Our Favorite Moments From New York Fashion Week SS26

Another New York Fashion Week has come to a close. Despite the critical online discourse surrounding the week-long festivities, we were still treated to plenty of amazing shows, new collabs, well-dressed celebs, and thoughtful brand activations.

From runway shows to collaborations, these are Our Favorite Moments From New York Fashion Week SS26.

Honorable Mention: Advisry

The best runway show of New York Fashion Week wasn’t in a closed-off venue with an invite-only guest list. Rather than show its own collection, KidSuper handed the spotlight to five emerging, Brooklyn-born designers. The show, dubbed “The People’s Runway,” took over the Brooklyn Borough Hall for the night. It was all led by Colm Dillane, a Brooklyn native himself.

The Brooklyn United Marching Band opened and closed the show, while the front row featured the likes of Ms. Lauryn Hill, Kodak Black, and Ferg. The five designers–Kent Anthony, Shriya Myneni, Rojin Jung, Ahmrii Johnson, and Daveed Baptiste–were chosen from an open call earlier this summer and each received a $5,000 grant and mentorship from Dillane prior to the show. Each presented five looks that showcased their distinct vision, ranging from experimental silhouettes to bold textures and colors.

Open to the public, the show truly lived up to its name. The atmosphere was supportive and energetic, shedding away fashion week’s usual blasé attitude for something that actually felt alive. —Shinnie Park

Honorable Mentions: Colbo

While it isn’t technically the very last show on the New York Fashion Week calendar, Luar has become the perfect way to cap off the week for the past few seasons. Once again, Raul Lopez delivered. For his brand’s latest season, many of the designs took cues from the Dominican Carnival. Looks featured colorful feathers, sheer elements, body paint, and face masks to resemble the traditional garb of the celebration. Local artisans in the Dominican Republic helped with beading on tops and head pieces. Other looks tapped into more everyday wardrobe staples like raw denim jackets, square-toed laceups, and supple brown leather messenger bags. The end result was an authentic love letter to Lopez’s roots that crafted pointed cultural references with high-level fabrication. —Mike DeStefano

Honorable Mentions: Dennis Rodman at Luar, Lauryn Hill at The People’s Runway

A rooftop basketball court at New York’s New Design High School was the setting for Off-White’s latest runway presentation. The sport weaved itself into the show in various ways. Some were overt. A collab with the New York Liberty was previewed and the franchise’s popular mascot, Ellie the Elephant, sat front row. Other nods were more subtle, like Kobe Bryant’s daughter Natalia walking in the show in a sporty olive green knit quarter zip paired with a skirt and sneakers. The moment doubled as a celebratory next step in Natalia’s modeling career and a small tribute to one of basketball’s most legendary figures. —Mike DeStefano

Honorable Mention: Lauryn Hill

Jordan Clarkson made New York City his new NBA home this offseason when he signed a one-year deal with the Knicks. He’s already embracing the Big Apple. The veteran who we consider to be the best-dressed player in the league bounced around to various events across NYFW, from the front row at KidSuper’s show in Brooklyn to his own kickoff party hosted with lululemon. No matter where he pulled up, he was getting a fit off. Our personal favorite was a short suit he paired with a classic pair of wheat Timbs to help celebrate the return of Public School. If this is a small glimpse into what fits Clarkson has in store for the pregame tunnel in MSG this season, we can’t wait. —Mike DeStefano

Honorable Mention: Thug Club x Adidas

Overall, NYFW was pretty light when it came to debuting splashy collabs. One that we still can’t believe we saw was a T-shirt between Off-White and Brigade. One of the city’s best emerging brands cooked up the staff T-shirts for the show. The back graphic featured a giant eagle and Off-White’s signature arrows motif filled in with the flags of the world. The Puerto Rican and Dominican flag represent the heritage of Brigade founder Aaron Maldondo. The front featured a small flag of Sierra Leone, a nod to the home of Off-White’s current creative director Ib Kamara.

We’ve been a fan of Brigade’s collections for a minute, so it was cool to see them get to officially collaborate with a luxury brand. In many ways, the project is a continuation of Virgil Abloh’s mission to constantly spotlight and uplift young and emerging creatives.

We weren’t surprised to see these sell out swiftly when Extra Butter dropped a handful of tees on its website a couple days after the show. Brigade has leveled up yet again. —Mike DeStefano

Honorable Mention: Luar

Coach is in its bag, literally. During its Spring 2026 show, the brand showcased three key silhouettes: the cylindrical duffle dubbed the Kisslock Barrel Bag, the Bleeker Bucket Bag updated with a kisslock pocket, and the iconic Tabby reimagined as a clutch for the first time. Presented in multiple hues and leather finishes, each bag showed that Coach has mastered the balance of practicality and style. The mini Kisslock pouches worn around models’ necks and bag charms added a playfulness to the overall lineup. —Shinnie Park

Honorable Mentions: Andrew Miami x Salomon, Yaito x Adidas Superstars

In Paris, the runways and showrooms are flooded with new sneaker collabs from heavy hitters like Comme des Garçons and Junya Watanabe. In New York City, the best footwear that we saw came by way of smaller brands hosting pop-up shops throughout the city. By far, our favorites were new colorways of the Liputa boots sold by Akomi. The rising brand has elevated the classic hiking boot silhouette with some fun elements like textured croc leather uppers and multiple pairs of colorful laces to allow for personal customization. This is a boot that we can easily see ending up into a lot of fall footwear rotations. If you missed out on the new colorways that dropped at Akomi’s NYFW pop-up, grab another clean pair on Complex now. —Mike DeStefano

Honorable Mention: Omi’s Airbrushed Birkins

Photographer and director Renell Medrano proved that we actually can print more money. This past Saturday, the New York native transformed NYC’s enigmatic WSA into an installation inspired by Atlanta strip clubs to celebrate the second volume of her print publication, Ice Magazine. Each issue highlights women from a specific location. Volume two features the women of ATL in an exploration of their city’s culture and style filtered through the female gaze. With a predilection for hustle and raw beauty, Medrano brought an activation complete with dynamic pole dancers showered in glitter and custom dollar bills featuring her face to NYC. While the issue itself sold out almost instantly, Medrano’s icy dollars are the perfect keepsake for anyone hoping to remember they were there. They may not have any monetary value, but they’re unequivocally cultural currency. —Dori Walker

Honorable Mention: Lil Yachty x Slawn “24 HRS in Atlanta” Art Gallery

When it comes to activations during fashion week, you can usually expect brands to get a little creative and experimental. But a full-on carnival? That’s taking things to the next level. Adidas and Yaito did just that. They hosted an entire carnival in Brooklyn. The Adiland Carnival featured a ferris wheel, a bouncy house, a water gun race, free pizza from Cuts and Slices, and a live performance by Clipse. It was the perfect way to close out New York Fashion Week and also acted as a stage to debut Yaito’s latest footwear collaboration with the Three Stripes. The event also included a raffle with exclusive prizes such as Pharrell’s Adistar Jellyfish, apparel, and more. While fashion week can sometimes feel like a popularity contest or an exclusive space for the rich and famous, Adiland was a refreshing experience rooted in culture and community. It was the most fun we had all week. —Bree Walker

Honorable Mentions: Alex Moss Grand Opening Party

I bet you never thought you’d see Studio 54 hosting a party in 2025. On the first night of fashion week, Valentino Beauty reopened the doors of the iconic nightclub for the first time ever to celebrate the launch of the Born in Roma 2025 Rendez-Vous Ivory collection.

Recreating the club’s legacy, the night brought aerial acts, angels handing out balloons, and DJ sets from Honey Dijon and The Dare blasting disco classics. Even the door mirrored Studio 54’s heyday with crowds pushing to get in. Inside, Studio 54 royalty like Cher attended alongside stars like Colman Domingo, Lenny Kravitz, and FKA Twigs. It was a night where fashion, nightlife, and history collided to the soundtrack of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love.” —Shinnie Park

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