Harlem Fashion Row’s 9th Annual Fashion Week celebration was a complete success. The event, which took place at Pier 59 Studios, focused on the fields of fashion, beauty and art. HFR has become a major platform for showcasing multicultural designers and recognizing extraordinary talents in fashion. HFR’s 2016 honorees included Elaine Welteroth for Editor of the Year, Teen Vogue; Eric Archibald, celebrity stylist; Kyle Harglar, president of Next Media; and legendary hip-hop artist and producer, Swiss Beatz, who received the prestigious ICON 360 Award.
HFR also introduced four exceptionally talented fashion designers: Terese Sydonna, Lois London, Jakai Franks and Kahindo Mateene, an HFR alum. Lois London, designed by Radhika Perera-Hernandez, offers a touch of class to an elegant line. Perera-Hernandez used to create a collection for Beyoncé Knowles’ clothing company, House of Dereon. Influenced by the designer’s Eastern roots, Lois London’s clothes are mixed with intrigue and glamour. Her details include intricate draping, rich colors and airy fabrics. Lois London is available at www.Lois-London.com.
The Terese Sydonna brand is designed by Terese Brown, who has put her array of talents into launching her very own company. Her colors and fabrics are very comfortable. Kahindo’s designer, Kahindo Mateene, showed a line of multicultural, handmade designs. Her sophisticated couture collection featured bright colors and bold prints for the modern woman to wear in her daily life. Her collection is available at retailers around the world and at www.Kahindo.com. JRU, designed by Jakai Franks, focuses on menswear. His clothes are available at www.jruclothing.com.
The fashion event coincided with the Brunch & Be Social pop-up shop last Saturday after the fashion show. More than 20 multicultural designers have presented their collections. HFR’s 2016 Fashion Show & Style event showed accessories, womenswear and menswear. Their mission remains to positively encourage designers to take a leap and let their talents shine on the brightest stage New York Fashion Week has to offer. The organization intends to sow new pages in history. The HFR Fashion Week was created to acknowledge stylists, trendsetters, influencers and designers who make strides in the fashion industry.