Fashion’s biggest stage is making room for Brooklyn’s next big names.

After the resounding success of the first-ever “The People’s Runway” fashion show in 2025, Brooklyn Borough Hall Plaza will once again be transformed into an outdoor catwalk on Sept. 12, showcasing the couture of five up-and-coming Brooklyn designers in a full-service fashion show as part of the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Spring 2027 New York Fashion Week.

In June, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Brooklyn Arts Ambassador Colm Dillane, the creative force behind cultural brand KidSuper, launched an open call for emerging designers. After sifting through hundreds of applications, the duo announced on Aug. 24 the designers who will present their collections on one of fashion’s most visible stages.

Brooklyn Arts Ambassador Colm Dillane and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso announced the five designers for “The People’s Runway” 2026.File photo by Gabriele Holtermann

The 2026 designer cohort includes:

Kuai Li, a Brooklyn-based fashion designer and the founder and creative director of Quine Li. Li earned an MFA in fashion design from FIT, and her sculptural work explores body, structure and space, transforming softness into strength. Her designs have appeared in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Office Magazine and CNN, and have been worn by Katy Perry, Kylie Jenner, Michelle Yeoh and Doja Cat.

Li will present “Tender Armor,” a five-look collection centered on the transformation of a heart into a wing. Moving from blue-black through red and black to white, the silhouettes expand as an internal force breaks through the surface, opening outward. Through sculptural volume, engineered softness and experimental construction, the collection explores protection, vulnerability and the moment when quiet strength becomes visible.

Rey Jaiteh, a Gambian-born, New York-based fashion designer and founder of Rey Jaiteh, draws inspiration from luxury streetwear and refined tailoring, and his work explores identity, transformation and craftsmanship. Drawing from childhood lessons alongside his father, Jaiteh creates handcrafted garments that bridge structure and emotion, redefining modern menswear through thoughtful design and storytelling.

Jaiteh’s collection, “iDEK” (I Don’t Even Know), explores the uncertainty that precedes transformation. Inspired by a season of change, the collection embraces the unknown through tailored silhouettes, denim and intentional contrasts. It reflects the courage to move forward without having all the answers, finding clarity, confidence and identity in the process of becoming.

Laurel Tiange Fang is a fashion designer and creative technologist based in New York and the founder of Laurel Blue. She explores the intersection of fashion, technology and the natural world through wearable innovation. She holds a BFA in fashion design from Parsons and an MPS from NYU ITP. Her work combines fashion, technology and wearable innovation and has been featured in ELLE, Grazia, L’Officiel, PAP Magazine and The Boston Globe.

Fang’s collection, “Forms of Water,” is her love letter to the ocean and an exploration of the relationship between human beings and the natural world. Inspired by the ever-changing states of water, the collection translates its rhythm, fluidity and quiet power into wearable forms through kinetic systems, digital fabrication and handcrafted textiles. Rather than treating fashion as a static object, “Forms of Water” imagines clothing as a living system — one that listens, responds and reminds us that, like water, we are constantly shaped by the environments we inhabit.

Moses Aina is an award-winning designer and founder of IGBO-SISUN. Her work has been featured in Vogue, OUT and New York Magazine, and Aina has dressed United Nations leaders and Emmy and SAG nominees and presented IGBO-SISUN in some of the most prestigious institutions globally. Each IGBO-SISUN piece celebrates excellence, embodies confidence and radiates joy — ensuring that every wearer feels empowered, celebrated and impossible to ignore.

Aina’s collection, “Legacy,” was inspired by her great-grandfather, President Sylvanus Olympio, and is not simply inherited but courageously created, unapologetically embodied and powerful, transforming a family legacy into a movement of empowerment — honoring the power of courage, identity and purpose with bold silhouettes and colorful statement pieces. “LEGACY” empowers every wearer to embrace their individuality, lead with confidence and leave behind a legacy as unforgettable as their presence.

Roderick Reyes was born and raised in Brooklyn to immigrant parents of Dominican and Mexican descent. The FIT and High School of Fashion Industries graduate is a multidisciplinary professional whose technical training is in fashion design. Reyes works with stylists to create and tailor red carpet, stage and press looks, helping brands bring their designs to life. Being in fashion with a capital “F” has always been on Reyes’ mind from an early age. Even before he could correctly spell “designer,” he had submitted it to his elementary yearbook as his answer to “what I want to be when I grow up.”

Reyes’ collection, “Gettin’ Fly,” is a dialogue on modern survival and a critique of a broken system. Reyes incorporates authentic security tags and several anti-theft protection materials into garments, turning the physical weight of theft into a metaphor for carrying the quiet anxiety of stolen time. The designs play on value, exploitation and capitalism. They show the reality of modern theft and the intense consumer pressure to be “fly.” The collection isn’t intended to glorify or romanticize this lifestyle; instead, it uses fashion as a visual platform to discuss crime, economic necessity and maliciously compliant corporations.

All designers will also receive $5,000 grants and direct mentorship from Colm Dillane and leading industry figures leading up to the event, which became an instant cultural phenomenon last year, drawing more than a thousand fashionistas and major stars including Ms. Lauryn Hill, A$AP Ferg, Busta Rhymes, Ne-Yo, Kodak Black, Jordan Clarkson and Francisco Lindor.

Last year’s “The People’s Runway” included major stars like Ms. Lauryn Hill (left).File photo by Gabriele Holtermann

Reynoso noted that fashion, culture and self-expression were integral parts of Brooklynites’ identity, vowing that this year’s “People’s Runway” would be even bigger than the inaugural event.

“The People’s Runway is proof that nowhere in the world is doing it like Brooklyn,” Reynoso said. “I am proud to highlight five talented designers who represent the very best of what Brooklyn has to offer. With Colm Dillane’s partnership, we’re proving what’s possible when our institutions invest in local talent and bet on our people. I am so excited to once again open The People’s House’s doors to ensure Brooklyn is front and center during New York Fashion Week.”

Dillane emphasized that “The People’s Runway” provides Brooklyn designers with a real platform, funding, mentorship and access, rather than serving as another fashion competition handing out a trophy or title.

“Brooklyn is at the core of KidSuper. The energy, the diversity, the people, the feeling that anything can happen here, all of that has shaped who I am and what KidSuper is. So for me, “The People’s Runway” is about celebrating that, but also giving something back. I wanted to rethink what a fashion competition could actually do for a young designer. There is so much talent in Brooklyn. Sometimes people just need someone to bet on them,” Dillane said.

The Sept. 12 event is open to the public, with standing room only on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 5 p.m. at Brooklyn Borough Hall Plaza, 209 Joralemon St., and the show begins at 6 p.m. ADA accommodations will be available.