NYFW Recap Part 2: Black In Fashion Council Presents Their 10th Season
My conversation with Lisou’s Rene Moshi Macdonald. Plus, every designer from Black In Fashion Council and The House of Arches Fashion Show.
A glossy fall/winter 2025 rack from A.Potts at Black In Fashion Council this season.
My first couple years in fashion were lonely. When I started attending New York Fashion Week in 2022, I experienced a lot of awkwardness and struggled to form strong professional connections. I was lucky to have received a lot of training on how to behave with PRs—Don’t editorialize. Don’t compliment the collections. Everyone wants something—but I had no clue how to reconcile my training with the relationship-centered nature of the job. At events, I would see journalists and PRs hugging like old friends and helping each other promote their projects. Girls huddled around each other in cliques while I stood alone, wondering how they’d reached that level of comfort and why I struggled so much to do the same.
On the one hand, there was a clear cultural difference at play. Despite the diversity that can be present at fashion events, it is undeniable the way people of the same race tend to flock together. Perhaps out of unconscious habit, White girls and Black girls seemed to stick to their respective groups. After a few seasons, I learned that my eagerness to get to know everyone in the room usually led to warmth and lasting connections with Black people, but rarely had the same effect on others. In fact, I regularly found myself on the receiving end of that look which said, “Who are you and what are you trying to get from me?”
This week, I gained some cultural clarity on an early call with founder and creative director of Lisou, Rene Moshi Macdonald. Her ‘Empire’ Collection, which explores the impact of colonialism and depicts African history through a lens of hope, speaks to a culture that is unafraid to go there and find the intersection between fashion, history and joy. Her work is not meant to be a judgement or statement of anger, but a reflection of our history. “It’s time for us to stop hiding away,” she said.
Here, the entrance to Black In Fashion Council’s 10th season of discovery showrooms, where Lisou presented their fall/winter 2025 collection:
For fall/winter 2025, Black In Fashion Council presented their 10th season of their discovery showrooms at New York’s WSA building.
Macdonald, who often works on three to four collections at once and puts each piece through a rigorous testing process, embraces the challenges that come with heading a brand. “The terror kind of excites me,” she said when asked about launching a brand in her late 40s. Despite the way society often discourages women from taking on new projects in mid-life, Macdonald spoke candidly about how attempting to tackle this project at say, 20-years-old would have been impossible.
She conceives her collections organically, hand-drawing patterns including the AfroCamo print, which uses shapes and silhouettes of all the African countries and outlines them with gold, symbolizing the wealth of Africa. The collection also features embroidered velvets, puffer jackets, jersey dresses and winged heart prints which represent an optimistic evolution of hope, love, learning and change.
~
Below, every brand presented at Black In Fashion Council for fall/winter 2025:
Lisou
A colorful rack of joy at Lisou.
Nia Thomas
Looks presented by Nia Thomas for fall/winter 2025.
Freddie Estelle
Racks from brand Freddie Estelle, inspired by designer Durrell Dupard’s late uncle.
Runway images via TBC and Freddie Estelle.
Daveed Baptiste
A rack from Daveed Baptiste’s fall/winter 2025 collection. The flowing shapes depict the journey his family took from the Caribbean to the United States.
Lookbook images via TBC and Daveed Baptiste.
Busayo
Pieces from Busayo at Black In Fashion Council’s 10th season discovery showrooms.
A.Potts
Funky and fabulous pieces on display from A.Potts.
HEARTHROB
Looks from HEARTHROB and moments captured at The House of Arches Fashion Show with designer Heart Roberts.
VICTIM15
Fumi The Label pieces showcased at the Black In Fashion Council’s 10th season discovery showrooms.
~
To conclude my fashion week, I attended The House of Arches Fashion Show, where McDonald’s meals and McFlurries were served on platters. The event concluded McDonald’s Change of Fashion Program.
Here, I enjoy a cocktail with my to-go meal before the runway show.
Afterward, an after party was held at Chelsea Factory:
From left, designers Durrell Dupard, Shareef Mosby, Larissa Muehleder, Heart Roberts and Nia Thomas receive flowers at The House of Arches Fashion Show. Below, after party views at Chelsea Factory wearing a Scanlan Theodore camisole, pants and belt, LouLou Studio blazer, Valerie Stevens coat, Gucci bag, Alterre shoes with Uniqlo socks, Goldstories necklace and Able ivy ring.
While every designer told a unique story, one theme was clear across every collection: deep and authentic storytelling that comes from the heart. There is a level of vulnerability in each collection that speaks to how we, as Black people, connect with one another in an industry that often teaches us to keep our stories quiet. Designers like Macdonald, who are unafraid to move people with who they are and what they make, are a reminder that our history is often the rich, critical ingredient to our creations. Moreover, sharing where we come from doesn’t mean giving in to oppression. In fact, honoring our history can provide the seeds to our deepest happinesses. “Joy is what I do,” said Macdonald.
~
With that, thank you so much for being here. I have had a sick case of writer’s block for the last few months, but have found inspiration in recent conversations I’ve had with fashion designers. If you have struggled with creative blocks recently, this is your sign to not give up. Until next week…
Yours Truly,
Kyoko
I am not compensated for the features listed in All-Year Season. My sincerest thank you to Black In Fashion Council, Lisou, Nia Thomas, Freddie Estelle, Daveed Baptiste, Busayo, A.Potts, HEARTHROB, VICTIM15, Muehleder, Fumi The Label, Alterre and Goldstories for supporting the creation of this post.
