Capturing the fashion of New York’s new wave

The notion that New York Fashion Week is more commercial than its European counterparts is quickly becoming outdated. Armed with a punk-infused glamour, a new wave of designers are emerging, supported by initiatives such as MADE Fashion Week which acts as a platform for their work. Shooting on location at Milk Studios, photographers Mark Fitton and Suzanne Darcy were there to capture the action, creating diptychs and lo-fi GIFs from the resulting images.

The MADE schedule was varied this season; a mixture of brand new talents and designers whose work has already garnered critical acclaim. Falling into the latter camp were Dazed 100 designers Moses Gauntlett Cheng, who cast friends and artistic contemporaries for AW16. Their presentation saw a continuation of the label’s DIY aesthetic, featuring models that literally hung off one another clad in backless shorts (exposing ribbed knit underwear beneath) and chunky houndstooth knits.

Namilia – the brainchild of recent RCA grads Nan Li and Emilia Pfohl – staged an ‘Orgasm Clinic’. Following on from the ‘My Pussy, My Choice’ slogans of previous seasons, the designers riffed on motocross, mermaids and medical patients for a progression of their sex-positive pieces. And finally, there was Ground Zero for whom subculture acts as a key starting point. Pieces created in oversized silhouettes were ripped and slashed, adorned with rows of buckle fastenings and teamed with clip-on braces – a definitive nod to the golden age of punk.

Check out Mark Fitton and Suzanne Darcy’s artwork in the gallery above and vote for Moses Gauntlett Cheng in the Dazed 100 here