Balenciaga And Tom Ford Alum Nicholas Aburn Debuts At Area

Model at the AREA fashion show as part of Spring/Summer 2026 New York Fashion Week on September 12, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Rodin Banica/WWD via Getty Images)

WWD via Getty Images

The Spring 2026 season may be remembered for many things trend-wise, but the biggest one may be the designer musical chairs. According to Vogue, with all four cities combined, there are fifteen designer debuts this season. In New York, one of the most anticipated events is Nicholas Aburn’s at Area, the 10-year-old brand that has remained one of the city’s most avant-garde labels in a sea of commercial styles. Founded by Piotrek Panszczyk and Beckett Fogg just over a decade ago, Fogg remains on board as the CEO following Panszczyk’s departure in February.

Aburn was tapped to carry on the brand after his own decade-long journey in fashion, in which he held spots at Tom Ford, Alexander Wang, and Balenciaga’s couture studio. Thus, his impressive pedigree, ripe with European experience, has put a lens on the brand known for its outlandishly accoutered pieces (they have never seen a crystal, feather, paillette, or, for that matter, they couldn’t resist) but also grounded in viably wearable styles seen on the cool kids.

This, in fact, would be the basis of Aburn’s design conundrum. Speaking backstage, he explained his approach, “Ten years is a while, but it’s a relatively new brand. There was a choice, whether there is an archive or I’ll do my own thing. I’m a fan of the brand, and it was interesting to build on something that’s already built up a little bit and direct it or shape it a bit more. Making that decision was the hard part. Same for translating it; it was almost easier to teach my team a new language, but we got there,” said Aburn.

Indeed, house codes prevailed throughout the collection and manifested themselves in an elevated version of themselves; crystal sash ribbon dressing; reams of crystal ropes jumbled together and woven into dresses or miniskirts, exaggerated ribbon details punctuated dresses and denim, and paper ‘feathers’ encircling garments and accessories.

For all its outré looks, Area has had its over-the-top runway styles translate into highly covetable denim styles and slinky miniskirts and jackets covered in signature rhinestones and pearls. To wit, the show pace was awash in folks wearing the pearl-trimmed jeans and styles similar to the shorts Taylor Swift wore, which caused a sellout for the brand. Aburn’s task is to produce more of that. The show opened with capri-style cargos, shredded denim, nylon bombers, and denim spliced and tied every which way. A particular style, a denim mini skirt fashioned from sculpted pants legs (also in a tuxedo version), demonstrates Aburn’s ability to push through another dimension of reinvention of the classics. “There’s a mix of very special things that are also layered in with a certain reality. How does Area translate to everyday fashion? he continued.

His love of American design codes, such as the white T-shirt and sport jerseys, is evident in his manipulation of the garment to become a skirt or in creating an intricate patchwork tank-style dress. Even cheerleader pom poms made an interesting turn as a purse. They were pieced together for the show’s pièce de résistance as a swoosh-y, crinkle-y multi-color Snufflapagus, the lovable character from Sesame Street. Other showstoppers closing the show included a multi-color ribbon dress that resembled a multi-color gift wrap accouterment, and another featured giant silver paillettes. “I’ve been in Europe the past 18 years, and it’s strengthened my passion for Americana, New York, and these references; maybe it’s slightly romanticized? he added.

Later that day, Francis Howie’s latest collection for the brand Fforme served as a design palette cleanser in contrast. It would be lazy to refer to the brand’s aesthetic as quiet luxury, as it’s more of a still waters run deep vibe. Restraint and subtlety describe Howie’s approach to the collection, and therein lies the genius. Spring 2026 looked to windswept summers in Cornwall and the West Coast of her native New Zealand, where natural forces such as water, earth, and sun are reflected through design tropes that leave the urban environment to the great outdoors.

Rather than camping glam, the collection reflects Howie’s elevated techniques; molded rubber and ‘glass-effect’ styles evoke surfer’s rash guards and wetsuits. Micro pleating adds a second skin effect to a lean slip dress while crinkle effect fabric recalls 90s textile riffs. To wit, a rolled-over waistband on a slim floor-length skirt nods to classic Helmut Lang. Off-the-shoulder styles reign with a bustier silhouette on several looks that borrow from a tailored suit jacket. The collection covers the essentials with utilitarian-centric wardrobe must-haves via sweeping trench coats, boxy formal shirts, and oversized shorts. Details emerge via subtle fringing and wisping accents on knitwear, which intrigue, especially when paired with jewelry from Alba Navarro. Marabou-flecked evening styles closed the show, emerging as a Howie signature. Save for a Kelly-green suit and blue dress, the collection arrives in neutral khaki, white, navy, and black. Styled with chic flip flops, Howie’s woman demonstrates that kicking back on a getaway can also be a style statement.

Sergio Hudson has never looked for his power woman to be subtle. While she stays within easy-to-translate silhouettes grounded in the classic, it’s the cuts and fabrications that really make his clothes slay. This season, Hudson leaned into his wild side with oversized graphic prints in zebra and leopard in styles evoking glammed-up safari themes. For the latter, he explored a new shirt silhouette with huge, puffed sleeves in organza paired with matching beaded embellished hot pants, fashioned with a high waist, a design style that arrived on several skirts. The hot pants were on ‘Nicolandria’ aka Olandria Carthen, the female half of the “Love Island” couple comprised of Nic Vansteenberghe and Carthen, who walked in the show.

In fact, the outing displayed an exploration of embellishment for Hudson as several styles featured intricate embroideries. To wit and in other pattern news, a pink, purple, yellow, and teal graphic combo on a suit and wrap dress manifested itself on the closing look, a strapless pink velvet dress whose multi-color beading recalled the graphics.

Despite the elevated embellishments, Hudson also showed a deft hand at tony denim styles; tight skirts with belted waists and corseted bustiers. The corseting was employed on a series of sculpted sequin gowns, mainly in bright colors, that defied reality in their ability to create the ultimate snatched body. No doubt these styles will find a home on a red carpet soon.