Harlem’s Fashion Row 2025 Spotlights Haitian Creativity With LaTouché, Atelier Ndigo, and Daveed Baptiste
Even before the official New York Fashion Week calendar began, industry insiders gathered at Cipriani Wall Street for the Harlem Fashion Row’s (HFR) 18th annual Runway Show and Style Awards. Themed At The Table, the event honored the Black creatives who have long shaped fashion as innovators, even when excluded from the industry’s power circles. The evening doubled as a cultural summit, with icons like Dapper Dan, Slick Rick, and Keri Hilson in attendance, alongside editors, executives, stylists, and tastemakers.
Honorees included Marie Claire’s Editor-in-Chief Nikki Ogunnaike, stylist Jason Bolden, Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth Carter, Pattern Beauty’s Christiane Pendarvis, and Usher, all recognized for their contributions to fashion and culture. But the runway carried the night’s most powerful statement: for the first time, Haitian designers LaTouché, Atelier Ndigo by Waina Chancy, and Daveed Baptiste shared the spotlight, each unveiling collections that fused Haitian heritage, cultural storytelling, and modern design innovation.
Atelier Ndigo by Waina Chancy
Images: Credit @shutterstock for Harlem’s Fashion Row
Chancy’s Atelier Ndigo took inspiration from Haiti’s national flower, the hibiscus, translating it into architectural silhouettes and vibrant palettes. The garments balanced structure with softness, embodying a vision of Haiti that is at once delicate and formidable.
Daveed Baptiste
Images: Credit @shutterstock for Harlem’s Fashion Row
With his streetwear-driven vision, Daveed Baptiste used fashion to explore themes of immigration and diaspora. Through graphic layering, oversized proportions, and urban textures, Baptiste told a personal yet collective story of Haitian identity in motion.
LaTouché
Images: Credit @shutterstock for Harlem’s Fashion Row
LaTouché turned to Jamcel, Haiti, as a touchstone, infusing garments with artisanal craft and community spirit. The designs highlighted the interplay between place, memory, and modern tailoring, grounding the work firmly in Haitian roots while positioning it for a global audience.
“To feature three Haitian designers at once is a groundbreaking moment — a testament to the global impact of Caribbean creativity and to our belief that culture is fashion’s greatest innovator,” said Brandice Daniel, CEO and Founder of HFR.
With the presence of industry icons and the spotlight firmly on Haitian creativity, Harlem’s Fashion Row transformed its 18th anniversary into more than a fashion event: it became a statement of cultural power. In a week often dominated by legacy brands and big-ticket shows, this was a reminder that the future of fashion rests in heritage, diaspora, and the communities that have always defined style.