NewYork Fashion Week is a world-renowned event where international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press and the general public. Hundreds of fashion connoisseurs wait for this week to arrive in order to set trends with their street style outfits. But, admission is only reserved for a few as attendance to the shows is by invitation only. This season, I had the chance to see the collections of two designer brands: S a k u and Mac Duggal.

S a k u is an emerging women’s contemporary brand, based in NYC with a showroom located in the East Village. Lissa Koo, the designer behind the brand, graduated one of the most popular fashion schools, PARSONS, the New School for Design. After 5 years of running her own concept store named York Avenue, she finally launched her own named brand “s a k u” in Sept. 2015.

Entering the venue for this show, located in Chelsea, was an experience on itself. As the line almost covered half of the street, dozens of fashion bloggers arrived in their taxis and stood in line. Rain or shine (or snow) attendees couldn’t miss this show. S a k u’s known for its after parties in art galleries around the neighborhood filled with champagne, cameras and media gurus.

On the other hand, Mac Duggal is coveted by A-list celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Khloe Kardashian, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige and Carrie Ann Inaba. It is also the most represented designer on the world pageant stage and the prom industry.

His enthusiasm for women’s fashion began with the merging of the rich designs of the Indian culture.  He mixes a classic silhouette with a contemporary sophistication.

Mac Duggal was most recently inducted into the Smithsonian’s Family of Voices exhibit, which focuses on successful entrepreneurs in the United States.

His exceptional designs were worn by a very diverse range of models this year, including short and plus-sized models.