Global Fashion Collective is a new initiative led by Vancouver Fashion Week, a semi-annual industry event that's been running for 32 seasons. GFC is fast becoming one of the top showcases of new talent from around the world, producing runway shows in various fashion capitals. Global Fashion Collective launched at Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo in October 2017, followed by a presentation at New York Fashion Week in February of this year. New York Fashion Week this month marked the third outing for this innovative fashion producer that did not disappoint with the shows or choice of catwalk venue, Chelsea Piers, overlooking the Hudson River. Eight emerging Canadian and international designers were in the spotlight during three exclusive Spring/Summer 2019 runway presentations at New York Fashion Week. Designers for this month's showcase in New York included Kirsten Ley (Canada), Ozlana (Australia), Profanity by LillzKillz (Canada), NOT DEAD YET (Canada), Kim Tiziana Rottmüller (Germany), N⚆Z⚆MI KUWAHARA (Japan), Carlton Jones (US) and XY (China).
Australian fashion house Ozlana opened Global Fashion Collective in New York this month, on a catwalk beautifully decorated with dried wildflowers, fluffy white cotton wool clouds suspended from the ceiling and the sounds of chirping birds, bringing a touch of nature to midtown New York. New designer to the brand, Korean born Hanna Kim has produced a strong collection for Ozlana. Light, feminine dresses in chiffon and satin feature gorgeous hand drawings and illustrations in a pastel and neutral color palette. A long knitted cardigan with embroidered strawberries over a pretty cherry print dress was one great look. Leather bomber jackets, cute mini handbags and simple white platform sneakers contributed to a fun, youthful feel. Ozlana as a brand could be described as "street couture", a fusion of elaborate craftsmanship with trendy streetwear.
Canadian designer Kirsten Ley's new haute couture collection is a thing of wonder. The hours that must go into each hand sewn, sculptural garment are incredible. Each one of a kind piece of flowing silk, hand-gathered chiffon or leather in crimson, dark blue and bone colors, is a work of art. Her eco-friendly, organic collection is produced locally in Vancouver without any synthetic materials, right down to the threads in silk and cotton. Kirsten has shown at Vancouver and Tokyo fashion weeks and this was her second time at New York Fashion Week. She moulds thick leather by hand to imitate the lightness of organza rippling down the runway and manipulates chiffon with couture-style hand sewing to mimic the hardness of organic structural curves. Her garments combine strong lines and hard tailoring with soft femininity. Kirsten Ley is rapidly making her mark on fashion as an innovative, experimental designer. It will be fascinating to see what this talented designer does next after her upcoming move to Paris where she'll continue with haute couture and will expand her ready-to-wear line.
I was impressed that Chinese designer Han Zhang used models of all ages and sizes to show her XY collection. In fact her show opened with an enthusiastic child model walking the runway wearing a towering traditional silver headdress. XY was inspired by the Miao people, an ethnic Chinese culture from her hometown in Guiyang in south west China. The collection fuses traditional, very detailed embroidery with modern silhouettes in silk and textured tulle using a color palette of red, black and green. A highlight was an emerald colored mid-length silk dress, with fitted waist and princess-line bodice in red with an off-shoulder design.
Dynamic American designer Carlton Jones has been working in fashion for a while as a stylist to Lenny Kravitz, Michelle Obama, Halle Berry and Aretha Franklin, to mention just a few well known public figures. And Carlton was the first stylist to put Queen Latifah in a dress. Along the way, he managed to find time to design clothes too. His first showing at New York Fashion week for Spring/Summer 2019 is resort inspired. Describing his designs as "poolside red carpet" fashion, Carlton creates ready-to-wear night and day designs for men and women. He uses eclectic prints and a rayon fabric that looks and feels remarkably like silk, in a color palette that ranges from sandy neutrals to brights.
German designer Kim Tiziana Rottmüller made a second appearance on the New York catwalk with playful, feminine designs that are a mix of ready-to-wear and haute couture. As with her previous collections, her Spring/Summer 2019 line is characterised by drama through the use of volume, ruffles and big shapes. Cashmere sweaters, flowing dresses in silk and velvet, coats with cylindrical sleeves are all hand sewn in pretty lilac and pink, contrasted with black. Kim's new collection, produced while completing her final year of studies at Polimoda in Florence, has an air of mystery and drama, making for a powerful showing at New York.
Japanese designer Nozomi Kuwahara's eponymous label was showcased at New York fashion week for the first time this month. Her Spring/Summer 2019 ready to wear collection was inspired by a trip to Hawaii with vivid colors, tropical fruits and flowers evoking memories of one of the designer's favorite destinations. The Parsons Design graduate launched her label last year and is already emerging as a designer to watch. Her varied Spring/Summer collection featured seersucker shirt dresses in neon colors and also made clever use of SPF50 fabrics to protect skin from sunshine.
Profanity, the label of twenty year old Vancouver-based designer Lillea Goian does indeed include profanity with her playful use of slogans that advocate freedom and inclusivity. This is the third season for a young designer who has already shown in Vancouver and Tokyo fashion weeks. Her unisex designs include faux fur, seat belts and car fenders found at a car junk yard and take inspiration from suburban family life portrayed in TV sitcoms from the 1990s. Determined to be lighthearted and fun, bright colors like neon green, royal blue, yellow and orange are used in the collection's athletic and club wear designs.
Another playful collection on show was Canadian designer Adam-Lin Bungag's experimental unisex apparel line Not Dead Yet that has a punky aesthetic reminiscent of Vivienne Westwood. Plaids, leather, hanging chains and studs featured in Adam's designs, shown for the first time at New York Fashion Week. A transparent PVC overcoat over a red plaid jacket and white crinkled trousers with red plaid strips tied around the leg was a good illustration of Adam's grunge aesthetic.
With its third successful showcase completed, Global Fashion Collective is well on its way to achieving its goal of accelerating emerging designers’ global development and increasing their international visibility by giving them exposure on a new platform at some of the world's top fashion weeks. Next up for GFC is Tokyo Fashion Week next month. Watch this space for our report from Tokyo.
