From Telfar’s new bags to Gab Union’s new drop, what was good this NYFW?

If, while spending the better part of the last two years in sweatsuits, you’ve effectively forgotten how to dress, New York Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2022 had a few ideas.

Officially kicking off February 11, the week’s official and unofficial fashion presentations continued through Friday, February 18. Of course, our eyes were trained on the Black designers strutting their designs down runways via in-person, virtual and hybrid presentations alike—as well as a few instantly shoppable drops. Below, a sampling of several of our fashionable favorites this season.

Telfar

Without a doubt, the buzziest fashion designer of the moment is Telfar Clemens, who has been dominating both accessible and luxe-level sportswear with his clear understanding of the assignment: keep it current yet comfortable. With an array of athleisure-inspired looks that debuted via Telfar TV for Fall-Winter 2022, the designer ensured we can continue to get our flex on for the indefinite future without sacrificing our hold on fashion.

“When we started [Telfar TV] it really came from a deeper need to connect with our community,” Clemens told Vogue following his February 16 presentation. “This is the place where we can experiment, where we can talk to people directly without having to censor ourselves, without having to talk through an audience of mainstream media or whiteness. It’s not about how many people are watching it, or how many more bags we can sell, it’s literally about freedom.”

Of course, the unflagging popularity of the Telfar Shopping Bag, the embossed utilitarian tote available in three sizes and an ever-evolving spectrum of colors, never hurts. A week after debuting a new mauve-pink color coyly dubbed “Corned Beef” (and “Eggplant” scheduled for release Monday, February 21) Clemens, the CFDA’s reigning Accessories Designer of the Year for two years running, teased a series of brand new bags at his NYFW presentation.

In addition to confirming the arrival of a new circular, convertible clutch (seen above in our header photo) the internet was buzzing about in January (as were we), multiple sizes and colors of logo-embossed duffels appeared accompanied the looks displayed on Telfar’s illuminated and rotating platform. The bad news? Telfar’s new frames are higher in price than the label’s much-beloved shopping bag. The good news? They were instantly coppable on the label’s site.

Hanifa

Hanifa won raves for its 3-D virtual presentation during Fashion Week in 2020, an innovative pivot amid a new era of social distancing. This NYFW, the label released Drop II of its Fall/Winter 21 collection, a sequel to the November 2021 runway debut of its “Dream” collection at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. As stated in a release from the brand, the capsule of six new looks “perfectly encapsulates the mood and ambiance of the brand. Rich fabrics and opulent colors signify luxury and point to an elevated collection that combines all of the best elements of [designer] Anifa Mvuemba’s craftsmanship.” 

Exclusively available via Hanifa‘s website, Drop II is available in sizes XS to 2XL, with a price point from $189-$359. 

anOnlyChild

Designer Maxwell Osborne may be best known in fashion circles for his CFDA award-winning work with partner Dao-Yi Chow for Public School NYC. But this February, he debuted the first campaign and collection for his solo label—the aptly named anOnlyChild. In fact, Osborne kicked off Black History Month with the label’s environmentally-conscious collection, made entirely from deadstock materials.

Initially previewed during a pre-fashion week runway show at Osborne’s family home in September 2021, “The spirit of anOnlyChild is built around recreating lived experiences to form new ones,” read a release to theGrio.

Each piece in this collection was created from fabrics and materials gathered from friends along with excess cuttings and fabric scraps from the sample room floors throughout the garment district. Inspired by the technique of needle punching from Ancient Egypt, Osborne used the same method to bind different pieces of fabrics, weaving them together to create a new hybrid fabric to be used throughout the collection. 

Credit: anOnlyChild

“While this process prevents us from recreating a consistency throughout the collection, we consider it to be an advantage,” Osborne further explained. “Each of our garments retains the soul of their fabric’s previous life to form something unique, one-of-a-kind and sort of like an only child.”

As Fashion Week came to a close, Osborne dropped more fashion: a capsule collection of felt wool baseball and bucket-inspired hats co-created with milliner Gigi Burris. Tapping photographer Bon Duke, who also captured the clothing campaign, the trio hosted a Fashion Week exhibit of the new campaign photography titled “Borrowed Crowns.” Both collections are available for purchase at anOnlyChild.com. 

Edwing D’Angelo

Afro-Columbian designer Edwing D’Angelo is one of the few to base his atelier in Harlem, New York City. There, he debuted his Fall-Winter 2022 collection on February 12, titled “The Widows of Macondo.” 

In accordance with the theme, the models wore simulated black tears with the all-black collection, which was “inspired by the literary novel prize masterpiece One Hundred Years of Solitude by [late] Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Márquez” as explained a release to theGrio, adding: “D’Angelo brought the magical realist style and thematic to life in his collection for men and women.”

“In a period where there is so much loss around us, as a creative, I must find a happy medium,” D’Angelo explained in a statement. “To rejoice and focus on the positive without making light of our social discord. We are going through it as a society, but instead of making an uplifting collection of bright colors and beautiful craftmanship, I wanted this collection to be somber and beautiful at the same time, making us think of who we are as people and what sorrow means to us at this point in time.”

Dur Doux

We may currently be forecasting fashion trends for Fall-Winter 2022, but the New York Fashion Week presentation from mother-daughter designer duo Cynthia Burt and Najla Burt—otherwise known as Dur Doux—was ready for spring. A much-needed burst of color took over an otherwise gray and snowy day at New York City’s Bryant Park on February 13, showcasing a vibrant palette of cobalt blues, jungle greens, juicy oranges, and more.

While Dur Doux (pronounced “dur-do”) is the French translation of “hard/soft,” this season’s collection was dubbed “La Nouvelle Mosaique,” meaning “the New Mosaic.” As reported by the CFDA’s Runway360, the collection is intended to be “a modern fashion interpretation of an ancient popular art form, mosaic art.”

Gabrielle Union x New York & Company

If your body is ready for spring-ready hues, Gabrielle Union‘s latest collection for New York & Company is full of them—and ready to shop. While the star’s ready-to-wear fashion line wasn’t stalking the NYFW runways this season, it was still in step with the moment, launching a series of colorful new pieces dropping each week of February

“Gabrielle Union’s Spring Collection is launching just in time for the warmer months ahead, as we prepare to transition from winter styles to spring silhouettes,” explained a release to theGrio. “The new Spring line features a range of colorful hues—including pastel tones, bright yellows, mint and earthy greens—to add the perfect pop of color to our spring wardrobes.”

Maiysha Kai is Lifestyle Editor of theGrio, covering all things Black and beautiful. Her work is informed by two decades’ experience in fashion and entertainment, a love of great books and aesthetics, and the indomitable brilliance of Black culture. She is also a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and editor of the YA anthology Body (Words of Change series).

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