VICTORIA HERNANDEZ
STAFF WRITER
Bright lights, a white endless runway, photographers flashing their cameras and loud pop music in the background. This atmosphere was the setting for everyone’s first glance at the “Fashion Gallery,” an event organized to showcase the Spring Season 2015 collection of international fashion designers during Fashion Week. The six designers presenting their proposals for menswear collective were Blac Ivy, Giofré, Christian Bernard, Daft Minerva, Apollonius and Noxiuz Clothing.
The models were not the only ones wearing fashionable statement pieces. In the audience; fashion bloggers, buyers, brand managers, media outlets and fashionistas wore the latest trends. A bald man with a pencil skirt, blue high heels and a sparkly necklace reminds you what’s like to be in New York City; the concrete jungle where the beliefs, ideas and fashion styles mix, making it the most envied city of them all.
Why is Fashion Week so important? It is a celebration of the fashion industry and all the creative and talented minds behind. It also gives an opportunity to the designers of the world to know their brand. In terms of tourism, “New York Fashion Week contributes more revenue to the city than any other annual event in the NY Metro area,” according to previous NYC Tourism Bureau information.
A few minutes before the show started, people were talking… wondering who would be the lucky designer to start the runway. Finally, the lights went down and Blac Ivy’s collection appeared. The palette of colors were neutral-black, brown and light cream. Right after this show, the atmosphere changed immediately when the Puerto Rican brand, Noxiuz Clothing, came out. With a tropical vibe, characteristic of their Caribbean heritage, their designs were eye-captivating because of the colorful patterns, lines, skulls and flowers. The mixture of shapes and colors gave the brand a modern vibe which grabbed the attention of the whole audience instantly.
After the entire runway show was over the designers behind the Noxiuz Clothing line, Juan Alejandro Hernández and Nelson Hernández, shared some insight on the fashion world and the line they created.
“I see fashion as a way to escape from my struggles, as a method to escape from reality. Fashion is important in the society because it gets people together,” N. Hernández said.
While N. Hernández views it one way, J. Hernández refers to it as a way of expression, “People often judge you by the way you look, therefore fashion is a big part of the modern society,” he said.
Noxiuz Clothing began as a necessity and their brand is unique because of their graphics, printed in each of their designs. “The streetwear was a market no one was taking care of in Puerto Rico.” N.Hernández said. “When you arrive at a place, you will instantly make an impression and statement with our clothing.” said N. Hernández.
Juan Alejandro Hernández said, “Our designs can be described as bold, very expressive, edgy… we accept that they are risky in the imagery also.”
When asked about who or what was their muse, the answer was simply life itself.
“My biggest inspiration is my Caribbean island, since it’s the first time we introduce the clothing line in the States, it was a big opportunity for us to share our roots, tropical rhythm and vibrant colors.” N. Hernández said.
“What brought us to NYC was destiny, we saw the opportunity and we grabbed it. Also, the people’s encouragement, we used to see NYC as this big beast, it seemed impossible until we made it.” J. Hernández said.
Noxiuz Clothing next step in the fashion industry is to do a full collection, attend more fashion shows and expand their brand to reach a wider audience.