In the fashion space, where thoughts are often echoed and repeated, a common saying is that New York Fashion Week is “dead.” Yes, some American designers continue to take their talents abroad, but the next generation of designers held down the fort at home this season.
Meruert Tolegen is a beacon of the American experience, having emigrated from Kazakhstan, spending her remaining formative years in San Francisco. When I arrived at her fall-winter 2026 showcase, the dimly lit, almost ominous room was illuminated only by her garments. An evolution from previous collections, Tolegen noted, each of the 15 looks she showed "represented a specific silhouette… each speaking its own language.”
This collection stands out for its use of sculpture. Think garments made out of hair and hand-knit appliques. These techniques are not brand new, but Tolegen’s take on tailoring and corsetry feels like a personal folktale, each page of her storybook provoking thought. “I think New York Fashion Week is becoming more fun, too, with new designers debuting or doing something quirky and interesting every season," she tells Teen Vogue.
The beauty of today’s NYFW is that younger designers have room for less-filtered ideas to grace the runway. The common thread among these designers, though, is the hope that free thoughts can lead to financial success. “At the end of the day, it has to survive," Tolegen says. "It has to live on its own as a business, not only a creative venture.”
Hailing from Lake Placid, New York, Andrew Curwen’s latest collection, Nocturnal Conditions, explores the cross sections between the romanticized elements of fashion and reality. His longtime friend and breakout designer Jane Wade lent her studio to Curwen post-show, so he’d have more space to craft how he wanted to present his story.
Curwen describes his collection as a statement on “internal darkness” and “being able to identify the different characters that exist within that space that's in all of us as well.”
Characterized by ornate corsetry, one-of-a-kind fabric treatments, and steel boning, at first glance you’d never know these looks consist of deadstock fabric, thrifted appliques, and a nod to Curwen's old family crest. It’s no secret that fashion can be the source of many consumerist behaviors. Curwen says, "It's kind of a waste, you know, when people buy something they never use. I used to be like that. Now I want to use everything. There is beauty in something that can be worn.”
There is also something very grounding about making use of what’s already in front of us. Woven into each piece of fabric is another piece of fabric with more history, more use and personal elements, while the finished product is very grand and rich. Curwen is able to create a fantasy from his real world, and it's his wish that “anyone who wants to, or sees themselves in this world, be able to represent that on themselves.”
Fall 2026 Ready-to-Wear
New York City-based designer Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen’s recent collection pulls entirely from familiar human experiences, exploring themes of motherhood and femininity. Before Whalen’s show, I caught up with her in her Chinatown studio to learn about her thought process. The place was buzzing with some of her closest friends and collaborators working down to the wire.
As I sifted through the racks, Whalen decoded some of her collection’s messaging: “There's little openings to the boobs and the belly and these portals that have come from different maternity underwear, like, breast-heating bras.” She loves the idea of “working individual garments to perform for your body and the functions that it needs.”
During the show, the concept of birth is illustrated through the use of protective ribbing, sheer panels by the midriff, organic tones, and a live demonstration from Whalen herself, cleansing herself in a tub and emerging anew.
The intention of this collection also highlights an important conversation about American design. For a long time, outsourcing has been the backbone of American production, and it can be exploitative. Says Whalen, “I feel like there's a healthier way to create and honor the work that goes into clothing and into the people that are making our clothing for us, down to how we’re sourcing and making the material and where the fibers are coming from.”
She continues, “We really lost our way in relating to what we put on our bodies as a community, like, as a global community.” By relying on her immediate community for the building blocks of this collection—having a long-term goal of busting back into the New York garment industry—Whalen is pouring into what could still be the epicenter of American fashion.
Keith Herron’s Advisry is a phenomenal example of the ways in which the past can be redefined by the future. Hailing from Sacramento, California, Herron’s recent collection, entitled Return of the Space Cowboy, draws inspiration from the band Jamiroquai’s audacious headwear and the dandy-esque '90s anime, Cowboy Bebop.
“I chose that title [for my show] because it has this narrative that people immediately build in their heads when they hear it," Herron explains. "But what I love about it is that the ‘return,’ obviously, implies some sort of past that is being referred to; and then ‘space’ implies a futuristic perspective; and then ‘cowboy’ implies a character that is individualistic and has a rebellious spirit. So it's a character study of that cowboy.”
Whether Herron intended to or not, his collection and title serves as an analogy for the conversation society is having about NYFW: We compare what once was to the fashion week that we now critique because it feels unfamiliar or too detached from its roots.
While in Herron's atelier, I notice his signature pearl motifs and fur gloves are now more complex, tailored and refined in a way that frames his vision more clearly. Herron uses old house codes to create new ones. The collection he showed this past Sunday is a foray into his world of couture through maximalist accessories and structure, and it's an amalgamation of his past inspirations. Redefining the past is a hallmark of American design. While our European counterparts have generations of history behind their references, NYFW feels like an opportunity for reinvention.
It’s a common trend to critique the ways in which NYFW has changed or “fallen off”; however, this consensus is made without the acknowledgement of all the designers that are working to redefine what American fashion can be. Through the creative eyes of Meruert Tolegen, Andrew Curwen, Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen, and Keith Herron of Advisry, it’s clear that the next era of American fashion is coming from a thoughtful and intentional place worth celebrating.
