NYFW

Natalia. Magda Butrym SS27

| Design & Culture by Ed

Unveiled during New York Fashion Week, Magda Butrym’s spring-summer 2027 collection, titled “Natalia,” is an homage to Natalia LL – the fearless Polish artist whose work explored the many reaches of femininity.

Preceded by a teaser that reimagines Natalia LL’s “Consumer Art,” the artist’s seminal work from the early 1970s, the collection revolves around the idea of women’s ownership of their own selves. In 1977, Natalia LL arrived in New York and proudly posed with one of the stills from the series, asserting her subversive position in the male-dominated art world. A key figure in Poland’s feminist and conceptual art scene, Natalia LL challenged conventional representations of the female body, turning desire, consumption and the gaze into the very subjects of her work. The cheeky, flirtatious woman depicted in the now-iconic, film-like frame is not merely the subject but, above all, the author of her own image ­– the muse of her own making, creating her own vision of reality.

Almost five decades later, the story makes a return to New York. As Magda presents her collection in the city for the first time and opens her first flagship boutique here, Natalia LL’s arrival in New York acquires a new resonance: two Polish women, separated by generations and working in different disciplines, arriving in the city on their own terms and staking out a space for their vision. “The gaze is always female. The touch is always a woman’s. The image belongs to her,” is how Magda sums up the moment’s ethos – and her creative dialogue with the late artist she admires, whose work has helped shape her vision of femininity. READ MY FULL TEXT HERE.

Show credits: Creative Director Magda Butrym / Stylist Jacob K / Casting Julia Lange / Movement Director Emma Chadwick / Set Design Anna Szczęsny / Sound Torso Studio / Make Up Yadim Carranza / Hair Mustafa Yanas / Styling Assistant Ioana Ivan / Art Coordination Edward Kanarecki / Press Spread The Word / Production Warsaw Creatives

ED’s SELECTION:


Magda Butrym Ruched Floral-print Stretch-silk Mock-neck Top



Magda Butrym Crochet-trimmed Ribbed Wool-jacquard Shorts



Magda Butrym Snake-effect Leather Pumps



Magda Butrym Glossed-leather Jacket



Magda Butrym Lace-trimmed Cotton And Linen-blend Mini Skirt



Magda Butrym Scarf-detailed Cotton-blend Trench Coat



Magda Butrym Julia Satin Tote

Poignant. Colleen Allen AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

During New York Fashion Week, I always find myself anticipating Colleen Allen’s presentations. From day one, she has known exactly who her woman is. Her codes are witchy, esoteric – Gothic, even – yet the way she articulates them feels consistently poignant rather than theatrical. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:


Colleen Allen Paneled Fleece Jacket



Colleen Allen Shirred Cotton-velvet Gown



Colleen Allen Twist Stretch-crepe Jacket

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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A Lot. Khaite AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Cate Holstein is clearly in an experimental phase, determined to prove that Khaite is not merely Khaite, but a force of “big fashion.” Her work moves in waves: at times it lands with precision; at others, it simply doesn’t cohere.

In this collection, there were genuinely strong moments ideas that might have resonated more sharply had they been further refined and sublimated. Yet these were counterbalanced by multiple narrative detours that made the overall line-up difficult to read. I appreciated the opening looks, with their slinky velvet outerwear and leather pieces (which, quite frankly, evoked Frida Giannini’s tenure at Gucci), as well as the charming monkey paintings that appeared as prints on a sheer shirt. The gesture of wearing black gloves beneath transparent muslin also felt inventive and visually intriguing. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:


KHAITE Sabina Cashmere Sweater



KHAITE Kye Calf Hair Clutch



KHAITE Boyle Cropped Low-rise Jeans



KHAITE Eva Leather Sock Boots



Oliver Peoples x Khaite 1989c Round-frame Acetate And Gold-tone Sunglasses



KHAITE Cordelia Cropped Leather Jacket

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Embracing Awkwardness. Eckhaus Latta AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta effortlessly achieve what many contemporary New York designers desperately pursue: a gritty coolness that isn’t merely a vague nod to the ’90s. It’s not the polished vision of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy filtered through Ryan Murphy; it’s what CBK might actually wear.

A high-necked black fur jacket paired with a sleek black pencil skirt; satin slip dresses and tops so airy they resemble barely-there mist; stretch jerseys constructed with subtle cutouts at the hip bones. Sexy, but not obvious. Eckhaus Latta grows more mature and refined with each season, yet, as one of the designers noted, the “pressure to make good, fancy rich-people clothes” has never been the point.

Instead, it’s about embracing an awkwardness that isn’t a pose or a performance, but a safe space – an undeniably chic one. And their tradition of casting real people only makes it all the more convincing.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Constructivist. Lii AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

So perhaps New York Fashion Week still matters. It’s here that you encounter talents like 25-year-old Zane Li, the founder of Lii. He has an extraordinary approach to shape and geometry, creating garments that feel constructivist in both appearance and method. Like Vladimir Tatlin’s abstract installations made from industrial materials, Li’s pieces demand to be viewed from every angle: a skirt may appear exaggeratedly flat from the front, only to protrude at the back with an almost extraterrestrial force.

Based in New York, the designer explores the potential of line and silhouette through precisely cut, flat fabrics rendered in bold color-blocking that delivers a punchy visual impact. It was compelling to see him introduce faux fur into the mix, adding texture to designs that might otherwise read as austerely sterile. And the utilitarian gloves? A nod to Todd Haynes’s “Safe“. We do live in a dangerous world.

What distinguishes Li’s work is his refusal to casually appropriate the term “minimalism,” as so many New York designers do. He understands the discipline the word implies – and claims it, convincingly, on his own terms.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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