We explore the shows that divided opinion at New York Fashion Week, and meet the up-and-coming designers who are reviving the US’s largest metropolis. On the eve of New York Fashion Week (NYFW), Thom Browne, head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, published an open letter to the city’s designers as they prepared to present their spring/summer 2026 collections. Was Rachel Comey’s decision to unofficially kick off fashion week by presenting her collection in a Noho alleyway boring? “It’s about supporting this community.”To those expecting the theatrics of European shows, New York Fashion Week might have been a little boring. But today’s generation of designers is showing that sustainable production and wearable styles are the future of the city’s fashion industry.