TELFAR Closed Out New York Fashion Week With a FW22 “PERFORMANCE”
Presented in a live-streamed, mega-collection format.
CFDA award-winning fashion designer Telfar Clemens – and his namesake Telfar label – added the final ribbon to wrap up New York Fashion Week‘s Fall/Winter 2022 season. Presenting a “post-seasonal mega-collection” that’s been two years in the making, he titled the show “PERFORMANCE” and streamed it live for eagerly-awaiting fans.
After two seasons of pandemic setbacks that affected the entire fashion industry, Telfar’s return to the runway was a display of perseverance and depth, embodied by a two-part showing of athletic-inspired luxury sportswear and denim. The first half of the collection contained jersey and knit fabrics in the form of oversized tanks and tracksuits, along with satin pants revealing side-split hems, and voluminous, swooshing gym shorts. The designs were fresh iterations of the performance wear that Telfar designed for the Liberian Olympic team’s 2020 uniform.
Garments were tagged with the recognizable “T” Telfar logo and also incorporated a stylized athletic league decal with a centered, mini-depiction of the African continent. Standout athletic items included loose cotton trousers with double-seamed piping, neon-hued oversized full-zip jackets and cropped tee’s.
The second half of Clemens’ collection focused solely on denim – in varying shapes and sizes. Prefaced by a montage of Telfar creatives sporting different jean styles, as seen in the brand’s “TELFAR TV” short film presentation that accompanied the live runway broadcast. Wide-legged jeans contained large asymmetrical cutout slashes, tapered denim revealed exposed thighs and hips, while jean jackets were ripped and miniaturized into sleeveless crop versions.
Key items, like monogrammed loafers and tall boots, gyms bags and a newly revealed “Circular Bag,” also made appearances on the runway.
As a brand that has always been at the forefront of inclusivity and diversity, Telfar’s new era continues to push the narrative forward, highlighted in a live-streamed, short film recap of TELFAR TV’s debut over the past six months.
Speaking to the importance and cultural significance of his brand, Clemens said: “How can a Black business with almost entirely Black customers be the result of someone else’s inclusivity? We have managed to do the impossible. For centuries.”
“The clothes you are seeing are not samples. They are fully realized — not just the look but the production and price that makes them real; accessible, material culture. They will be launched weekly on TELFAR TV starting now, continuing forever,” he added.
In other fashion news, Telfar dropped an all-new round “Circle Bag” in black.
