Christian Cowan keeps his crowd happy at NYFW

British-born designer Christian Cowan has already made his mark on the New York fashion industry, just two years after graduating from Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion. A finalist for the 2018 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, Cowan made his rise to notoriety through gaining the attention of pop stars from Lady Gaga to Beyonce. Cowan dressed Cardi B for the cover of her debut album this past April, sending the 23-year-old designer further into fame.

Cowan unveiled his SS19 collection to a large crowd of loyal fans at New York’s Spring Studios on Saturday. Cowan incorporated sweatsuit styles similar to those he had done last season, as well as colorblock denim, animal prints, metallics, and belt bags. Building off trends from athleisure to PVC, the collection was what Cowan called an “inclusion line,” which is meant to occupy the space between a luxury line and a diffusion line. Where some brands do a high-end line and then they do a diffusion line, I don’t like that because it often implies that the diffusion line is less than, when it’s not. And [the consumers who shop diffusion lines] are the people who I really want to dress,” Cowan told Fashion United ahead of the show. He wanted to create a line that can be accessible to all consumers, so that when he dresses a musician, fans can shop the same items that musician wears.

In addition to his own SS19 collection, Christian Cowan’s runway show debuted the designer’s first foray into footwear. Cowan collaborated with Italian footwear designer Giuseppe Zanotti to create a line of footwear that looked to Zanotti’s archives for inspiration. The shoes are done in tones of black and gold, with styles featuring gold-plated watches along ankle straps, making the footwear appear as wristwatches built for ankles. The shows are see-now-buy-now, available for sale the same day as the show.

Christian Cowan Excites Fans At NYFW

Cowan’s popularity amongst fashion influencers and consumers alike allowed for an upbeat energy throughout the show. The crowd cheered at favored looks, a celebrated one being a two-piece ensemble inspired by a large-brim straw hat. This piece, along with all of the headwear seen on the runway, was done in collaboration with milliner Eugenia Kim.

Images: Getty Images and provided as courtesy of Factory PR