There was plenty of US-born talent on display this week. Iconic American suit-maker Hickey Freeman sought to update its image with its Hickey Freeman Sportswear line and Greg Lauren—nephew of Ralph—turned in a destroyed, deconstructed, remixed, and mashed-up take on Americana.

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Greg Lauren’s artistic nomad warriors.
Image: Courtesy: Starworks Group

But designers from outside the continent who have found a home at New York Fashion Week—Karen Walker (New Zealand), Tadashi Shoji (Japan), Diane von Furstenberg (Belgium), Tim Coppens (Belgium again), Prabal Gurung (Singapore by way of Nepal), and Bibhu Mohapatra (India), just to name a few—were just as prominent.

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Oscar de la Renta fall/winter 2015
Image: AP Photo/Kathy Willens

In fact, though the presentations have ended, one of the shows the industry is still buzzing about was Peter Copping’s successful debut at Oscar de la Renta. Copping is a British designer, stepping in to fill the role of the recently deceased de la Renta, who was born in the Dominican Republic. Despite his birthplace, de la Renta was known as a great American designer, and he felt that way himself. When Michelle Obama wore a dress by a foreign designer to welcome the Chinese Prime Minister to a state dinner last year, de la Renta publicly criticized her for not showcasing ”our”—that is, America’s—fashion industry.

So New York Fashion Week is overcrowded, chaotic, and packed with attention hounds. Those aren’t always great qualities, but they result from the thing that makes New York a welcoming home to foreign designers, the thing that makes New York Fashion Week so very New York: There’s room for everyone.

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