News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Feb. 14, 2020: The Caribbean was definitely in ‘da house and in the mix at the New York Fashion Week showing, which wrapped up this week on Feb. 12th.
In Black History Month, it was apt that two black designers – one born in the Caribbean and one with roots there – was also part of the NYFW shows.
The two flying the region’s flags and making Caribbean people proud everywhere are none other than Haitian-born designer Victor Glemaud and Grenada-roots designer Fe Noel.
Glemaud, whose line is at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and at Nordstrom, again held his showing off-site this year on Feb. 6th. This year, Glemaud again focused on knitwears with slashed sweaters and curve-hugging dresses.
Glemaud moved to the U.S. at age 3. While studying at FIT, he began his career in fashion as a design assistant to Patrick Robinsons. Glemaud joined KCD in 2000 as a publicist for Versace and Marc Jacobs. Later, he was named Womenswear Design Advisor at Paco Rabanne and then went to Tommy Hilfiger as Style Director. Over the years, Glemaud has collaborated with H&M for the Met Gala, Disney, Quiksilver, Earnest Sewn and Mackintosh, as a trusted advisor in the retail and entertainment communities.
His collection has been worn by celebrities and influencers around the world, including Iman, Selena Gomez, Hailey Baldwin, Issa Rae and Laura Harrier among others. The collection is also available at glemaud.com, Net-a-Porter, Shopbop, 11 Honoré and Felt.
Since its launch in 2006, the brand has garnered press features and accolades, from Vogue, The New York Times, WWD, Esquire, Hypebeast, New York Magazine, V Magazine, Love Magazine and Senken Shimbun. In 2017, Glemaud was a finalist in the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and honored for his achievements at an event in Washington DC by Paul Altidor, former Ambassador of Haiti to the United States.
FE NOEL
Felisha “Fe” Noel presented her debut collection on the last night of Fashion Week, Feb. 12th at Gallery II at the Spring Studios, closing out the show. Noel’s collection was sexy and full of color, a clear celebration of her Caribbean roots.
She runs her fashion label out of her parents’ basement still in Crown Heights home where she grew up.
Noel says she is deeply influenced by her Grenadian heritage and it shows as she has mastered the ability to bottle up culture and glamour infused with sensibility and sensuality. Her collection she says is “a conceptual lifestyle brand created for the multifaceted woman that embodies a love for travel and style.”
Noel entered the industry at 19, opening a brick and mortar boutique for vintage lovers and trendsetters in Brooklyn. That boutique served as a catalyst for today’s namesake clothing and lifestyle womenswear brand ‘Fe Noel’ and further stimulated her desire to help women embrace their femininity.
Noel is heavily influenced by her Caribbean heritage and large, close-knit family. She especially holds her mother and grandmother in high regard, crediting them for showing what drive, determination and humble hearts will earn you.
Michelle Obama wore her orange silk shirt and matching pants on stage during her “Becoming” tour and Beyoncé donned a ruffled, off-the-shoulder top from a previous collection for her husband Jay-Z’s birthday party. One dress Noel designed — featuring an Africanized version of the Renaissance painting, “The Birth of Venus” — and went viral on Instagram. You can shop it online at FeNoel.com and also in Bloomingdales and Nordstrom.
