The industry has descended upon town to witness the next Spring/Summer 2025 presentations by leading houses such as Prabal Gurung, Carolina Herrera, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ralph Lauren. Joining these fashion powerhouses are a number of newcomers, eager to make a great impression with their first fashion week presentation. Following are five designers who make their NYFW debut, according to Fashion United.
Grace Ling
At 27, Grace Ling-who debuted her label in 2020-is recognized for marrying age-old craftsmanship with 3D printing and CGI to produce sculptural, graceful, surrealist pieces. A finalist this year for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, Ling studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London and Parsons School of Design in New York City. She honed her talent at prestigious brands such as Thom Browne and The Row. The Singapore-born designer’s Spring/Summer 25 collection, which was the favourite of A-list celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, and Emily Ratajkowski, has taken inspiration from natural elements. Her collection is all about how human beings interact with the things surrounding them, taking it back to former times. Her first SS25 runway display included her innovative knits and tailoring.
Grace Ling is known for her surrealist knitwear, tailoring and 3D printing.
Price point: Broad, Silhouette Maxi floor length dress retails for US$2,890, Butt Bag for US$990, Vertebrae bralette for US$395.
Distribution: Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom and Net-a-Porter.
Recent collaborations: “I have started to take commissions for one-of-a-kind pieces from couture clients.” Contain.
Michael Fausto
Michael Fausto was born in New Jersey and, since launching his eponymous line in 2019, it has become synonymous with intricate details and imaginative silhouettes that marry his theatricality with timeless sophistication. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, prior to his debut collection, Fausto had lent his talents to Oscar de la Renta, Marchesa, and Badgley Mischka, among other established fashion houses. Stars like Adele and Halle Bailey performed in his handcrafted gowns, and stars like Robin Roberts, Laverne Cox, and Carrie Underwood walked the red carpet in his creations. Creating with
Keeping the modern heroine in mind, Fausto continues to explore this myth-modernity link with reverence for the many guises women have pulled on, creating an unmistakably polished aesthetic. For his upcoming SS25 New York Fashion Week presentation on September 10, he will reimagine an Italian debutante’s summer. Read More
About Michael Fausto
Known For: Breathtaking silhouette gowns, extravagantly textured gowns, and sophisticated gowns that balance drama with elegance.
Price Point: Ondata top: US$1,545; La Sirena gown: US$6,395
Distribution: Direct via one’s own online web page.
Recent Projects: Fausto was tasked to create an Italian crepe dress with a trumpet skirt, halter neckline and dramatic off-the-shoulder bishop sleeves that Adele would wear during her weekend residency at Caesars Palace’s Colosseum. Adele wore the gown during Weekend 39.
Sebastien Ami
Sebastien Ami is a high-end menswear brand that will officially make its catwalk debut during New York Fashion Week on September 11 after having taken part in New York Men’s Day. The unisex lens brand and CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist was launched by designer Sebastien Amical back in 2013. Amical co-directs the company with his partner, Marianne Amical. The eponymous fashion brand, founded in 2020 during the pandemic, is a developer of ultra-luxurious takes on functional designs with the intent to reinvent the use of workwear as everyday wear. The likes of celebrity favourites’ Bad Bunn, Jack Harlow, and Justin Bieber idolize Sebastien Ami’s Spring 2025 collection, embodying peerless craftsmanship with utilitarian design and amplifying the nostalgia of vintage charm and the timelessness of well-worn, loved possessions.
Salon 1884
Founded in 2021 by designer Andrea Mary Marshall, ultra-luxury apparel brand Salon 1884 is available only in Neiman Marcus stores. Salon 1884, so-named for the famous art exhibition in Paris which first exposed the world to John Singer Sargent’s “Madame X, is a fashion show noted for its dramatic draping and exquisite craftsmanship. Since graduating from Parsons School of Design, Marshall has worked on 7th Avenue for more than 15 years to support her mixed-media, design, photography and painting projects. Salon 1884 is recognized for its ethical mode of production, and has been an elected Interim Member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America since 2023.
manufactures her collections at the Garment Centre in New York City. On September 10, she presented her SS25 collection, “Casanova,” inspired by the adventures and writings of celebrated Italian writer Giacomo Girolamo Casanova, who took so many lovers his last name was named after it. The collection features a series of self-portrait-style images.
About Salon 1884
Known for: Statement pieces, conceptual draping designed to dress the modern-thinking woman, whimsical tailoring
Price Point: The Salon Fitted Tee: 170 US dollars; the Benglis Bootcut Denim Jeans: 490 US dollars; the Bonna Square-Neck Midi Dress: 1,590 US dollars; the Misha Leather Track Jacket: 5,990 US dollars.
Where to Buy: Online at Net-a-Porter.com and at Neiman Marcus.
Current Collections: For the first time, Marshall designed all of the patterns in the collection herself for SS25 to ensure her signature was on each one.
Melitta Baumeister
Melita Baumeister, one of 2023’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund recipients, may be a newbie to the official NYFW schedule, but she is by no means an up-and-coming brand. This New York-based brand was founded by German designer Melita Baumeister and her boyfriend Michal Plata; it celebrates its tenth year this year. Once Rihanna had seen one of her jackets during her 2014 MFA collection presentation at Parsons School of Design, there could be no turning back. She works with unexpected materials and strives for wear ability, but her most well-known designs are conceptual, sculptural pieces with blown-up silhouettes and iconic shapes. Slotted to close the season on September 11, Baumeister will present her SS25 collection, which she describes as “basically MB” in colour, extraordinary shapes, and volume.
About Melita Baumeister
Known For: Amazing, imaginative designs featuring bright colours playing with volume and shape.
Price-wise: Pierced Tee – 150 USD, Crew Neck Sweater – 640 USD, and Big Sleeve Ripple Dress – 1,620 USD.
Distribution: Far fetch, Hitch-hiker Club. Volume and own website.
Finnish fashion causes ripples at New York Fashion Week
During New York Fashion Week, the Consul General of Finland highlighted two of his country’s most promising fashion labels, putting the spotlight on the increasing global influence of Nordic design. The discussion, which was put on with the Finnish Textile & Fashion Association, offers a dynamic look at the imaginative and diverse setting of Finland’s fast-growing fashion industry.
The label is also forwarding sustainability through its “VAIN Upcycled” range. This innovative form of making is entirely made from post-consumer textile waste, with deadstock materials coming from high-end fashion firms. Waste management company Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto Oy (LSJH) is a partner of VAIN, strengthening the commitment of the organization to circular fashion. Non Public Finance
Highlighting these Nordic companies, Finland shows its growing influence on the global fashion industry. It brings a very unique perspective-one melded through ecological concerns, Nordic design premises, and an inbred understanding of how to effectively carry out marketing in the digital age. What’s more, Finland’s designers are showing that creativity can come from the most unlikely of quarters in an increasingly fractured and globalized fashion world.
