Leaderboard Banner

Conscious Style at New York City Fashion Week

by Karim Orange

ABOVE: Model is wearing a hemp cocktail dress embroidered with elephants, by sustainable designer KROMAGNON.

New York Fashion Week is always eventful, and this season was no different. This year there was a lot more consciousness strutting down the runway. I hope that we will start to see more trends like this at Fashion Week shows worldwide.

Runway V

ABOVE: Saint Vegan Collection by Moreno Ferrari  |  PHOTO BY: Travis Curry Photography

This show was created from a desire to showcase vegan fashion to the mainstream. All of the designs featured were sustainable and cruelty-free. The production company (V4V Productions) that orchestrated the show was founded by Karolina Tyszkowska and Kiirstin Marilyn, creators of web series and platform, V for Veganism. The show was created "to show the world that there are beautiful alternatives to killing animals and destroying our environment." In addition to sustainable designers, the Runaway V show featured makeup looks by makeup artist Andrew Sotomayor for W7 Cosmetics, using The Very Vegan collection. Sotomayor was able to create stunning and trending looks with products geared towards those following a plant-based diet. The Very Vegan collection is also certified by The Vegan Society.


The #Cancerland x AnaOno Show

PHOTO BY: Maria Ansley

Created by AnaOno, this is the first-ever lingerie collection to be designed with breast cancer patients and reconstruction needs in mind. One hundred percent of the proceeds from this runway show/benefit will go to METAvivor. The organization does research to further treatments for Stage IV (metastatic) breast cancer. This is the first time a fashion show moved me to tears. All of the models used in the show are living with Stage IV breast cancer. My sister is currently living with this specific type of breast cancer, and to see all of these amazing woman walking down a runway was moving. Hair and wigs were styled by the trendsetting pioneer vegan brand MANIC PANIC.

Here is what the brand president Snooky Bellomo had to say about the show:

This is the most important show in all of Fashion Week. #Cancerland's founder, Champagne Joy, was an inspirational leader/advocate/provocateur for all of us affected by breast cancer. For the past three years, Antonio's provocative designs, modeled by inspirational women living with Metastatic Breast Cancer, have made this the most meaningful and significant fashion show of Fashion Week. We're so proud to support this incredible mission.


Fashion Week Survival Bag

Fashion Week is one of my favorite events in NYC. There is a lot of energy and electric people roaming around my city. It’s also very tiring running from one event to another. A lot of the time you are in small spaces during the height of flu season. Not only do you have to keep your immune system in check, but you also have to look good. I used to work backstage at the shows as a makeup artist, and I learned first-hand from models and others that you have to carry a 'survival bag.' What's in your survival bag is very important. I always pack my fashion week bag with a mixture of goodies that are geared to keep me feeling well and looking great. All of these tips are great for any of your on-the-go events coming up.

  • The Survival Bag The bag itself has to be stylish and functional. The Jet Set Convertible Travel Backpack by Timbuk2 is IT. Designed in collaboration with Phoebe Dahl, the bag can be worn up to 8 different ways. Rock it around town as a backpack, tote, purse, or shoulder bag. It includes a detachable front pouch that doubles as a cross-body bag.
  • Immunity Survival Vitamin C is key to a healthy Immune system, especially dealing with crowds during flu season. I love the portable mykind Organics Vitamin C Spray by Garden of Life. Keeping your hands clean is also a key part of staying flu-free. The hand refresher by Jao has been in my survival bag for over 20 years. During events like this you tend to meet people and talk a lot and this (along with the weather), can lead to sore throats. The best thing to do is get ahead of it with throat lozenges. My favorites are Thayers with slippery elm. They come in a bunch of yummy flavors such as cherry, tangerine and original. Clean water is also a huge part of staying healthy during flu season. LARQ is the worlds first self-cleaning water bottle. The technology (UV-C LED) eradicates up to more than 99 percent of germs and bacteria.
  • Skin Survival Running around town between the heat inside and cold outside can wreak havoc on your skin. The best thing to do is to prep the night before with a moisture mask. The Rose Hips Cacao C+ Fruit Face Mask RENEWAL by Shea Terra works wonders! This mask features natural vitamin C from rose hips and vitamin C rich fruits like acerola and amla. Also if you feel your skin reacting to the elements a quick spritz of a facial mist works wonders. The Cucumber Facial Mist by Thayers is one of my favorites!
  • Beauty Survival Makeup should be kept simple and pretty, with a bit of drama on one part of the face (a bold lip, a dramatic eyeliner liner, bold brows etc.). The reason it’s best to emphasize one element is that it makes touchups easy. My favorite easy-breezy products are fat lip pencils, like the Play-On Lip Crayons by Jane Iredale.

My last survival tip for Fashion Week or any other event is to bring a friend. Bring someone you love to laugh with and talk to. This is the best survival tip of them all!

You may also like