Ronald van der Kemp, the Dutch designer who typically shows during Paris couture week, is also in town, celebrating his label’s 10 year anniversary with a show in the East Village. “My career started in NYC straight after art school in Amsterdam in the ’90s at the chicest Bill Blass and at Barneys, working with the fearless Pressman family,” van der Kemp explained via email. “These experiences really shaped me as a person and as a designer. I [also] had a dress in the “Sleeping Beauties” exhibition that’s part of the Met’s permanent collection, so this jubilee year felt like the perfect opportunity to bring my ‘new ethics in luxury fashion’ to New York.” As for what to expect from the sustainably minded creator, he said, “I did what I always do times-two; this wardrobe is an homage to NYC as I like to see it—the energy, the spirit, the eccentricity, and belief that everything is possible! I want to bring realness and old school couture, shake up some things here, and hopefully find some of the Nan Kempners of today.”—NP
When a Runway Just Isn’t Enough
In New York, September is always the season for designers to go all out, given the weather is so much better than February’s. This year is no different, with many designers breaking out of the trad show format. Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kassel, still riding high having dressed the cast of The Wiz at the 2024 Met Gala when they dressed the cast of The Wiz, are holding their spring 2025 Tanner Fletcher presentation at an art gallery, with street-cast models in a theatrical performance that will turn them into “live works of art.” Jackson Wiederhoeft, a CVFF finalist for the second time this year, is partnering with the restaurant HAGS to create a theatrical dinner that will “extend the magic of the fashion show.” There may be another label taking inspiration from Dries Van Noten’s spring 2005 show, in which a dinner and a fashion show converged to glamorous effect, but we’ve been asked not to disclose who quite yet. Just be ready for a season full of surprises.—Irene Kim
The Busiest NYFW Day—Before NYFW Even Starts
Fashion loves to be “in” on something before everyone else, so it’s not surprising that the week’s busiest day comes two days before the official start of New York Fashion Week. Let’s call September 4th the unofficial kickoff. Downtown, the events include Uniqlo’s sneak preview of Clare Waight Keller’s new Uniqlo: C collection, a party celebrating the 250th anniversary of Birkenstock, and a cocktail in honor of Luisaviaroma’s New York flagship store. That evening, the CFDA and Genesis House will host their AAPI Design and Innovation Grant at the Genesis House, where they will announce the participants of the 2024 award. And uptown, out-of-towners are taking over New York’s department stores with Chitose Abe celebrating the aforementioned fashionable new book, The Battle of Versailles, at Bergdorf’s, and Simon Porte Jacquemus toasting to the week at Nordstrom.—IK
All Eyes on Luiza Perote
