As New York Fashion Week approaches, anticipation is building across the city’s boroughs, marking the imminent arrival of a fresh season of sartorial innovation. With each new chapter on the fashion calendar comes an eagerly awaited set of brands stepping into the fore of industry conversation. New York City has long endured as an unmatched melting pot of creative talent, serving as a global crucible where diverse perspectives, avant-garde techniques, and visionary designs collide. At the heart of this perpetual reinvention is the CFDA Fashion Fund, an institution that ensures independent designers receive the critical support, mentorship, and visibility they need to keep New York’s fashion ecosystem brimming with fresh energy and dynamic evolution.
Looking back at previous seasons, the industry watched as emerging talents like Zane Li of LII and Colleen Allen carved out distinct identities with their eponymous labels, quickly establishing themselves as names to monitor closely. Now, the spotlight shifts to a new wave of visionaries. This season, the fashion community is turning its attention toward designers like Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen, Miss Clare Sullivan, and Amir Taghi as they make their highly anticipated debuts or new appearances on the official fashion week calendar. At the same time, brands such as OSSOU are returning to the schedule, bringing established momentum to their evolving design narratives.
Many of the emerging brands capturing the industry’s attention this season share a prestigious common denominator: they have been named CFDA Fashion Fund finalists. For those unfamiliar with the accolade, this esteemed American award has historically served as a launching pad for the legacies of some of New York’s most quintessential contemporary designers, including Proenza Schouler and Altuzarra. Because the fund has a proven track record of identifying the future leaders of the industry, paying close attention to these names now offers a rare glimpse into the future guard of American fashion heritage before they firmly cement their status in the history books.
Here is a closer look at the five emerging designers and brands at New York Fashion Week that industry insiders are watching closely this season.
Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen
As a CFDA Fashion Fund Finalist this year, Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen steps onto the New York Fashion Week schedule with more eyes on her work than ever before. Although this is not the designer’s first time presenting her collections during the city’s premier fashion event, her ultra-romantic, body-focused ready-to-wear brand has reached a new level of critical and commercial visibility. Whalen’s design process is distinct for its resourcefulness and historical depth; she frequently utilizes deadstock materials to construct sculptural, historically informed silhouettes that feel genuinely one-of-a-kind in a market often dominated by mass production. Her garments bridge the gap between archival reverence and modern wearability, offering a masterclass in how sustainable practices can elevate romantic, body-conscious womenswear into high art.
Miss Clare Sullivan
Audiences may already recognize the ethereal, statement-making work of Clare Sullivan from the stages and red carpets of global pop culture icons, having dressed major music and entertainment stars like Rosalía, PinkPantheress, and Addison Rae. As the creative force behind Miss Clare Sullivan, the independent demi-couture designer has rapidly become a go-to name for feminine, voluminous, and intensely princess-like silhouettes. Having launched her eponymous brand in 2021, Sullivan joins the ranks of this year’s CFDA Fashion Fund finalists, cementing her reputation for creating custom, one-of-one garments. Her collections are celebrated for daringly playing with extreme proportions, theatrical drama, and the pure, escapist power of fashion fantasy, bringing a sense of majestic storytelling back to the New York runway.
OSSOU
Presenting their third collection overall and their second appearance on the official CFDA calendar is OSSOU, a pared-back, denim-forward brand helmed by Fforme founder Nina Kholsa and creative director Talia Shuvalov, who is also recognized for her work with the Australian jewelry brand Erede. The brand’s name is derived from the Latin word "bone," a linguistic root that reflects the label’s core design philosophy of stripping away the superfluous to reveal a garment’s essential structure. OSSOU brings together radical simplicity, meticulous craftsmanship, and profound restraint to curate a complete contemporary wardrobe. From impeccably tailored denim to luxurious everyday cashmere, the brand offers fundamental pieces that feel essential to the evolution of contemporary womenswear, prioritizing quiet luxury and tactile integrity over fleeting trends.
Amir Taghi
Persian-American designer Amir Taghi brings a deeply personal and multicultural perspective to the New York Fashion Week schedule with his Spring/Summer 2027 collection. A graduate of both Central Saint Martins and Parsons School of Design, Taghi’s design ethos draws direct inspiration from his dual heritage—seamlessly merging traditional Iranian patterns, intricate prints, and rich cultural motifs with the classic, functional silhouettes of his Texan upbringing. Another standout CFDA Fashion Fund finalist this year, Taghi’s work immediately caught the eye of critics and buyers alike for its uncompromising precision tailoring and sophisticated, elegant silhouettes. By bridging Eastern heritage with Western structural traditions, Taghi carves out a unique, globally minded space within the contemporary American fashion landscape.
Andrew Curwen
The gothic, dark, and deeply romantic design signatures of Andrew Curwen have already established his namesake brand as a favorite among boundary-pushing artists and performers, having dressed cultural powerhouses such as Charli XCX, Doechii, and Lady Gaga. A graduate of Parsons, Curwen has previously been recognized as the "secret weapon" behind some of New York’s buzziest designer collections, drawing major artistic inspiration from legendary avant-garde icons like Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. His runway offerings are defined by corset-heavy structures, intentional distressing, and high-drama romantic silhouettes that breathe an intense emotional, intimate, and theatrical quality into every piece. As he continues to make his mark on the New York fashion scene, Curwen proves that dark romanticism remains a vital, pulsing force in modern American design.
