New York Fashion Week S/S 2026 Powered by Art Hearts Fashion Concludes with Healing, Heritage, and Haute Couture
By Nadgeena Jerome
Almee Couture, the first Cambodian designer to showcase during NYFW
New York Fashion Week S/S 2026, powered by Art Hearts Fashion, captivated audiences from September 11 to 14 with runway moments that celebrated global beauty, culture, and philanthropy and returned to the iconic Angel Orensanz Foundation as its venue. Historic showcases from Ecuador, Guatemala, and Cambodia brought fresh voices to the stage, including Almee Couture, marking the first-ever Cambodian designer to present at New York Fashion Week. This was a milestone moment for representation in the fashion industry.
Celebrities and titleholders added extra glamour. Miss Universe Aruba lit up the Lila Nikole show with her commanding presence, while Kylie Lynn Chang, Miss California USA 2025, walked for some of the week’s most celebrated formalwear designers, including Giannina Azar, Starielle, and Jose Zalfa.
Kylie Lynn Chang, Miss California USA 2025 walked for Starielle
The runways also became a platform for social change when AnaOno presented its patient-led show, a visceral protest demanding increased funding and research for breast cancer. Philanthropy was front and center during AnaOno’s patient-led runway performance was a stand-out moment.
AnaOno presents powerful patient-led runway, a visceral protest demanding more funding and research for breast cancer
Music elevated the atmosphere as DJ Moya Rey energized the crowd on September 12 and 13, setting the tone for a week that fused fashion with culture and activism.
Møya Rey
Photo Credit: Jemil Lawal @jay.vision4k
The week concluded on September 15 with the Art Hearts Fashion Annual Gala at the historic Angel Orensanz Foundation, presented in partnership with Montecristi NYC. This year’s theme, “Knowledge is Medicine,” celebrated fashion as a vessel for healing, heritage, and storytelling. Guests were moved by a live ícaro performance from Olinda Silvano, the acclaimed Shipibo-Conibo artist, singer, and activist, whose performance preceded the Sienna Li x Montecristi NYC runway show, representing Ecuador.
Sienna Li x Montecristi NYC (Ecuador)
Egalitarian Weaves added depth with a collection fusing sustainability, ancestral knowledge, and haute couture. Throughout the venue, visual artists exhibited their work, transforming the gala into a living gallery where fashion, fine art, and performance intertwined.
The evening balanced glamour with purpose. Lakota Chief Timothy Swallow delivered a lecture on holistic medicine, reminding guests of the spiritual roots behind the night’s theme. Culinary artistry and Latin American–themed dishes and hors d’oeuvres offered refined indulgence. Among the standout attendees was Jenniffer Tutivén, the 6’0” Ecuadorian model and Reina de Guayaquil 2024, who embodied elegance and cultural pride.
Reina de Guayaquil 2024 and model Jenniffer Tutivén attended the Art Hearts Fashion Gala
By closing NYFW S/S 2026 with artistry, activism, and cultural preservation, Art Hearts Fashion reaffirmed its role as more than a runway platform. It is a movement that honors diversity, champions heritage, and positions fashion as a global language for innovation and change.
Photography: Mark Gunter & Eugene Gologursky (Day 1) © Getty Images + Art Hearts Fashion
