Due to traditional gender ideals, many men might be scared to take fashion risks. The designers at New York Men’s Day all attempted to push the envelope while still promoting styles that male-presenting individuals would realistically purchase and wear. Although some collections lacked a clear theme, while others had lackluster set pieces,  there was still a beautiful individuality in each designer’s showcase.

Ten designers displayed their clothing in five showrooms throughout a morning and evening presentation on Sept. 6. One showroom held designer Tristan Detwiler’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection from the brand Stan. Detwiler’s designs capture the great outdoors of southern and coastal California, with ethically sourced pieces featuring vintage Boy Scouts patches and embroidered fish. 

“I take in textiles and images on modern durability,” Detwiler said in an interview with WSN. “This whole collection uses dead stock material, so we focus on sustainability.”

Detwiler used mannequins and real people as models in his presentation. He told WSN that all of the human models are his customers that have been supporting him since the start of his brand.

The designs for Jack Fullerton’s brand, of — nothing, were more simple and minimalistic than Detwiler’s. Models stood on podiums while nature sounds played, wearing soft-colored clothing that gave them a boxy silhouette. Fullerton said he was inspired by the media he was consuming when designing his pieces, including the novel “Infinite Jest” by David Foster Wallace.

“[The novel] definitely posed these questions about the meaning of contemporary American life,” Fullerton said in an interview with WSN. “And clothing is part of that question, as well as how that fits into our meaning.”

The standout of the day was Terry Singh’s showcase of his self-titled brand. Singh’s pieces were primarily skirts, inspired by a trip he took to India and the freedom he felt of wearing a dhoti — a piece of fabric tied around the hips and thighs.  

Lively soulful music played as models swayed and tapped their feet. Singh and his family also danced to the beat and at the end of the presentation, all the models created a circle and cheered as each one performed their own choreographed eight-count dance.

The clothes themselves felt basic in comparison to the performance, but perhaps that was the point. It seems Singh’s designs are made to liberate men who are not immersed in the fashion world — those not able to wear skirts without feeling ostracized.

Contact Annie Emans at [email protected]