New York Men’s Fashion Week, Day 1: The Young Designers You Need to Know

Matthew Biehl February 2, 2016

The second-ever New York Men’s Fashion Week kicked off yesterday with a slew of exciting young designers, a can’t-miss Canadian collaboration and a blowout bash to celebrate Dockers’ 30th birthday. Sharp’s Fashion Editor Matthew Biehl was on the ground in NYC to get the full scoop.

1. Young Designers Shine

NYFW Men’s is only in its second season, and while the industry support is already strong, most major American brands — the Ralph Laurens and Calvin Kleins of the world — are still debuting their collections during the international fashion weeks, while simply doing presentations back in New York.

The upside? It’s giving younger US brands a chance to shine, especially at showcases like New York Men’s Day. 12 young brands took over a sprawling Meatpacking District studio space and showed how diverse American designers are, from the rock n’ roll suiting of By Robert James to the earthy, outdoor appropriate layers and textures at CWST.

2. The Next Must-Have Collab

Canadian favourite wings + horns has been on a roll lately, growing their business every year with expanded product offerings and killer knits. Fall/Winter 2016 continues the trend, with Japanese inspired pieces, like a knit kimono that we need right now, and cleanly designed shoes, including a pair in hairy suede that lends great texture to a minimalist shape.

But the thing we’re most excited about is the label’s upcoming collaboration with adidas. We can’t say much, but think limited-edition, made in Canada goods, new shoe designs and a reimagining of classic adidas pieces done in knits like only wings + horns can.

3. Snow No More

New York got rocked by the recent blizzard, with most of the city shutting down in the face of all the snow. Thankfully, though, Mother Nature took pity on NYC by sending warm weather to melt it all away in time for NYFWM. So while all the editors and buyers and bloggers were expecting to have to break out their Canada Goose parkas and Sorrel boots, most men have been out in suits and maybe a light overcoat. Might not make for as exciting a street style image, but no one seems to be complaining.

4. Making the Case for Simplicity

Deveaux, a new menswear line from the team behind Carson Street Clothiers, debuted its stellar first collection. It was a self-assured and stylish outing that put a focus on simplicity and high-end, American-made garments. Sticking to a subdued colour palette of greys, blacks, navies, caramels and pristine whites, it was a calm collection that was immensely wearable. The brand had its fun with texture and proportion, using substantial wools in herringbone patterns, cashmere blends, and soft suedes and nubucks. Clothes were often cut on the looser side, giving the pieces an oversized look that was slouchy but never sloppy. We could rock any of looks directly off the runway and be happy next autumn.

5. Dockers Turns 30

Dockers is turning 30 this year. To celebrate the milestone, they’ve launched a special collection that uses the brand’s signature khaki fabric on everything from jackets and hats to bags and bowties.

Dockers has come a long way from being the King of Casual Fridays, and Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer Doug Conklyn sees the future success of the brand lying in their newfound versatility, with a “continued focus on style and presentability, with a really hard focus on comfort and performance. Where those two worlds come together is more important today than it was when the brand kicked-off 30 years ago.”

Now, it wouldn’t be an anniversary without a party, so Dockers partnered with the CFDA and Cadillac to throw a big kick-off for the FW16 collections, which also served as a birthday bash for the brand. It was the perfect end to a great first day, and has us excited to see what the rest of the week holds.