Discover The Brands Shaking Up New York Fashion Week

“She knows exactly who she is – and, at the same time, is still evolving,” says founder and creative director Daniella Kallmeyer of her Kallmeyer customer. That self-assuredness is reflected in the brand’s confidently diverse collections, featuring everything from softly draped evening dresses to impeccably tailored suits, all of which are designed with comfort and versatility in mind. “I’m so inspired by the idea of my product being a vehicle for problem-solving and how good style can both take the thought out of dressing and create conversation simultaneously.”

Based in the Lower East Side, Kallmeyer feels emboldened by the “overwhelming” number of independent brands showing in New York this season, hailing it a new era for the industry. “Between tariffs and the state of the world, there are enough challenges just to be in business. To thrive is an act of protest and everyone is just trying to make beautiful things, live freely and feel hopeful.”

“New York feels electric; there is a palpable sense of optimism and hustle in the air,” says Rùadh creative director and founder Jac Cameron in the lead-up to New York Fashion Week. “There’s a very mindful, introspective feel to the city, too – balanced by a deeper desire for purpose and connection,” she adds.

Cameron was born and raised in Scotland but now calls New York home, and the two places are integral to the DNA of her brand. “In New York, your clothing represents a form of identity but also needs to be a versatile tool to easily move through the city,” Cameron explains. “There is a rugged adaptability to the pieces I create; and I always aim to build an enduring, functional and aesthetically pleasing wardrobe that feels special to the wearer.” Scotland, on the other hand, “is the thread” that runs through everything – from the fabrics and colors of a collection to the campaign shoots and the name of the brand (pronounced roo-ah), which is Scottish Gaelic for ‘red’.

Cameron launched Rùadh in October last year with an eleven-piece capsule of denim. “Denim is a living, breathing force – raw, rebellious and infinitely adaptable. It challenges convention and sparks boundless creativity with every stitch, every wash, every cut,” says Cameron, whose love affair with the fabric began 20 years ago and has earned her a reputation as the ultimate denim expert (she was previously global denim director at Calvin Klein). Since then, her collection has evolved to include organic cotton T-shirts and knitwear, all designed in small batches using considered materials and processes. “I am particularly proud of our sweater collection for fall ’25; we made three of the pieces in Scotland with a luxury manufacturer in a small town where my mother and grandmother grew up.”

Most days, Maria McManus can be found working by the window of her studio in Tribeca – a prime spot for people-watching, one of her favourite New York pastimes. “It’s the contrasts between neighborhoods that fascinate me most; the duality between the ladies who lunch on the Upper East Side versus that more thrown-together quintessential Lower East Side point of view,” she says.

McManus’s observations on New York style are apparent throughout her collections, which perfectly balance uptown elegance with a relaxed, downtown attitude – think cocooning knits layered over delicate, lace-trimmed slips, hoodies and bodysuits elevated in soft merino wool and boxy blazers teamed with drawstring tailored pants. Crucially, every piece is made to last. The Irish designer is uncompromising in her use of high-quality, responsibly sourced fabrics that are kinder to the environment and considers every detail down to the final stitch. “Our ethos is to encourage our customers to buy well-considered pieces and to wear those pieces more often,” she says.

“Our shows – or salons, as we like to call them – are a unique moment, where I’m able to showcase our collection, talk about the importance of creating responsibly and also bring together friends from all facets of my life – not only as attendees but as models, too,” McManus enthuses, as she looks ahead to her SS26 presentation. “Placing women at the forefront of everything we do is essential to me, and I’m proud to work with incredible women from all walks of life with amazing style.”

“I really felt that fashion was an industry that needed a new vision. A new vision of how it could coexist with people and planet in a beautiful way going forward,” says Another Tomorrow’s founder Vanessa Barboni Hallik on the inspiration behind her brand. For Barboni Hallik and creative director Elizabeth Giardina, that vision means embracing as many sustainable practices as possible, with regenerative agriculture and circularity at the forefront of their farm-to-closet approach.

“We get particularly excited when we find the nexus of positive impact and exquisite quality and handfeel,” says Giardina of the brand’s traceable fabrics, which include next-generation biomaterials such as SeaCell® – a cellulose fiber enriched with seaweed that is prized for its silky handle. As for the clothes themselves, each piece, from the signature ‘Boy’ tee to the organic, garment-dyed denim, is made to slot seamlessly into a woman’s wardrobe and reflect the transitional nature of her lifestyle. “Ultimately, I want the wearer to feel comfortable and confident in clothing that enhances her life rather than defines it,” Giardina explains.

Of course, living and working in a city like New York means inspiration for their collections is everywhere. “I think New York has this inherent energy that anything is possible,” says Barboni Hallik. Giardina agrees: “There’s a fearless willingness to experiment and push boundaries… Everywhere you look, there’s a visual tension between practicality and unique, individual expression – and it’s endlessly inspiring.”

The weeks leading up to New York Fashion Week are often quite frenzied for brands in the throes of final fittings and finishing touches, and that’s very much the case for TWP’s Trish Westcoat Pound and her team. “Our days are full, fast – and excitement is met with crucial focus,” says the designer ahead of her show in the city on September 15.

Originally inspired by her love of button-downs (specifically those borrowed from a man’s closet), Westcoat Pound launched her label to offer women effortlessly elevated, everyday staples that riff on American sportswear and reflect how they live and move through the world. “American sportswear is about ease; while there is a certain casualness to it, it remains polished and elevated,” she explains, pointing out the juxtaposition between heritage workwear and refined tailoring in her collections.

The majority of the brand’s garments are made by a small team of craftspeople between Soho and the Garment District – something Wescoat Pound is incredibly proud of. “New York is alive and creative energy is everywhere, naturally drawing incredible design talent. We are fortunate to have our clothes made in the very city that inspires them so deeply.”

Having laid down roots in the city in 2000, three years after launching her label in Hong Kong, Tibi’s Amy Smilovic is no stranger to the New York fashion scene. “I think that we’re in a time that is forcing us all to focus on our strengths,” says the Georgia-born designer. “We feel sharper than ever and just really committed to keeping our head down and doing our own thing,” she explains of the mood among her peers right now.”

Smilovic’s own approach to design is rooted in ‘Creative Pragmatism’, a concept she developed during the pandemic. “It’s simply the notion that very few of us can describe ourselves in one word,” she explains. It also rejects the idea that style cannot be learned and instead argues that personal style is ever evolving – a sliding scale within which creativity and functionality can coexist. From utilitarian track jackets with directional cutouts to effortlessly chic polo knits and wear-anywhere denim, every piece in Tibi’s collection is open to the customer’s interpretation.

When it comes to her own closet, Smilovic is currently wearing the ‘Lars’ jeans on repeat “because, right now, I’m vacillating between sculpted pants and shorts,” she says of the convertible jeans, which can also be partly unzipped at the knees. “I live for options.” She’s also big on navy blazers for the office and loves the ease of the leather-trimmed twill jacket in the NET-A-PORTER edit.