Victor Glemaud puts fashion on roller skates at Fashion Week

By BEATRICE DUPUY Associated Press

NEW YORK — Tourists and New Yorkers alike crowded around the Rockefeller Center roller skating rink on Saturday trying to catch a glimpse of the vibrant statement knits on display at Victor Glemaud’s latest New York Fashion Week show.

For the Haitian American designer, who grew up in New York, the show held a sentimental meaning but served also as a marker in his career as his brand continues to grow. He launched his label in 2006 and has since collaborated on a collection with Target and forayed into home goods with Schumacher.

Glemaud’s show opened with roller skaters wearing his signature knits, bursting onto Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace rink, laughing and dancing as guests looked on. It continued with models displaying sheer looks, eye-catching cutouts, a few capes and a new collection of eyewear.

Glemaud drew inspiration for his contemporary sportswear looks from a recent trip to Harbour Island in the Bahamas. Glemaud said he wanted his collection to feel effortless, joyful and “something you want to wear in the summer.” Models strutted around the rink in skin-baring crocheted cover-ups looking like they’d just come from an ocean resort.

Glemaud’s brand was one of a record-breaking 28 Black-owned brands on display this New York Fashion Week.

“We have strived, and we love this industry,” Glemaud said of his fellow Black designers. “And, you know, our businesses for the majority are independently owned and self-financed. Fashion week means a lot. So, the more the merrier.”

During the pandemic, the designer founded “IN THE BLK,” a nonprofit collective to support Black creators in the fashion industry.

“It’s about bringing collective creative entrepreneurs together, not just fashion designers,” he said.

Glemaud’s show brought out a handful of TikTok celebrities, among them fashion influencer Brittany Xavier.

“I love that his collection is so inspired by summer and being together,” she said. “The kind of energy that we’ve been missing for the past two years.”

While Glemaud relied on a minimalist color palette and one animal print, that didn’t stop the youthfulness of his designs from shining through with his playful cut-outs. They elevated his dresses with a subtle sensuality and gave a stylish update to swimsuits.

The capes emblazoned with the letter “V” and form-fitting leopard prints would have been considered showstoppers of the night, had it not been for one moment that stood out from the rest: As the show wrapped, Glemaud’s mother, Julie, began to tear up with pride.

“The vibration, the love, the joy, she said. “It is always fun with Victor.”