After much back-and-forth about whether or not another fashion week would take place via livestream amid the Omicron variant’s global infiltration, New York Fashion Week (NYFW)’s fall 2022 season is officially set to run in-person and online from Feb. 11-16.

Following the success of Canadian designers Jason Wu and Jordan Stewart in 2021, this year Wu and Toronto born-and-raised Tanya Taylor will be representing Canada at North America’s largest fashion week.

The assortment of collections will be accessible to audiences in a combination of exclusively digital presentations and venue, appointment-only shows (with some designers choosing both methods of viewership). This is outlined in the schedule released last week by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and the International Management Group (IMG). Canadians can look forward to Wu’s collection debuting by appointment at 1 p.m. on Feb. 12, and Taylor’s collection releasing digitally on Feb. 11.

“The American fashion industry has shown great resilience during this difficult time,” Steven Kolb, chief executive of the CFDA, said to Vogue in early January. “I am looking forward to seeing the ways in which designers continue to present their collections in creative, innovative ways with an eye to the safety of all fashion week stakeholders.”

The CFDA and IMG also published a COVID-19 Health and Safety plan in January, which expands on the precautions that will be in place at Fashion Week’s in-person shows. The plan requires all attendees and staff to be fully vaccinated, to wear masks indoors when not modelling, eating or drinking and limits venue capacity in accordance with COVID-19 regulations.

This season’s agenda features staple industry names, such as Helmut Lang, Michael Kors, and Carolina Herrera. The event will also welcome newer faces into the schedule. Saint Sintra — worn by Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney and lifestyle influencer Claudia Selewski — and Dauphinette —featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and the New York Times — are only two of many up-and-coming designers scheduled to present.

Among the emerging talent that will be present this year, some young creatives are using innovative designs and ideas to invoke social change or relay a message through their art. Here are three designers who bring a breath of fresh air to the industry, and will be hot commodities at this season’s event.

Melke

Fairly new to the runway is Melke, a New York-based luxury brand that embodies “sustainable gender-fluid fashion.” Putting ethical standards at the forefront of the company’s values, young designer Emma Gage ensures that all clothing material and dye is 100 per cent natural and plastic-free.

Through her art, Gage continuously spreads awareness about human trafficking and has paired with organizations like Knit One Change One to break the economic labour cycle in developing countries and give women opportunities for education and financial stability.

Melke’s past designs have been heavily inspired by Mother Nature and functionality, often resulting in elegant, understated pieces made of recycled fabrics. The creative take has become increasingly anticipated on this season’s runway, scheduled for Feb. 15 at 9 a.m.

In The BLK Powered by #ChangeFashion

In The BLK, a global collective focused on featuring Black creatives in the fashion industry, is set to walk at 11 a.m. on Feb. 13 in collaboration with #ChangeFashion, a vertical of the Color of Change initiative and partnered with IMG, the Black in Fashion Council, and supermodel Joan Smalls.

Beginning as an organization in July 2020, In The BLK launched a video series entitled “Film Noir” at Paris Fashion Week only three months later. The short films celebrated Black fashion, and gave the collective the immense exposure needed to kickstart their movement.

In The BLK’s mission focuses on three pillars: political, economic, and innovation, elements that should have fashion enthusiasts on the edge of their seats at this season’s event.

Elena Velez

Newly established designer Elena Velez takes inspiration from her Wisconsin roots and its trademark metalsmith industry. The evident aesthetic elements of machinery in her work draw audiences toward her fashion and its ingenuity.

Velez supports and collaborates with local artisans and industrial material manufacturers to incorporate repurposed metals and other recycled textiles into her collections, seamlessly weaving together utilitarian, armour-like silhouettes and softer femininity in creative juxtaposition.

The young designer has been featured in Forbes magazine, Teen Vogue, the Business of Fashion, and more. A driving force in the future of fashion, audiences can look forward to her evening Feb. 11 show at 8 p.m. on NYFW’s first night.