For the second season in a row, New York’s contemporary art couple Jeff and Justine Koons will host The White Space showroom in their West Chelsea studio, to help emerging designers to make the cut in the fashion industry.
After hosting a inaugural season with the help of Ruth Runberg, former buying director of London’s Browns department store, and fashion stylist Alison Brokaw, the Koons couple will kick off a new showroom season during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York, from February 10th to 12th.
Interestingly enough, Qatari womenswear designer Wadha Al Hajri is the only new invited guest this time—as the Koons decided to keep three out of five designers from the event’s first season, including American designer Anjhe Mules, of the luxury athletic wear brand Lucas Hugh; handbag designer Lee Savage; and Yaser Shaw, a fifth-generation Kashmiri shawl designer.
Hand-picked by stylist, Alison Brokaw, Al Hajri will showcase her latest ready-to-wear collection in a two-day appointment-only event for press and buyers. Her work is characterized by Qatari heritage and architecture, as well as Islamic and Bedouin influenced patterns. Al Hajri got noticed as an emerging designer with her eponymous brand Wadha earlier last year, when she has been selected by Vogue Italia’s Editor-in-Chief Franca Sozzanni to showcase her collection during the first edition of Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience.
“I looked at the beauty of Arabian pearls as well as an art piece by Rene Magritte titled ‘Scheherazade’ as a spring board for the collection,” the designer told Style.com about her previous collection. “What interests me as a designer is creating beautiful yet powerful female figures.”
Just like last season, the White Space will donate a part of designer’s showroom sales to the Koons Family Institute, which works with the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children.
—Elisabeta Tudor
