Harlem’s Fashion Row Partners With LVMH to Present Three Designers of Color During NYFW

Celebrating its 15th anniversary, Harlem’s Fashion Row (HFR) has teamed up with Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey (LVMH) to spotlight three designers of color during New York Fashion Week. The collaborative presentation, which will take place on September 6, is a product of HFR’s newly-established partnership with LVMH. Together, the two entities are on a mission to inspire powerful change for Harlem and provide new opportunities to the next generation of talented BIPOC designers.

This September, rising designers Clarence Ruth, Johnathan Hayden and Nicole Benefield will kick off NYFW on HFR and LVMH’s celebratory runway. Learn more about each selected talent below.

Clarence Ruth

Today, Clarence Ruth sits at the helm of his own menswear label, Cotte D’Armes — an imprint largely defined by its innovative denim inclusions and military-inspired cuts — but his journey to that point has been quite the adventure. Ruth started out as both a fashion model and an artist, landing his color-popped works in the Polk Museum of Art and the African Museum of Art. After finding success in the aforementioned domains, the multi-hyphenate sought to fuse his two passions through clothing, landing stints as the head of visuals for Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford, John Varvatos and Andrew Buckler. Not long after, Cotte D’Armes was born.

Johnathan Hayden

Contemporary womenswear designer Johnathan Hayden expertly melds traditional craftsmanship with modern style aesthetics. Interpolating technical elements into his designs, the creative listens to the needs of women in STEM-related fields and constructs conscious looks — all with the intent of dressing the modern intellect, or those who operate “brain before body.” Notably, the visionary is committed to crafting clean, sustainable pieces, without sacrificing his creative integrity.

Nicole Benefield

Nicole Benefield executes the casually elevated look with fashion-forward silhouettes and thoughtful fabrications. Under her slow fashion label Nicole Benefield Portfolio, the designer offers up a series of pieces in organic, biodegradable and headstock fabrics that are produced in small batches. An appreciator of form and wearability, Benefield prides herself in championing “emotion over trend” — and if you peruse her latest collection, you’ll see exactly what she means.

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