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Flying Solo: A cultural fashion collective unites

Collaborative collections at the shop’s New York Fashion Week runway show offered glimpses into global fashion.

February 16, 2023

Given that it’s a fashion collective, Flying Solo certainly has an ironic name — but it isn’t entirely inaccurate. The collective’s international network of creatives has developed an enhanced ability to showcase individual visions and cultural backgrounds. 

“It was hard for them to break into the industry, so banding together made it easier,” said Head of PR Bayr Ubushi of the collective’s talent.

At the fifth session of Flying Solo’s Fall/Winter 2023 runway show at New York Fashion Week, guests piled on top of each other — some seated on minimalist, wave-shaped benches that framed the runway, with others standing behind them. There was some jostling throughout the crowd, disrupting the otherwise bright and airy space at Canoe Studios.

Designer Joya Ma, Flying Solo, Fall/Winter 2023 Collection, New York Fashion Week. (Anna Lin for WSN)

First in the lineup, Joya Ma’s eponymous brand sent models down the runway in dark colors and sharp edges as part of the designer’s “Body Sacred” collection. A sculptural set of 3D-printed, black ribs framed one model’s bodice, while royal blue and red tulle flared out from her mermaid skirt. 

This anatomically-inspired theme echoed throughout subsequent looks, which included black, neo-Victorian dresses in lace disrupted by gashes of blood red. Patent leather jackets with boxed shoulders and bell bottom pants, both adorned by silver metal spikes, solidified the vintage Alexander McQueen influence apparent in the assemblage. Ma, a Parsons School of Design alum, said her goal for the brand is to represent her visions of “surrealism and luxury,” and to make her customers feel confident and powerful

Originally from Guinea, Abdourahamane Barry noticed that West African food and music were becoming increasingly repopularized, but noted that cultural fashion had yet to catch up. To begin to fill the gap, he decided to incorporate traditional West African prints into his interpretation of a classic suit.

“I wanted to spread the word so people who embrace the culture see others wearing it and feel comfortable,” Barry said.

The variety of ways in which Barry applied his vibrant prints to formalwear made the designs accessible to a wide audience. For those with a more muted palette, there were sleek, two-toned suits with African print accents, but blazer dresses and asymmetrical jackets with colorful sleeves made bolder statements.

A woman with a patterned hat and a matching patterned dress is walking in the foreground.
Beilharz, Flying Solo, Fall/Winter 2023 Collection, New York Fashion Week. (Anna Lin for WSN)

Lewis Beilharz of Beilharz Official made the biggest impact of all. With long silhouettes, sweeping jackets and head-to-toe prints, he fulfilled his mission to “do it big,” as he proclaimed. Large, cylindrical hats that loomed over the models’ heads — in patterns consistent with their outfits — represented Beilharz’s vision of “crossing boundaries of age and gender.”

Beilharz was not always a fashion designer. With a background in fine arts, he began to paint on fabrics, until a friend of his became involved in NYFW and inspired him to do the same. This season, he adapted his paintings to create the patterns for his designs, and hand-painted a self-portrait on the back of one of his patchwork denim coats. “[Dolce & Gabbana] copied my designs,” he claimed, referencing similarities too great to be coincidental between his pre-2022 collections and Dolce & Gabbana’s 2022 presentation. He stated that it was a “clapback” to — quite literally — put his own face on his work. 

A model walks toward the camera wearing a green dress with an ornate and intricate gold design, as well as a gold head piece. The other model walks to the right behind the first model, wearing a purple dress with similar ornate and intricate designs.
Naaz Designs, Flying Solo, Fall/Winter 2023 Collection, New York Fashion Week. (Anna Lin for WSN)
Flying Solo, Fall/Winter 2023 Collection, New York Fashion Week. (Anna Lin for WSN)
The Debonaire Club, Flying Solo, Fall/Winter 2023 Collection, New York Fashion Week. (Anna Lin for WSN)

Jewelry for Beilharz’s collection was created by Emma Okyere, the founder of Modern Natured, which held its own runway show at an earlier Flying Solo session. 

“It’s about love, it’s about innovation — and never forgetting your roots,” she said of the event. 

Okyere incorporated her Ghanaian culture into the show with waist beads worn by some models earlier in the day, as well as the large, recycled glass ornaments shaped into Adinkra symbols worn by men in Beilharz’s show.

Oksana Mukha, Flying Solo, Fall/Winter 2023 Collection, New York Fashion Week. (Anna Lin for WSN)
Janet Medina, Flying Solo, Fall/Winter 2023 Collection, New York Fashion Week. (Anna Lin for WSN)
Oksana Mukha, Flying Solo, Fall/Winter 2023 Collection, New York Fashion Week. (Anna Lin for WSN)
Janet Medina, Flying Solo, Fall/Winter 2023 Collection, New York Fashion Week. (Anna Lin for WSN)
Francesca Lazzari, Flying Solo, Fall/Winter 2023 Collection, New York Fashion Week. (Anna Lin for WSN)

Designers joined the crowds beside the runway to cheer each other on after their own shows ended, and their supporters mingled to discuss their respective styles. The unity across nationalities and cultures in pursuit of expression, inclusion and sustainability was refreshing, leaving viewers more than excited to return.

 

Contact Con Xie at culture@nyunews.com

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