September 2023 New York Fashion Week has Black excellence on the itinerary

From emerging Black designers to runway legends, this season’s New York Fashion Week is refreshingly ripe with Black talent.

As the fashion world prepares for New York Fashion Week’s formal kick-off on Sept. 8, the event’s main organizer and operator, IMG, has revealed that this season’s official itinerary will be rich in Black style.

Alongside next year’s spring-summer collections, taking place between Sept. 8 through Sept. 13, NYFW: The Talks will launch on Sept. 10 with “Black Excellence in Fashion: Championing Representation and Entrepreneurship,” presented by UPS. The talk will be preceded by the invite-only Black Beauty Roster Excellence Luncheon on Sept. 8.

Women’s Wear Daily reports that fashion’s famed “Battle of Versailles” will receive a well-deserved, albeit early celebration of its 50th anniversary. Designer Stephen Burrows, who brought a cast of Black models to the now-legendary 1973 runway faceoff between American and European designers, will be joined by Donna Karan, veteran models Alva Chinn and Pat Cleveland, and model-moderator Jasmine Tookes for the panel “Battle of Versailles 50: The Making of Fashion History presented by Anne Klein.”

Black creativity will rule this season’s runways, as well; on Sept. 8, a trio of designing HBCU alums will get their shine at “Big Motion,” a UPS-sponsored fashion show featuring designers Undra Celeste New York, Chelsea Grays, and The Brand Label. From Sept. 9 through Sept. 13,  the Black in Fashion Council Discovery Showrooms return for a seventh year, featuring a roster of emerging Black designers presented by Rakuten. This year’s designers will include Ciara Chyanne, Fumi The Label, Kaphill, Korlekie, Khoi, Kilentar, Lurelly, Onalaja, Tia Adeola and Tejahn Burnett.

On Sept. 12, producer-director Roger Ross Williams (“The 1619 Project”) and several as-yet-to-be-disclosed guests will join director Larissa Bills to discuss their new four-part Apple TV+ documentary series, “The Super Models,” which chronicles the careers of Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington.

As for this season’s designers, “Project Runway All-Star” Bishme Cromartie, Chuks Collins, Frederick Anderson, LaQuan Smith, N.Digo, Sergio Hudson, Studio 189 (co-founded by Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah), Tiffany Brown Designs and Whensmokeclears® are all scheduled to show on the official NYFW calendar, with many of the shows on demand and more surprises undoubtedly in store. 

According to WWD, Sergio Hudson and Tiffany Brown Designs are also among over two dozen designers participating in IMG’s “premium experience provider” On Location. Offering exclusive NYFW access to ticketed attendees, an IMG spokesperson notes the array of high-end experiences “fluctuate each season and range pending the package offering from $750 to $75,000.”

Ready to see what’s next in fashion? Download the official schedule for NYFW: The Shows at NYFW.com/schedule.

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