New York Fashion Week Kicks Off With Men’s Day and Collina Strada’s Chic Cemetery

New York Men’s Day

In 2013, menswear sales notably outperformed women’s in the U.S. market: the men’s apparel category grew by 4.8%, while women’s apparel grew by 4.5%. Skip to 2022: menswear sales are, essentially, spectacular. “Business is very strong in men’s—the strongest I’ve seen in my career,” Bob Mitchell, co-CEO OF Mitchell’s Stores, told WWD in April.

When the odds of turning a profit are this good, certain powwows become unmissable, and this certainly seemed to be the case at Friday’s New York Men’s Day, a bi-annual presentation of fledgling menswear and genderless brands structured to give unknown creatives a critical platform.

Eleven designers in total were featured at NYMD 2022: Amirok (menswear), Atelier Cillian (menswear), A.Potts (genderless), Fried Rice (genderless), Holo Market (menswear), Nicholas Raefski (menswear), Nobis (menswear), Teddy Vonranson (menswear), Terry Singh (menswear), Todd Patrick (menswear) and SO.TY (genderfluid).

Atelier Cillian showed gold-flecked, Grecian-inspired suiting with a pop of tweed that clearly harkened back to Chanel.

Teddy Vonranson, A.Potts and Holo Market all communicated appealing, desert-y, Rachel Comey-goes-west energy; everything these designers showed looked pleasurably comfortable and easy to throw on. Potts’ use of neon and fringe added welcome alien elements. Vonranson’s slouchy, sand-colored trench coats gave me strong The Row vibes.

Nobis, a Canadian luxury outerwear company, immediately stood out on Friday morning: while beauty is a modeling requirement, the male models Nobis tapped were conspicuously, haughtily uber-handsome in a way that added key context to their outfits: these are elegant puffer coats, smart shell jackets and durable-looking pants for cocky, freshly-rich athletic guys in their late 20s and early 30s.

Terry Singh was another morning highlight: Thom Browne, the Prince of Prep, immediately sprang to mind while taking in Singh’s models, almost all of whom wore ankle-length, A-line pleated skirts paired with tank tops, suit jackets or bow ties. But there’s something refreshingly soft about the paler blues the designer’s mixed into his palette, as well as the floaty draping that makes the clothes seem laid-back, rather than prim.

In the afternoon, Fried Rice blew away the competition with a fun, upbeat presentation that saw models dancing down the runway to Rihanna, wearing deconstructed overalls and camouflage suits that came off as winningly accessible as the soundtrack.

Todd Patrick served tangerine J Crew vibes with his gelato-hued separates, while a monochromatic green outfit from SO.TY consisted of a strategically ripped tank and dramatic bell bottoms.

Amirok showed minimal, beach-y cardigans and shorts that all looked to be made with black terry cloth; hell yeah.

Posing his models on a Jet Age set that could’ve been ripped straight from the lobby of the TWA Hotel, Nicholas Raefski evoked quirky retro futurism with color-blocked red and grey suits, letterman jackets for an imaginary lunar high school and knitwear with a funky robot design. At the center of it all was Flavor Flav, hamming it up for the cameras in a circuitboard-patterned shorts and bomber jacket combo; his signature gigantic clock dangling from his neck. Helen Holmes

Collina Strada

All that glitters, is well, glitter, at the Collina Strada show on Friday. Models pantomimed butterfly flutters beneath the sunset, tucked away among wildflowers in the Naval Cemetery Landscape in Williamsburg. True to form, the label’s hyper feminine punk-ish aesthetic displayed a range of chiffon gowns and deconstructed shirts. It was a funky and frilly feast for the eyes. Sarah Shears