I had the pleasure of being able to experience New York Mens Day during this year's September New York Fashion Week. Each brand presented their collection in their own fully-styled studio space, incorporating décor relevant to the brand identity and collection inspiration. Presentations took place simultaneously creating an easy way for attendees to flow throughout each studio space and take in the designer's work. This year's presenting designers included A. Potts, BMC Studio, Clara Son Studio, Kent Anthony NY, Raleigh Workshop, Sebastien Ami, Skyco Studios, Tarpley Us, Terry Singh NYC, and The Salting NYC.
A. Potts
A. Potts collection designed by designer Aaron Potts looked inward to the streets of New York City to create a collection that has the balance of whimsical nature meeting urban sophistication. Inspiration for the color palette included navy tones as well as beautiful gold foiled pieces and bright neon orange creating a contrast that ultimately brought the whole collection together seamlessly. The collection swayed more casual but included casual suiting, drop waist skirts, oversized mini dresses as well as shorts and shirts, and beautifully tailored full-length dresses.
B|M|C
Brandon Murphy presented the most classic tailoring for his B|M|C spring collection. The collection included high-waisted pants (some had flare bottoms), silk and textile shorts, silk tops that draped beautifully, and casual open V-neck tops. He wanted to make this line super comfortable yet elegant combining streetwear and traditional tailoring perfectly. Brandon believes that clothing is a big part of identity and can dictate your mood and how you are feeling — definitely the biggest form of self-expression and I totally saw that come through with this collection.
Clara Son Studio
Clara Son Studio Emergence 2023 capsule collection presented us with a combination of ruched tops and pants including ruching with buttons which reminded me of a beautiful duvet cover, chain shirts and headpieces, pantsuits with grommets, and shear pieces that connected the whole collection. Her collection effortlessly combined the masculinity and the vulnerability of men bringing a post-genderism to her elegant and minimalist style. Taking more whimsical pieces and pairing them with a shoe that is more futuristic and masculine creates a collection that is authentic to the brand from start to finish.
Kent Anthony NY
Kent Anthony NY collection was a mix of structured suiting mixed with his background in track and field. Anthony incorporated beading and vertical lines into his classic silhouette, which included short jackets, long pants, and broad shoulders. His line was effortlessly chic and cool embracing the vibe of movement and creativity into each of his pieces.
Raleigh Workshop
Raleigh Workshop Displayed their collection with a live jazz band playing while the models walked around the space, really creating an immersive space for us to be a part of. This collection was full of collaborations — one-offs made in the studio with friends and muses. A friend of his who is a sculptor dripped molten metal on some fabrics which he then made that fabric into pants and a jacket. It was super creative and innovative and loved seeing art and clothing mixed together.
Sebastien Ami
Sebastien Ami brought us the great outdoors but cooler and modern. Marianne - co-founder of Sebastien Ami, founded Sebastien Ami with her husband Sebastien, and explained to me the influence of this collection was based around "being outside and being in nature surrounding yourself with your friends and speaking to their community". The garments are meant to be mixed and matched — with this season's message being "Togetherness". From woven bags with carabiners, cropped denim jackets, utility vests, and oversized cargo pants and jeans they definitely embodied how to create a cohesive collection that is extremely wearable and cool. My Interview with Marianne below!
Skyco Studios
Skyco Studios titled his collection "The Running Man", being very sustainable forward having most pieces from the collection being upcycled — there is a playful yet sophisticated essence to this collection. Creating jackets, pants, and suits made from tapestry and recycled coffee bean bags to matching sets with motifs on them brought a lot of color to men's day. The theme of colorful prints and oversized looks was definitely scene through the whole collection.
Tarpley US
Tarpley US Brought us a collection that harnessed and reworked natural fabrics such as organic pieces of cotton and linens to transform them into technical garments that lean towards a utilitarian style. Models posed with skateboards, fishing rods, hiking gear, and more giving homage to designer Tarpley Brooks Jones' background from Tennessee. Key pieces included a hunting jacket made from bio linen, a waffle hoodie in cream, and Jones' take on a the classic suit — this one with an asymmetric cut twill jacket, tech cummerbund, and matching pants.
Terry Singh NYC
Terry Singh NYC latest line was inspired by a young man in Brazil who reached out to Terry because he wanted to wear skirts around family and friends. He combined the classic hockey uniform with a military vibe to create a combination of utilitarian meets sporty. This season he also introduced a short-skirt suit option along with his classic maxi skirt, it is a beautiful radical idea to give men the opportunity to wear beautiful skirts just like women do. Skirts are not just for women they are for everyone! Click here to watch to interview with Terry Singh about the collection!
The Salting NYC
The Salting NYC debuted their collection of super wide-leg pants and caftans — playing with necklines and using pops of color to update the neutral collection. Standouts included a pair of pin-striped super wide-leg trousers which were paired with a tweed-tailored blazer. They took inspiration from painter Betty Parsons which drove them to create a beautiful genderless collection that anyone could wear. Each piece in the collection felt fresh and inviting like you are going to be spending the summer vacationing in Europe.
A big shoutout to all the amazing designers during New York Mens Day!
@a___potts @brandonmurphyco @clarasonstudio @kent_anthony_ny @raleighworkshop @sebastienami @skyco.studios @tarpley.us @terrysingh.nyc @thesaltingnyc