New York Fashion Week kicked off with Men's Day this past Thursday, presenting six emerging menswear and genderless designers. Heritage footwear brand Sperry, known as the originator of the iconic boat shoe, sponsored the event. We spoke to Max Esmail; Jack Milkes and Brenna Gentner of Peak Lapel; and Joseph McRae--three of the six showcasing their wares. The collective takeaway--comfortable, cozy looks reign for Fall. Esmail says he likes furniture more than clothing and was inspired by his favorite chairs; black leather, form, and function. At Peak Lapel, the focus was sentimental, warm, and colorful looks. Joseph McRae plays with texture and fabric to create interesting shapes of varying weights and shades of green.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00The inspiration of the collection started with my studio space.
00:12I had the opportunity to live in a basically like a live-in work loft space and I started
00:17building it out with all of my favorite chairs and eventually it got to the point where I
00:22realized that I like furniture more than I like clothing and in order to have clothing
00:26that I actually appreciated, it had to go with my furniture.
00:31And I guess at the end of the day, it's fabric, form, and function.
00:33I like good silhouettes, I like luxurious fabrics, and I like to build things the way
00:38that I like to build them and they have to match with my furniture.
00:47We really wanted to focus on the word sentimental and what that means for us.
00:51So you know, it was all about going home for the holidays and just feeling warm and
00:55welcomed.
00:56You know, we're college students, so it can get tough if you don't have a lot of time
01:00at home.
01:01So that was what we focused on, to really get those emotions, feelings, you know, the
01:02jazz.
01:03Just trying to keep it as homey as possible.
01:04You'll definitely see that throughout the colors of the collection.
01:11It's very warm, there's lots of color, and also the weight of the fabric.
01:15We really wanted to feel like you were wrapped up in a blanket.
01:26Joseph McRae, we like to blur the lines of masculinity and femininity to create a safe
01:30space for daunting creativity and expression.
01:33And so within that, we get this like mash-up of everything.
01:37We have evening, we have like day, we have street.
01:40I like to work a lot in upholstery fabrics, so you get some really nice textures that
01:43can create these really nice shapes and weights and things.
01:49And then I paired it with like blizzard fleece.
01:51I love a good sweat pant and like a sweatshirt, but like how can we take it to the next level?
01:56And so that's what you get here.