in 2016, Rastafarian style has always been a staple of his brand’s collections. The 2021 CFDA’s Emerging Designer of the Year fuses his nostalgic childhood memories of growing up in Kingston, Jamaica, with the progressive culture of New York City to create a modern label filled with sexy and confidence-raising garments. This season, Thompson ups the ante and does his deepest dive into his heritage yet. “Homecoming’ is an homage to myself; going home to Jamaica and celebrating my life in New Jersey, Atlanta, and New York City,” the designer explains. “The IMG grant I received has helped with the general overhead of producing my runway show for this season’s collection, which I’m beyond appreciative for.”
BATSHEVA
Batsheva Hay’s designs are all about playing up traditional styles of feminine dressing and modernizing elements of restraint with a playful twist (think: high collars, voluminous sleeves and ruffled skirts.) She’s returning to NYFW after last showing her Spring 2022 line at Serendipity 3 and is “so excited to get support” for what she calls “a true labor of love.” She adds, “Social media makes it seem almost unnecessary to do a live event, but that is all the more reason that it is exciting and special.” Last year, Hay collaborated with Ella Emhoff on knitwear and Laura Ashley on dresses, aprons and oven mitts, marking a momentous time for the Batsheva brand she founded in 2016. Hay, a 2018 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist, is adept at retooling historical looks, making them into future-forward pieces that eschew antiquated notions of womanhood and bring out the strong qualities they hold.
WILLY CHAVARRIA
Voluminous silhouettes and high-fashion takes on workwear make designs by Willy Chavarria beyond distinct — both on and off the runway. The California-born, Mexican American designer keeps himself busy helming his eponymous men’s conceptual fashion label while at the same time holding the title of Senior Vice President of Design at Calvin Klein since 2021. Since launching his brand in 2015, Chavarria has grounded his collections in the representation and empowerment of the Latinx and LGBTQ communities. Designs with a refreshing take on spotlighting Mexican Americans from his show stopping “Cut Deep” collection are featured in the Costume Institute’s “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” exhibition. “IMG and ESD are an import- ant part of how the city defines itself as a leader in the fashion industry,” said Chavarria, who was the 2021 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and 2018 International Woolmark Prize winner. “Their generous contributions have made it possible for brands like mine to find resources to share our vision and business IRL and therefore promote the success of the economy.”
BARRAGÁN
Victor Barragán, a self-taught designer originally from Mexico, started his eponymous label in 2016. He reimagines everyday clothing and creates new silhouettes with a cool deconstructive element that defines his signature aesthetic. Three years ago, Barragán was listed as one of the 10 finalists of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, and he is especially excited to have his label’s first in- person presentation in two years. “A live show is important because it always helps us to bridge a stronger connection with our community,” he says.
Deveaux
Deveaux New York, established in 2018 by designers Matthew Breen and Andrea Tsao, aspires to redefine classic items in the modern world with their fit, fabrication, and silhouette. The label’s wardrobe staples and uniform pieces are anything but traditional and create a new sophisticated American standard of dressing. The heart of the brand truly lies in New York since the studio is based in the city, and all garments are designed and manufactured locally as well. “After a three- year hiatus from NYFW, Deveaux New York is back with a collection inspired by the revitalization of New York City and all its new demands,” Tsao says. “The show, which will also feature the re-introduction of menswear, comes on the heels of a brand refresh, new site launch, and a new artistic direction.”
ELENA VELEZ
The work of Brooklyn-based designer Elena Velez melds a love for her Puerto Rican heritage and her Midwestern roots — she grew up in Milwaukee, where she developed an interest in the city’s metalsmith industry. Now she’s working all three together under the umbrella of her label, which she founded in New York in 2018. Velez, a 2022 CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund Finalists, made her NYFW debut last year, and she notes the IMG grant was essential for ensuring her capability to share her story through fashion. Her latest collection, she says, “visually references the surgical, biblical, and sexual to tell a story of physical obscurity.”
INTERIOR
Established in 2020 by designers Jack Miner and Lily Miesmer, Interior offers an artisanal approach to dressing. From sportswear to evening wear, the tailored to the deconstructed, Interior highlights the juxtaposition between trendiness and timelessness, nostalgia and innovative futurism. Zeroing in on exemplarity fits and elevated fabrications, Interior creates with impeccable craftsmanship in mind. A subversive and contradictory play on words, the pair dubbed their label Interior since clothing is innately exterior. However, the name also calls to mind how style may represent who we are emotionally on the in- side. And now Miner and Miesmer are hoping to share more of who they are through their clothing. “We’re thrilled about the upcoming season and look forward to taking people deeper into the world of Interior,” the duo says, adding, “IMG has been instrumental in helping us bring our vision to life in this new, exciting way.”
FE NOEL
Womenswear designer Felisha “Fe” Noel entered the industry at just 19 years old, opening a vintage boutique in her native Brooklyn. With the experience inspiring her to forge ahead with her own brand, Fe Noel, the designer aims to help women embrace their femininity. Drawing inspiration from her travels and Caribbean heritage, Noel incorporates bright colors and bold prints into her collections. She says the philosophy of her brand is “Eat well, travel often, and dress to inspire!” — but her silhouettes speak for themselves. Noel expertly fuses her rich Grenadian culture with a streamlined sartorial sensuality. Noel calls preparing for her runway presentation this September “a huge undertaking” but adds that “the resources and grant support from the IMG Alliance have allowed for my brand to streamline and build a strong production team.”
ANONLYCHILD
Maxwell Osborne is known for founding Public School with Dao-Yi Chow in 2008, and he started his latest venture, anOnlyChild, in 2020. His new line is a sustainable brand with collections created solely from dead stock materials. Last season, the designer staged his first presentation titled “Aunties House” over Labor Day weekend at his parents’ home in Mount Vernon, New York. This year, he has what sounds like another boundary-pushing experience in store for NYFW. “This generous grant has allowed us more freedom to develop a comprehensive vision for our debut NYFW collection and present it in both an intimate and totally unique environment,” Osborne says.
