{"id":329523,"date":"2026-08-25T20:04:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T20:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/329523\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T20:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T20:04:09","slug":"the-peoples-runway-returns-putting-five-brooklyn-designers-in-the-nyfw-spotlight-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/329523\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The People\u2019s Runway\u2019 returns, putting five Brooklyn designers in the NYFW spotlight \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fashion\u2019s biggest stage is making room for Brooklyn\u2019s next big names.<\/p>\n

After the resounding success of the first-ever \u201cThe People\u2019s Runway\u201d<\/a> 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\u2019s Spring 2027 New York Fashion Week.<\/p>\n

In June, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Brooklyn Arts Ambassador Colm Dillane, the creative force behind cultural brand KidSuper, launched an open call<\/a> 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\u2019s most visible stages.<\/p>\n

\"\"Brooklyn Arts Ambassador Colm Dillane and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso announced the five designers for \u201cThe People\u2019s Runway\u201d 2026.File photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n

The 2026 designer cohort includes:<\/p>\n

Kuai Li<\/a>, 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\u2019s Bazaar, Glamour, Office Magazine and CNN, and have been worn by Katy Perry, Kylie Jenner, Michelle Yeoh and Doja Cat.<\/p>\n

Li will present \u201cTender Armor,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Rey Jaiteh<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

Jaiteh\u2019s collection, \u201ciDEK\u201d (I Don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Laurel Tiange Fang<\/a> 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\u2019Officiel, PAP Magazine and The Boston Globe.<\/p>\n

Fang\u2019s collection, \u201cForms of Water,\u201d 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, \u201cForms of Water\u201d imagines clothing as a living system \u2014 one that listens, responds and reminds us that, like water, we are constantly shaped by the environments we inhabit.<\/p>\n

Moses Aina<\/a> 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 \u2014 ensuring that every wearer feels empowered, celebrated and impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n

Aina\u2019s collection, \u201cLegacy,\u201d 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 \u2014 honoring the power of courage, identity and purpose with bold silhouettes and colorful statement pieces. \u201cLEGACY\u201d empowers every wearer to embrace their individuality, lead with confidence and leave behind a legacy as unforgettable as their presence.<\/p>\n

Roderick Reyes<\/a> 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 \u201cF\u201d has always been on Reyes\u2019 mind from an early age. Even before he could correctly spell \u201cdesigner,\u201d he had submitted it to his elementary yearbook as his answer to \u201cwhat I want to be when I grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reyes\u2019 collection, \u201cGettin\u2019 Fly,\u201d 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 \u201cfly.\u201d The collection isn\u2019t intended to glorify or romanticize this lifestyle; instead, it uses fashion as a visual platform to discuss crime, economic necessity and maliciously compliant corporations.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"\"Last year\u2019s \u201cThe People\u2019s Runway\u201d included major stars like Ms. Lauryn Hill (left).File photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n

Reynoso noted that fashion, culture and self-expression were integral parts of Brooklynites\u2019 identity, vowing that this year\u2019s \u201cPeople\u2019s Runway\u201d would be even bigger than the inaugural event.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe People\u2019s Runway is proof that nowhere in the world is doing it like Brooklyn,\u201d Reynoso said. \u201cI am proud to highlight five talented designers who represent the very best of what Brooklyn has to offer. With Colm Dillane\u2019s partnership, we\u2019re proving what\u2019s possible when our institutions invest in local talent and bet on our people. I am so excited to once again open The People\u2019s House\u2019s doors to ensure Brooklyn is front and center during New York Fashion Week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dillane emphasized that \u201cThe People\u2019s Runway\u201d provides Brooklyn designers with a real platform, funding, mentorship and access, rather than serving as another fashion competition handing out a trophy or title.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrooklyn 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, \u201cThe People\u2019s Runway\u201d 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,\u201d Dillane said.<\/p>\n

The Sept. 12 event is open to the public<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n