Runway shows, celebrity appearances, live performances, DJs, and podcast conversations transformed Times Square into an open-air entertainment experience.
NEW YORK, NY. Fashion didn’t simply walk the runway during the 8th Annual Times Square Fashion Week®. It collided with music, celebrity, live entertainment, entrepreneurship, podcasting, and the nonstop energy of New York City.
Thousands gathered on September 15 as the annual celebration returned to Times Square under the direction of Founder and Executive Producer Dee Rivera, CEO of DCG Media Group, which also produces Hamptons Fashion Week®.
The concept behind the event continues to be ambitious: transform one of the busiest and most recognizable destinations in the world into an open-air fashion and entertainment stage.
The result was a day filled with runway presentations, celebrity appearances, music, conversations, brand activations, and special performances beneath the lights and billboards that have made Times Square famous around the world.
Fashion Takes Over Times Square
The runway featured designers with distinctly different creative points of view.
Origin Of Oceans opened the show with swimwear, while Sunskaara transitioned the runway into resort fashion.
Mario B Couture brought glamour and drama to the stage, while Gloria Lee presented a kimono-inspired collection celebrating artistry and cultural influence.
Miami designer ELO made his Times Square debut with a retro collection inspired by the unmistakable style and attitude of the 1980s.
Designer Catherine Schuller brought Cosplay and Power Pieces to the stage, demonstrating fashion’s ability to create characters, tell stories, and encourage individuality.
Accessories also had their moment.
Luxury handbag brand Daneault made its debut during New York Fashion Week with reversible leather handbags designed around the lifestyle of women in motion. The brand received the event’s Designer of the Year Award.
S Designs added avant-garde jewelry and statement pieces to the runway.
Celebrity Meets Fashion
Times Square Fashion Week® also brought together personalities from entertainment, television, philanthropy and business.
Jean Shafiroff served as Mistress of Ceremonies for special awards presented by Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright.
Serial entrepreneur Richie Hosein took center stage as a host and Master of Ceremonies, while celebrity rapper Bobby Shmurda and Jordan March, featured on Netflix’s Owning Manhattan, joined the celebration.
Celebrity DJ Rob Beer supplied the runway soundtrack, while performers Jackson Sturkey and opera singer Ariel Joy delivered live musical moments.
The combination gave the event the feeling of a fashion show, street festival, entertainment production, and media experience happening simultaneously.
Live From Times Square
One of the event’s media components was the Live from Times Square Podcast.
Stephen Michael, CEO of Propel Earth, alongside Richie Hosein, connected with designers, entrepreneurs, and personalities through conversations presented in collaboration with Steady Ro Studios.
The activation gave participants another platform to discuss their brands and personal journeys beyond what audiences could see on the runway.
For Rivera, creating those opportunities has remained central to the event’s mission.
“Eight years ago, I had a vision of creating a fashion platform in Times Square where established names could stand alongside emerging designers, entrepreneurs and young creatives,” Rivera said.
The event also highlighted community through a collaboration with the Social Justice Network’s Comic Books for Justice Initiative, presented with Catherine Schuller and founder Terrence Coffie.
Additional partners included Unique Creations Designs, Essentia Water, Tru Fru, Update Energy Drinks and Project One NYC.
Now in its eighth year, Times Square Fashion Week® continues to expand the definition of what a fashion event can look like.
It’s not confined to a runway or traditional venue.
Instead, the city becomes the venue, the public becomes part of the audience, and fashion becomes the centerpiece of a much larger entertainment experience.
In a destination famous for unforgettable moments, Times Square Fashion Week® once again gave New York another reason to stop, watch, and celebrate.
