Now in its second year, the project first unfurled with the help of KidSuper<\/a> designer Colm Dillane, who has lived and worked in the borough for virtually his whole life. He is a proud graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School in Fort Greene and runs his \u201cDream Factory\u201d<\/a> in South Williamsburg. As Dillane tells it, he invited Reynoso to his studio some time back, and lamented the current state of affairs of grant funding. \u201cEvery person that I know that gets a grant is already a rich business that seems to know how to scheme the system,\u201d Dillane recalls telling him. \u201cHow can I become a conduit of government funding to young creatives?\u201d Reynoso invited Dillane to become the borough\u2019s first-ever Arts Ambassador. \u201cAnd I said, \u2018Fuck yeah.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs someone who’s gone through the fashion industry and seen what helps and what hurts, I\u2019m trying to create something that I knew could benefit designers.\u201d<\/p>\n Wyclef Jean, Lauryn HillMatteo Prandoni\/BFA.com<\/p>\n The fullest expression of Dillane\u2019s role is The People\u2019s Runway, held on the steps of the Borough Hall\u2014a Greek Revival building at the edge of Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Brooklyn\u2014which takes five designers (from a pool of over 300 applicants) and, most visibly, gives them a platform to display their work. Additionally, it awards each with $15,000 in funds, plus the potential of more with partnership deals, and mentorship. Launched last year, it was supposed to be a one-off event, but proved so successful that it\u2019s now planned to be an annual occurrence.<\/p>\n A front row that included Joey Bada$$, Jerome Boateng, and Da Baby\u2014plus hundreds of onlookers\u2014got a taste of the borough\u2019s rich and diverse talent. There was Moses Aina<\/a> of IGBO-SISUN, a trans woman whose explosively vibrant works referenced her family\u2019s African heritage and her belief in standing out and being seen. Rey Jaiteh<\/a>, meanwhile, presented his effortlessly cool collection of streetwear-meets-business casual, inspired by his bifurcated life as a creative with a corporate day job (who can\u2019t relate?). Laurel Tiange Fang of Laurel Blue<\/a> presented sinuous clothes in watery shades and rope details inspired by both the ocean and technology. There were the mind-blowing, gravity-defying silhouettes in wacky furs from Kuai Li of Quine Li<\/a> and the cheeky pop-art, postmodern charm of Roderick Reyes<\/a>, who staged a faux heist, including surreal pieces covered in store alarm tags and finished with a dramatic cape covered in 100-dollar bills. Dillane then presented a few of his own demonstrative pieces, including one look modeled by his mother.<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/BFA_55740_8162375.jpg\"\/)
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