New York’s art world is shaped by the women who keep it moving—from the artists creating new visual languages to the curators, gallerists, directors, and auction specialists shaping how those ideas are seen, collected, and appreciated. For its latest editorial, the fashion brand Mackage turned the spotlight toward five women working across those different corners of the industry: Hannah Traoré, Lily Mortimer, Brooke Wise, Fong Min Liao, and Caitlin Donovan.
For the activation, Mackage invited each woman to select the looks that best represented her personality, resulting in portraits that centered the brand’s signature trench coats, layered over each woman’s individual wardrobes. The duality aimed to keep the campaign grounded in personal expression, allowing individuality to remain at the forefront while connecting the women through a shared New York perspective.
Five Perspectives on New York’s Art World
Lily Mortimer. Courtesy of Mackage.
Hannah Traoré. Courtesy of Mackage.
The project brings together five distinct practices and paths through the art world. Traoré is the curator, gallerist, and founder of Hannah Traoré Gallery—the New York contemporary exhibition space she opened in 2022 in the Lower East Side to champion emerging artists and expand visibility for historically underrepresented voices.
Lily Mortimer, a director at David Zwirner, works closely with artists, collectors, and institutions as part of the gallery’s international program, following more than a decade at Gagosian. Independent curator Brooke Wise, who works between New York and Los Angeles, currently serves as chief curator and a member of the board of directors at the Tom of Finland Foundation. Her practice spans contemporary art exhibitions, film programming, and cultural initiatives, often bringing together art, archival material, popular culture, and community impact.
Fong Min Liao, a New York-based Chinese-American multidisciplinary artist, painter, and writer, explores identity, femininity, and cultural heritage through painting, writing, and creative collaborations. And Caitlin Donovan, Global Head of Sales at Joopiter, oversees global auction and private-sale strategy for the digital-first auction house and marketplace founded by Pharrell Williams, with a career that has included launching multiple collecting categories at Christie’s.
Together, they offer five perspectives on an art ecosystem that continues to evolve—and on a city that has played an important role in shaping their individual careers.
Art, Fashion, and New York Come Together
Brooke Wise. Courtesy of Mackage.
Caitlin Donovan. Courtesy of Mackage.
For the campaign, Mackage also brought in Isaac Hindin-Miller for a candid street-style conversation with the women. The exchange moves easily between art, fashion, New York, and personality. Asked to name their favorite streets, Traoré immediately chose Orchard Street, while Mortimer selected West 9th, the street where she lives. Asked what artwork they would own if they could choose just one, Mortimer and Donovan both went with Cy Twombly, while Wise chose Bruce Nauman’s Walk with Contrapposto. Liao named a classic red Rothko, and Traoré imagined an Alexandre Calder mobile.
The conversation revealed elements of each woman’s character, as well as style and epression. Liao described herself as channeling “the Mackage woman in her favorite trench coat,” while Wise took a more playful approach, saying she was channeling “a sexy female inspector gadget.” Mortimer, meanwhile, looked to her grandmother as her style reference point—“much cooler than I’ll ever be,” she joked.
The Trench Coat as a Common Thread
Hannah Traoré. Courtesy of Mackage.
Caitlin Donovan. Courtesy of Mackage.
For the campaign, the trench became a consistent visual thread, while the women’s own wardrobes, personalities, and answers provide the variation. Mackage’s outerwear acts as a framework rather than a uniform. The exchange led to a simple question: What is the best piece of style advice they have received?
Wise stated, “Dress for yourself and not for others.” Donovan shared that it was best to never take it too seriously and to wear what you love. Traoré emphasizes confidence, while Mortimer said, “Confidence is key.”
Individuality Defines the Mackage Woman
Fong Min Liao. Courtesy of Mackage.
Brooke Wise. Courtesy of Mackage.
It’s a fitting takeaway for a campaign built around women who have each established their own place within New York’s art world. By putting their voices alongside their portraits, Mackage presents them not simply as faces of a campaign, but as individuals with distinct practices, tastes, and perspectives—each helping define what the city’s creative landscape looks like today.
With its signature trench coats at the center, the project became a study in what happens when fashion meets the people who shape culture. Here, clothing can be the connection, but the women make the story their own.
