Capping off WWD’s three-part series unveiling the inspirations behind the spring 2024 collections at New York Fashion Week, the designers reflected on the enlightening powers of their individual creative processes.
Wes Gordon found “clarity” through his designs for Carolina Herrera, which will be made from polka dot cotton faille and rose-printed stretch satin as in the image he shared here, while Gabriela Hearst took a lesson in Druidic philosophy, pulling a quote from scholar Peter Berresford Ellis book on the subject.
Elsewhere, Raul Lopez of Luar called on a higher power. The designer, who once again nabbed the closing spot on the calendar, found himself at the crossroads, “where religion meets street,” submitting a cherry red van tricked out with a speaker system large enough to fill a cathedral.
And Willy Chavarria had a revelation of his own. During a styling session, the designer snapped a photo of a model with arms outstretched like Jesus nailed to the cross. It summarized the mood for his entire collection, he said, adding that he hopes to “share a new dimension in how we perceive what we wear and why.”
Also questioning the conventional are nominees for this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kassell, who partnered with the Miss Universe Organization to reimagine the beauty pageant format through a queer lens. This will mark their brand’s first runway presentation.
Carly Mark from Puppets & Puppets also was in a collaborative mood, choosing the Los Angeles-based filmmaker and painter Christ Peters “to create clothes that sit somewhere between fantasy, technology and New York City,” she said.
But Jackson Wiederhoeft, one of this city’s outré showmen, was feeling unusually insular this season. His image of a statue smashed to pieces came with the attached quote, “I draw the curtain closed upon myself.” Hopefully, Wiederhoeft hasn’t given up hope- his show, to be held at the La MaMa theater in the East Village, is less than a week away.