A look from designer Ahmrii Johnson’s Caribbean-inspired collection “Everlasting Love” at The People’s Runway fashion show at Brooklyn’s Borough Hall. Photo: Nicholas Gordon.
BY NICHOLAS GORDON
The line of stylish people snaked around the plaza of Borough Hall in downtown Brooklyn and out into the street. Buzz circulated about outfits, designers, and which celebrities were in attendance. The crowd had come early on this pristine early autumn evening, and eagerly waited hours to get into the inaugural ‘The People’s Runway’ fashion show.
A collaboration between Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Brooklyn Arts Ambassador Colm Dillane, the show featured the work of five local fashion designers chosen from more than 700 open call applicants. Over 1,000 people attended the free event on Sunday, September 15.
“I have never seen a fashion show of that size. It was a once in a lifetime experience,” said designer Ahmrii Johnson, who showed her Caribbean-inflected collection “Everlasting Love.”
Owning Their Moment
Diversely talented, packed, and backdropped by the dramatic neoclassical columns of Borough Hall, Brooklyn’s night of high fashion was a runaway runway success. With the goal of elevating local talent and “keeping arts central to Brooklyn’s identity,” the show’s organizers expressed awe and gratitude for their resounding result.
“Shout out for closing down the entire Brooklyn Borough Hall!” said Dillane, addressing the crowd after the show. “It looks like about eighty thousand people showed up,” he quipped. Dillane, founder of the label KidSuper, recalled how Reynoso had stopped by his shop in Brooklyn and they’d discussed supporting artistic talent in the borough. “There was always a disconnect between government funding and the young creatives,” Dillane said. “I talked with Antonio about being a conduit with this project.”
Reynoso added, “Government should be working with everyone but especially up-and-coming designers from the great borough of Brooklyn.”
The five featured designers were: Kent Anthony (“Icons”), Shriya Myeni (“In Pieces, Still Whole”), Rojin Jung (“Broken Patterns”), Ahmrii Johnson, whose brand name is Ahmrii Lorraine (“Everlasting Love”), and Daveed Baptiste (“Soaring High”).
Designer Ahmrii Johnson working with one of her models before the show. Photo: @eyeoftheheagle.
Brooklyn’s worldly bona fides on display
The designers wove elements of their heritage into their designs. Johnson, a first-generation American, celebrated her family’s roots by using the bold color palette of the Bahamas, notably gold and cobalt blue. She highlighted handmade craftsmanship and tropical-patterned textiles. Her show referenced elements of Junkanoo, a vibrant Bahamian street festival she experienced while growing up. Her collection explored the tension between joy and grief, and cultural memory and renewal, with garments “as vessels of hope, resilience, and eternal love.”
“They gave us so much creative freedom in this show,” Johnson said in a phone interview. “Colm really helped me lean into my identity as a designer.” She also credited the show with deepening her ties to the artistic community. “A lot of designers I know feel constricted by budget or resources, or we’re shy to put ourselves out there. But I’m learning to immerse myself in the community,” Johnson said. “The designers in the show gave me new strength. We all really leaned on each other, sharing feedback and resources.”
A look from designer Kent Antonio’s “Icons” collection featured in The People’s Runway fashion show at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Photo: Kent Anthony Studio.
The Energy and Atmosphere
While the dazzling fashion show had the audience rapt—a sea of phone cameras was constantly held aloft snatching photos and videos, like lighters at a concert during a torch song—the crowd itself was also a spectacle. Individuality shined. Sleek suits and sequined gowns brushed elbows with cutting edge streetwear, that proud New York staple. Self-made clothing abounded, offering a window into the borough’s eclectic, creative set.
Brooklyn United drumline and dancers performed before and during the show. The students captivated the crowd with their propulsive sound, swagger, and crisp choreography. The all-female dancers appear to be headed for the pros.
Kaileah Hunter, a wedding merchandiser, said that after finding the show online, she researched the designers and liked what she saw. “Their clothes were exciting and I wanted to see what new stuff they had,” Hunter said. “All of the collections tonight felt very specific to the designers. I could tell who made each line as it came out. My favorite was “Soaring High.” I really liked the cultural element of that collection.”
Hunter, a Brooklyn resident and Parsons School of Design graduate, also said she enjoyed the energy and the atmosphere of the event.
A look from the Haitian-inspired collection “Soaring High” by Daveed Baptiste at The People’s Runway fashion show. Photo: Nicholas Gordon.
Indeed, “Soaring High” reached the show’s zenith. Inspired by the imagined metamorphosis of a Haitian boy navigating migration and Black American culture, the show’s bracing looks spanned fresh athleticism, academic excellence, and dapper man-about-town.
For the encore, all five collections paraded the runway with their smiling designers in tow. The crowd was ecstatic.
Capping the borough’s glorious night, Reynoso said, “In the words of the great Brooklyn poet Christopher Wallace, known as the Notorious B.I.G., ‘spread love, it’s the Brooklyn way.’”
Stylish attendees at The People’s Fashion show at Borough Hall offered a window into Brooklyn’s creative tribe
Photo: Iana Sterliagova.
