NEW YORK (AP) — Tourists and New Yorkers crowded around Rockefeller Center’s skating rink Saturday trying to catch a glimpse of the statement knits on display at Victor Glemaud’s final New York Fashion Week show.
For the Haitian-American designer, who grew up in New York, the show held sentimental meaning, but also served as a marker in his career as his brand continues to grow. He launched his label in 2006 and has since collaborated on a collection with Target and ventured into home goods with Schumacher.
Glemaud’s show opened with skaters dressed in his signature knits blasting into the Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace rink, laughing and dancing as guests looked on. He continued with designs that featured clean looks, flattering cuts, several capes and a new eyewear collection.
Glemaud took inspiration for his contemporary sportswear looks from a recent trip to Harbor Island in the Bahamas. Glemaud said he wanted his collection to feel light, cheerful and “something you want to wear in the summer”. Models twirl around the rink in skinless crochet cover-ups that look like they just came from an ocean resort.
Glemaud’s brand was one of a record-breaking 28 black-owned brands exhibited at this year’s New York Fashion Week.
“We’ve tried and we love this industry,” Glemaud said of his fellow black designers. “And, you know, our businesses for the most part are independently owned and self-funded. Fashion week means a lot. So the more the merrier.”
During the pandemic, the designer founded IN THE BLK, a non-profit collective to support creatives of color in the fashion industry.
“It’s about bringing collective creative entrepreneurs together, not just fashion designers,” he said.
Glemaud’s show featured a handful of TikTok celebrities, including fashion influencer Brittany Xavier.
“I love that his collection is so inspired by summer and being together,” she said. “The kind of energy we’ve been missing for the last two years.”
While Glemaud relied on a minimalist color palette and an animal print, that didn’t stop the youth of his designs from shining through with his playful cuts. They elevated his dresses with a subtle sensuality and gave a chic update to swimwear.
V-shaped capes and matching leopard prints would have been considered the showpiece of the night, were it not for one moment that stood out from the rest: as the show ended, Glemaud’s mother, Julie, began to tear with pride.
The thrill, the love, the joy, she said. “It’s always fun with Victor.”
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