Join Whitewall as we explore the genius of leading designers at New York Fashion Week. From collections mimicking flourishing gardens, to alternate Mexican realities, fashion week continues to shake up the industry. Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera, Raul Lopez for Luar, and Markarian take the stage with personality intertwined with the future of fashion.
Carolina Herrera’s Garden of Glam
Courtesy of Carolina Herrera.
Courtesy of Carolina Herrera.
Inspired by the charming Chance the Gardener, Carolina Herrera’s Fall 2025 collection “Being There” (named after the 1979 film featuring Peter Sellers and directed by Hal Ashby) offered a serene luxurious interpretation on gardening in fashion. With the idea to care for our wardrobes as you would tend a precious flower, Creative Director Wes Gordon folded the beauty of nature into each pleat. In rich blooming colors structured pencil skirts, silk rosettes, and bright meticulous pleats all came together to prosper in the Herrera Garden in New York. Rich sapphire blue, ruby red, a stunning cornflower blue, and shades of deep plum were pulled from the harmonious Sonia Delaunay’s piece, “Rhythm Color,” another inspiration for Gordon. As each perfectly constructed gown made its way down the runway, Gordon hoped the Herrera woman would admire the new additions to her wardrobe, “like planting a seed in a garden.”
Gordon said in a statement, “I nurture in my creative process that I hope the Herrera woman treasures just as much when she brings it into her wardrobe, like planting a new seed in the garden.”
Ten Years of Brandon Maxwell
Photo by Monica Feudi, courtesy of Brandon Maxwell.
Photo by Monica Feudi, courtesy of Brandon Maxwell.
Approaching his 10th year as an American designer, Brandon Maxwell created a transformative journey in his fall/winter 2025 collection. Mirroring his own navigation in this line of work through grief and growth, beautiful shapes formed from fitted gowns from neck to ankle, to thickly scarved plush coats. Translating his passion into the fabrics, the confident leathers and plaid patterns are timeless and chic. With every piece, Maxwell invited the wearer to step into a world of personal reinvention, capturing the balance between fragility and fortitude, and offering a new chapter in his story.
Feathers and Freedom in Luar’s Fall 2025 Collection
Courtesy of Luar.
Courtesy of Luar.
Catsuits, crocodile embossed suits, and tons of feathers dominated the Luar Fall 2025 show. Raul Lopez used these garments to reclaim his flamboyant identity, confronting the harsh slur, “El Pato,” that often echoed in New York City upbringing. In this collection, Lopez embraced being the “ugly swan,” celebrating the freedom to unapologetically be oneself, unbothered by the judgments of others. This defiance is shown in reconstructed jeans, chic wool tops, confidently tailored coats, and oversized feather brooches accompanied by extravagant headpieces that commanded attention. The neutral color palette of greys, blacks, and whites allowed for the garments to shine completely, their sculptural structure drawing the eye.
Campillo Captures the Surreal in Fall 2025 Collection
Photo by Zeeshaan Shabbir, courtesy of Campillo.
Photo by Zeeshaan Shabbir, courtesy of Campillo.
Campillo’s Fall 2025 collection brought a hint of Mexican magical realism to New York Fashion Week. Titled, “Fictions of Reality,” the collection featured coffee flowers as buttons, a subtle nod to Patricio Campillo’s childhood surrounded by coffee plantations. These supernatural elements were used to reflect on Latin America’s social and cultural complexities. Blending fantasy with everyday life, Mexican surrealist painter Remedios Varo influenced the collection resulting in playful volume, materials and structure. In this alternate reality, Mexican charro tailoring pushes the boundaries of shape and structure of masculinity and femininity. In a world where reality often feels overwhelming, this collection provided a much needed escape, reimagining life through a lens of enchantment, symbolism, and boundless possibility.
The Blonds Bring Drama To NYFW
Courtesy of The Blonds.
Courtesy of The Blonds.
Tucked away in FIDI Bank Hall, The Blonds fall/winter 2025 collection exploded with elegance, opulence, and feathers. In homage to the iconic Golden Age, the collection titled “Global Glamazon,” dripped in drama, with crystal adorned corsets, flirty teal feathers, and a bold, body-sculpting glamour. Split into two iconic parts, “City Lights” featured sleek cocktail looks with glittering minis and sexy cutouts, while “Beach Nights” heated things up with sultry metallics. The high glamour collection blended haute couture detailing with hard edged glamour, creating timeless luxury and drama.
Markarian’s Modern Elegance in Autumn/ Winter Collection
Photo by Ben Parks, courtesy of Markarian.
Photo by Ben Parks, courtesy of Markarian.
Markarian’s fall/winter 2025 collection began at the “Wives of Henry VII” exhibit in the London National Portrait Gallery. Markarian founder Alexandra O’Neil fell in love with the captivating velvet palette of Queen Elizabeth I, enthralled by delicate beadwork and dotted jacquards depicted in Nicholas Hillard portraits. Featured in the collection were opulent silhouettes nodding to the historical gowns the queens once wore, with off the shoulder ruffles, jewel toned brocades, and embroidered pomegranates which symbolize fertility and power. Markarian took the history of royal glamour revamping it to become a timeless collection of wearable elegance.
