Dress codes never really served Jane Wade. Growing up, the designer spent most of her time in her mother’s hair salon, watching function and femininity rule the professional dress for that particular type of “office.” Her father, who constructed the salon her mother worked in, showcased the utilitarian aspects that made up the uniform of a blue-collar worker to a young Jane. It’s no surprise, then, that Wade created a brand that strives to bridge the gap between work wear, office wear, and everyday wear.
This September, Wade took her her spring/summer 2024 collection to the runway at New York Fashion Week for the first time in a production called The Commute, and Teen Vogue joined her on the journey to the runway.
On a humid summer afternoon a few days ahead of NYFW, we visited the designer’s studio in Brooklyn, where she provided a behind-the-scenes look into her team’s preparation for the debut. “I'm studying archetypes of women that transition to and from the office,” she says, as her team hustles around the office space to put finishing touches on pieces for the upcoming show.
Before she started her own label, Wade racked up design and production experience across a variety of brands such as Danielle Frankel and Elena Velez, and she became intimately familiar with the working world’s requirement of professional performance. “I felt like every office that I was in, I had to play a different part or be a different person when I clocked in,” Wade recalls. “I couldn't actually wear what I felt was honoring myself and my personal style, so the thread that connects every collection I create is [exploring] how we can be ourselves while also playing a part in this bigger wheel that is the fashion industry.”
The Commute is structured around the “fantasy office that is Jane Wade,” as she describes it, with each model playing the role of an archetype one would find in an office. The show, styled by Joe Van O, opens with the receptionist, the first person one would see upon arriving at any office, who is wearing a sports running belt, sneakers, glasses, and headphones, ready to receive phone calls. Later in the show, an intern walks the runway carrying branded dry cleaning, and the office custodian emerges followed by a long chain of sterling silver that has been fashioned into a keychain — and also serves as a fashionable train on the outfit. “She’s got the keys to everywhere,” Wade jokes.
Producer Adam Hadari captured the collection’s ethos in sound for the show’s backing music, which is a high-energy, fast-paced, techno beat that could serve as the hype track in the headphones of an employee who’s running late, “but still going to stop for a coffee,” Wade says with a laugh.
Silver is threaded throughout the collection, as Wade’s way of paying homage to the mentor relationship she has with Brooklyn-based jewelry designer Martine Ali. The pair collaborated to create a number of accessories for the show, including a sterling silver 2000s-era Bluetooth earpiece, which appears on the runway in the finale look. But the most eye-catching piece in the collection is a silver gown made of rectangular metal sections that resemble chainmail, which Wade says was inspired by the cavities of New York City subway grates. To piece together the segments, Wade’s team used knitting techniques, enabling the metal gown to hug the wearer’s body.
An additional collaboration with sporting goods brand Salomon provided a sporty edge for each look, with sneakers and a number of compression accessories accompanying runway looks that lean into the aesthetic of athletic wear. This partnership is another nod to Wade’s personal story, especially significant for the designer’s introduction to the NYFW calendar: “Capturing Salomon was an amazing natural progression for the brand,” she explains. “I’m from the Pacific Northwest, and moving to New York felt like a challenge because I was so far removed from everything that I was comfortable with. This feels like a little bit of home that I get to take with me on this journey.”
This may be Jane Wade’s first time at NYFW, but the connection across previous collections remained important to her as she developed The Commute. “For hair, I brought in Skye Melena. I’ve been working with her across all of my shoots, which keeps things continuous from project to project and has really helped us solidify some key hair themes,” Wade says.
Melena fashions the models in a variety of experimental wigs, braided styles, and durags, offering a moment for viewers to ponder what may not be allowed in a standard professional space. Says Wade, “A lot of women of color aren’t allowed to wear hair coverings or braids in the office, so we’re definitely leaning into that.”
Wade recognizes that corporate landscapes are evolving, but the people who exist inside these spaces are transforming even faster, and traditional codes of office attire are restricting their capacity for personal expression. As the lines between employee and self continue to blur in a capitalistic society, where one’s work life has little separation from their personal life, Wade seeks to bring the true self into the office. “While commuting to the workplace, we understand each employee is faced with severing from their true self,” reads the show notes, which reflect a corporate office memo. What does it mean to be a professional? Jane Wade’s answer to that question is The Commute.
