Models walk in the finale of the runway at the Marchesa fashion show during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at The Dock, Skylight at Moynihan Station on September 14, 2016 in New York City. Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for New York Fashion Week: The Shows

Labor Day weekend is over, the air has not yet crisped and the last vestiges of summer desperately claws on, screaming hot air as it takes its last dying breath.

In other words, it’s New York Fashion Week. When hordes of stylish men and women from around the world will descend on these asphalt streets, clacking their way from show to show in a whirlwind of extravagant clothes and parties.

Fashion, like Hollywood, has always had a deeply Jewish DNA.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

When Jewish immigrants arrived on America’s shores, many entered the garment industry, helping found New York’s famous Garment District. So it’s not surprising that there are so many prominent Jewish fashion designers, many of whom are showing their collections at New York Fashion Week, starting Thursday, September 7.

But not every Jewish designer or brand is producing the best fashion. Ralph Lauren and Marc Jacobs, each a classic in their own way (Ralph for Americana and Marc for eccentric styles), haven’t really produced the trendiest looks of late. So here is a round-up of the must-see fashion-insider-y Jewish fashion brands on the NYFW calendar. Invite lost in the mail? Watch the livestream here.

Rosie Assoulin

Fashion designer Rosie Assoulin attends 2014/2015 International Woolmark Prize U.S.A Regional awards at Milk Studios on July 14, 2014 in New York City. Image by Monica Schipper/Getty Images

Rosie Assoulin is a relatively new brand, with the first collection, Resort 2014, presented in 2013. Known for friendship with Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine (their friendship began before her line even debuted) as much as for her innovative fashion line of unconventional yet pragmatic clothes, Assoulin’s presentation is on every fashion editor’s must-go-to list.

Rosie Assoulin’s presentation will be on Monday, September 11 at 11 a.m.

Jonathan Simkhai

Fashion designer Jonathan Simkhai (L) and recording Artist Sonia Ben Ammar attend POPSUGAR and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) brunch at the Cabana Club on April 16, 2016 in Palm Springs, California. Image by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for PopSugar

Established in 2010, Jonathan Simkhai started as a classic contemporary womenswear brand. The New York-native only started showing at New York Fashion Week in 2015 — right before Simkhai won that year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, thus propelling him into fashion’s stratosphere and becoming an It-designer; his penchant for feminine design with a masculine edge soon made him a favorite of fashion insiders and celebrities like Gigi Hadid and Michelle Obama.

Jonathan Simkhai’s show will be on Saturday, September 9 at 5 p.m.

Calvin Klein

Designer Raf Simons greets his guests at his namesake menswear Spring 2018 show on July 11, 2017 in New York City. Image by ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images

Calvin Klein had been on a bit of a downward slump, until the Belgian darling of the fashion world, Raf Simons (formerly of Dior), was named Chief Creative Officer last August. After debuting his collection of minimalist clothes with an ironic twist in February to much fanfare and critical praise, Simons has re-established Calvin Klein as an It-Americana brand.

Raf Simons’ Calvin Klein show will be on Thursday, September 7 at 8 p.m.

Coach

From left to right: Courtney Love, Chloe Grace Moretz, Michael B. Jordan, and Stuart Vevers attends Coach 1941 Women’s Spring 2017 Show - After Party at Lucky Strike on September 12, 2016 in New York City. Image by Rabbani and Solimene Photography/Getty Images

Founded by Miles Cahn, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Coach has long been an American staple. In what used to be a storied, if boring brand known for its sensible bags, Coach has undergone a bit of a revival of late, especially with the arrival of (non-Jewish) creative director Stuart Vevers. Vevers has infused the brand with an injection of cool and even some irreverent fun, and this season’s show is sure to be a not-to-be-missed spectacle.

Stuart Vevers’ Coach show will be on Tuesday, September 12 at 2 p.m.

Michelle Honig is a writer at the Forward. Find her on Instagram and Twitter.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re in the middle of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount