NYFW Designer Inspiration for Spring 2024 Collections: Part Three – WWD

Concluding WWD’s three-part series revealing the inspirations behind the Spring 2024 collections at New York Fashion Week, the designers reflected on the revealing power of their individual creative processes.

Wes Gordon found “clarity” through his designs for Carolina Herrera, made from polka dot cotton faille and rose-printed stretch-satin as in the image he shared here, while Gabriela Hearst took a lesson in Druidic philosophy and a quote was drawn from the scholar Peter Berresford Ellis’ book on the subject.

Elsewhere, Luar’s Raul Lopez invoked a higher power. The designer, who again finished bottom of the calendar, found himself at the crossroads “where religion meets road” and submitted a cherry red van equipped with a speaker system large enough to fill a cathedral.

And Willy Chavarria had a revelation of his own. During a styling session, the designer snapped a photo of a model with her arms outstretched as if Jesus were being nailed to the cross. It encapsulated the mood for his entire collection, he said, adding that he hopes to bring “a new dimension to how we perceive what we wear and why.”

Also challenging the conventional are nominees for this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kassell, who have teamed up with the Miss Universe Organization to reinterpret the beauty pageant format from a queer perspective. This will be her brand’s first runway presentation.

Also in the mood for a collaboration, Carly Mark of Puppets & Puppets chose Los Angeles-based filmmaker and painter Christ Peters “to create clothing that sits somewhere between fantasy, technology, and New York City,” she said.

But Jackson Wiederhoeft, one of the city’s most extraordinary showmen, has been feeling unusually isolated this season. His image of a statue shattered to pieces was captioned with the accompanying quote: “I’m drawing the curtain on me.” Hopefully, Wiederhoeft hasn’t given up hope — his show, which will be held at the La MaMa Theater in the East Village, is less than one week away.