Young NYFW Designers Had a Lot to Say, But Is Anyone Listening?

If clothing and fashion signal the larger message a person or a designer wants to send, then Fashion Week should be blinking bright red, screaming to a global audience. After all, it’s the industry’s biggest stage, and there is so much clothing can say that our words sometimes can’t.

During New York Fashion Week’s Spring / Summer 2025 season, a handful of designers who showcased their collections certainly tried to make that happen, but, for the most part, we missed the moment. Throughout the week, a few artists, by way of their brands, called attention to issues like climate change, democracy, misogyny, homophobia, reproductive rights, and more. Much of it was beautiful, and some of it was even moving. But the question is: does it matter when the larger takeaway is to sell clothes within a deeply flawed system that prioritizes overproduction and capital over everything?

Maybe. The issue is that while there’s so much to say, NYFW is a quiet song led by a few young designers. The rest is radio silence.

Collina Strada, the sustainability-focused brand by Hilary Teymour, used her entire show setup to comment on the climate crisis. While the clothes were some of the designer’s best, with her signature muted tie-dye fabrics mixed in with plaid skirts and shirts, it was the idea that consumption has gotten out of control and we all need to “Touch Grass” that was on display. The soundtrack featured riffs on 2000s pop music, namely Ashlee Simpson’s “Pieces of Me,” with lyrics changed to lines like “enjoy the seasons now because they won’t last.” On the runway, fellow designer Mara Hoffman, who just shuttered her eponymous label for the very reasons on display, modeled the clothes.

Prabal Gurung wore a VOTE shirt as he came out to take his final bow. This was after he dedicated his show to Holi, the Indian celebration of color, spring, and love – and while it was planned before Vice President Harris became the nominee, it was undoubtedly connected.