At the People’s Runway, Five Emerging Voices Reimagine Who Fashion Belongs To
***DOWNLOAD PRESS KIT***
BROOKLYN, NY – New York Fashion Week often unfolds in private rooms and rarefied spaces. On Sunday night, it unfolded in the open air of Brooklyn Borough Hall Plaza, where more than a thousand people gathered for The People’s Runway. Conceived by Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Brooklyn Arts Ambassador Colm Dillane – the creative polymath behind KidSuper – the show brought five of the borough’s most promising designers onto one of fashion’s most visible stages.
Far from the hushed exclusivity that often surrounds NYFW, this was fashion as public spectacle, a collision of community, culture, and creativity. The event, staged as part of the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s official 2025 calendar, transformed Borough Hall into both catwalk and commons.
The evening unfolded as a full-scale celebration of Brooklyn – its energy, its talent, and its uncontainable enthusiasm. The Brooklyn United Marching Band opened and closed the show, setting an electrifying tempo that carried through the night. The runway soundtrack threaded together instrumental tracks from Slick Rick’s forthcoming album VICTORY, with a feature by Fivio Foreign punctuating the setlist, and chants of “BROOKLYN” resounding throughout to anchor the music in place and spirit.
The front row reflected Brooklyn’s cultural gravitas as much as the runway itself. Ms. Lauryn Hill attended with her family, joined by Fabolous, A$AP Ferg, Busta Rhymes, Slick Rick, Ne-Yo, Kodak Black, Wisdom Kaye, Jordan Clarkson, Francisco Lindor, and Terance Mann; figures whose presence signaled the borough’s enduring role at the crossroads of music, sport, and style.
“The People’s Runway is a celebration of Brooklyn’s rich cultural and creative identity,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “The designers we’ve showcased tonight represent the next generation of Brooklyn creatives who will go out into the world and leave their own stamp on history. Tonight is about access and the wonders we can achieve when our institutions bet on our people. I am so grateful for the opportunity to spotlight a few of these incredible creatives here at the People’s House, Brooklyn Borough Hall. Thank you to Colm Dillane, our inaugural Arts Ambassador, for bringing his industry expertise to up-and-coming artists across the borough.”
“Teaming up with Brooklyn Borough President Antonio on this has been so energizing and such a full circle moment for me,” said Brooklyn Arts Ambassador Colm Dillane. “I started a few blocks away at Brooklyn Tech, built my way into fashion, and now here we are – throwing a NYFW show inside Brooklyn Borough Hall. That’s wild. I’ve been exactly where these designers are, trying to figure it out and get noticed, so being able to help them take that next step feels huge. Tonight was such a Brooklyn night – creative, chaotic, inspiring – and I can’t wait to see what’s next for this crew.”
The five designers showcased were chosen from hundreds who answered an open call earlier this summer. Each received a $5,000 grant and mentorship from Dillane, Fashion Week Brooklyn founder Rick Davy, and Outlander Magazine – resources meant not only to launch a collection, but to launch a future.
MEET THE DESIGNERS
Ahmrii Johnson
Everlasting Love
Everlasting Love, the latest collection from Ahmrii Lorraine, explores the relationship between joy and grief, honoring both refuge and release. Rooted in the brand’s codes of Caribbean craftsmanship, narrative-driven textiles, and reverence for the handmade, the collection carries forward a language of cultural memory and renewal. Through silhouettes that echo deliverance and spiritual transition, the capsule transforms garments into vessels of hope, resilience, and eternal love.
“Everlasting Love reflects a collective journey of finding joy even in grief, and the ways communities hold each other through moments of transition,” said Ahmirii Johnson. “In Brooklyn, the global Black diaspora has long carried these truths, practicing resilience, faith, and creativity in daily life. This collection recognizes that spirit: a reminder that love endures, even in times of loss. To see it come alive on the official NYFW calendar, in collaboration with Brooklyn Borough Hall and KidSuper, is a celebration of Brooklyn itself. It honors the neighborhoods, families, and cultural legacies that make this borough a place where stories live on despite the transitions.”
Ahmrii Lorraine is a Bahamian-American fashion designer and multidisciplinary artist whose work fuses Caribbean craft, botanical science, and indigenous wisdom into ethereal, narrative-driven designs. Drawing from her heritage, lived experiences, and biblical text, Johnson transforms textiles and garments into stories that bridge art, fashion, and spiritual reflection.
Daveed Baptiste
Soaring High
Soaring High is a fashion collection by artist and designer Daveed Baptiste that explores the metamorphosis of a Haitian immigrant boy, chronicling his journey through the stages of life within urban Black American society. Each look represents a chapter in his story – capturing the desires, aspirations, and dreams that shape his path from adolescence to adulthood.
Through evolving silhouettes and styles, this narrative is rendered through the tapestry of African American hairstyles. Each hairstyle symbolizes an archetype – projecting status, class, and cultural identity. The collection reveals a powerful transformation: from the Newcomer, to the Street Kid, the School Boy striving for Black excellence, and ultimately, the self-actualized, polished Dandy.
“From museums to galleries, this collection has toured like an exhibition – now it returns home to Brooklyn, ready to take its first steps onto the streets in a public runway,” said Daveed Baptiste.
Daveed Baptiste is an interdisciplinary designer and artist whose work incorporates fashion design, textile design, and photography. He draws inspiration from his migration from Port au-Prince, Haiti to Miami, Florida. Through his design, he explores themes of migration and cultural preservation within the Haitian community and the larger Caribbean diaspora, reclaiming African diasporic futures and narratives.
Kent Anthony
Icons
Kent Anthony’s collection was inspired by a trip to Rome, where he was struck by how art and architecture preserve history across generations. Reflecting on this, he began to consider how creative expression – especially within the African American experience – documents stories that were often erased, yet live on through music, fashion, and design. Rooted in both classical references and the vibrant creative energy of Brooklyn, the collection explores the artistic process in seven stages, celebrating how place, history, and community shape what we create.
“This opportunity is a true blessing, and I’m incredibly grateful to be part of the inaugural design cohort. As an emerging brand in a saturated market, the exposure from this presentation – combined with the support from Colm Dillane, Antonio Reynoso, the entire KidSuper and Borough Hall teams has been invaluable. Navigating the luxury space without a luxury budget comes with its challenges, but being based in Brooklyn, surrounded by creative brilliance, makes the journey both inspiring and rewarding,” said Kent Anthony.
Kent Anthony is an African American designer whose background in fine art and industrial design informs his approach to fashion as a medium for storytelling. Growing up, he rarely saw the African American narrative communicated through a luxury lens – most portrayals leaned toward street culture, which did not reflect his own experience. Kent Anthony designs to fill that gap, offering new perspectives that elevate Black creativity within a luxury, intellectual framework.
Rojin Jung
Broken Patterns
Broken Patterns is a personal reflection of Rojin Jung’s unconventional path in life and his pursuit of becoming a fashion designer. It is heavily influenced by his experiences in Brooklyn and how it has shaped him into the person he is today. The collection portrays the hardships and struggles that come with going against the grain and how facing these seemingly negative experiences actually helps people grow and evolve. With this collection, Jung seeks to inspire other creatives to be fearless and chase their dreams, no matter how impossible it might seem.
“This experience has truly changed my life and allowed me to collaborate with so many other Brooklyn creatives and artists. It has always been my dream to show my work at New York Fashion Week, so it feels surreal for this to happen,” said Rojin Jung. “This experience has not only given me the experience of being part of an official runway show, but has also given me the resources and opportunity to showcase my work on a professional level. I think that it is so amazing that the city is supporting small local designers such as myself, and I am so excited to share my work with the world.”
Rojin Jung challenges the modern ideals of comfort as he embraces imperfection and failure as a means to constantly evolve. Through his work, he encourages the audience to break out of patterns of living that trap them both physically and mentally. His designs are rooted in a journey of self-discovery, resilience, and generational healing as a child of immigrants.
Shriya Myneni
In Pieces, Still Whole
In Pieces, Still Whole, explores identity as something always shifting, unraveling, and coming back together. Through fragmented construction and silhouettes that appear to morph and expand, the garments embody themes of transformation, erosion, and reformation. Each piece is meant to appear and feel as though in flux, holding the tension of loss and renewal that mirrors the way we keep remaking ourselves.
“Being part of The People’s Runway in Brooklyn feels especially meaningful to me. Living here as an immigrant, I’ve noticed how the city is shaped by change, with communities shifting, histories being built upon each other and often erased,” said Shriya Myneni. “This complexity mirrors the ideas in my collection, where identity is unraveled, rebuilt, and carries traces of what came before. As a recent graduate, I’m extremely grateful to have this platform to share my work alongside such inspiring designers and to be included in that larger conversation.”
Raised in India, having lived in Indonesia and Canada, and now living in Brooklyn, Shriya Myneni’s diverse upbringing has shaped a unique perspective that comes through in her work. Shriya is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist who enjoys experimenting across mediums, allowing her to explore ideas in layered and meaningful ways. Her silhouettes often emerge from deconstructed shapes and reconstructed forms such as garments that morph, unravel, and rebuild to reflect how we carry ourselves and our pasts.
ABOUT THE PEOPLE’S RUNWAY
The People’s Runway is presented with the incredible help of REP Agency and in partnership with Brooklyn Arts Council, Fashion Week Brooklyn, and Chemistry Creative. This event is made possible with the support of sponsors Poppi, AOFMPro, UNITE, City Point, Brooklyn Brewery, Voss, Symphony No 3, and Madison Group. Hairstyling was provided by Gary Baker using Unite Haircare and Makeup by Michelle Webb for AOFMPro using Dermalogica. Photography was provided by BFA.
“As a community-first brand, we couldn’t miss being part of KidSuper’s first-ever Fashion for the People Show,” said Sophia Sesto, VP of Culture at poppi. “poppi was built by entrepreneurs and creatives, and we’re always excited to champion bold, innovative moments like this one that are truly for everyone.”
“We are pleased to collaborate with our Borough President on the People’s Runway style initiative,” said Paul Travis, President of WSQ Partners and Co-Partner, City Point. “Bringing NYFW to Brooklyn with a KidSuper runway show offers an exciting platform to highlight the borough’s creative spirit and showcase emerging local talent. Supporting Brooklyn’s creatives is true to City Point’s spirit and aligns with our ongoing commitment to the community.”
“Voss Water is proud to support emerging fashion designers through The People’s Runway,” said Julian Chan, Director of Events and Experiential at VOSS. “Our iconic bottle and the world of fashion go hand in hand, and we couldn’t be more excited for a night of incredible fashion!”
Colm Dillane is the first-ever Brooklyn Arts Ambassador. At the 2025 Brooklyn State of the Borough, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso announced his new Brooklyn Arts Ambassador initiative designed to celebrate and support the borough’s creative community. This initiative provides mentorship for emerging Brooklyn artists, strengthens connections between creatives and cultural institutions, and expands public engagement with the arts.
PRESS CONTACT
REP Agency – [email protected]
Office of the Brooklyn Borough President – Luis Perez, [email protected] , 917.227.8418
