Without many global brands but with a new generation of black talent

New York Fashion Week begins this Thursday without many powerful and influential designers, although with a new generation of talent, many of them people of color, ready to take the style baton in the fashion capital of the United States.

The season will be devoid of Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Narcisco Rodríguez, Diane Von Furstenberg, Vera Wang and Marc Jacobs, although in the latter case, because Marc showed a very distant calendar last week.

That being said, powerhouses like Michael Kors and Coach are very much present. Along with Tommy Hilfiger, whose rise from small-town boy to global megabrand is the definition of the American dream itself. Tommy makes a welcome return to the season: to one of the country's most iconic stages, the Oyster Bar inside Grande Central Station. See you under the clock.

The city will also welcome one of France's most unique talents, Ludovic de Saint Sernin, who will make his New York debut in the Starrett-Lehigh Building, a giant block-sized brick and glass building so enormous that their elevators can transport large scale trucks. It is the site of many shows, including Wiederhoeft, Bach Mai, Area and Sergio Hudson.

The latter is one of a group of powerful designers of color who have brilliantly revolutionized the design scene in New York. Other big names from this generation include Raúl López de Luar, winner of the CFDA Accessories Designer of the Year award, whose next exhibition will be held in a former factory in a still-industrial corner of Williamsburg; or Willy Chavarría, who will show nearby in a Greenpoint warehouse.

Others among this group include Romeo Hunte, a master of avant-garde nightclub glamor and a master of all-American luxury who has dressed the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Idris Elba, Laverne Cox, James Harden, Maluma, Dwyane Wade, Jennifer Hudson, Hailey Bieber, and former first lady Michelle Obama. And then there's LaQuan Smith, who channels elements of Versace and Cavalli, albeit largely in terms of her own body. Another name on the must-see list is Bishme Cromartie, a Baltimore, Maryland-born talent who combines sharp tailoring, playful glamor and sexy silhouettes, who will be shown inside the Ritz Carlton.

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In total, there will be 72 shows, including eight all-men's shows, on the official calendar of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the industry's governing body, along with 19 other presentations and eight digital launches.

Karl Lagerfeld was famous for never allowing other designers to attend any of his shows, arguing that they would probably take away some of his ideas. American designers, a more collegial group, often attend each other's events in large numbers.

So let's hope Jacobs – who staged a surreal show in early February where models in poofy wigs seemed dwarfed beneath gigantic oversized office furniture – will attend Anna Sui and her former colleague's latest show. grungist. Sui's programs are small but in recent seasons, essential viewing. And given her literary bent, it's no surprise that Sui's next show is at America's most famous bookstore, The Strand on Broadway.

The season begins Thursday night with a CFDA cocktail party in Tribeca and ends Wednesday night with Thom Browne, the current chairman of its board of directors.

In a sense, the sheer drama of New York's unique architecture, its seaside location and its gigantic urban views are very much part of the runways' aesthetic and their particular energy. What runs through one's bones as you traverse the city, from swanky social clubs like The Harmonie in Central Park for Christian Cowan to the piers of the Hudson River like Khaite, probably the most popular fashion brands in America today.

No New York fashion tour is complete without a skyscraper runway show. This season, Carolina Herrera designer Wes Gordon has invited guests to the 41st floor of a riverfront tower on Maiden Lane, to better watch his cast parade before the morning glory of New Bay. York.