The Most Inclusive Moments From Fashion Month

Only Kerby Jean-Raymond could corral the fashion crowd into commuting 50 minutes to Weeksville, located in the Crown Heights neighbourhood of Brooklyn. Founded in 1838 by James Weeks, Weeksville was one of the country's first free black communities after slavery was abolished in New York. To mark the five year anniversary of the brand, Jean-Raymond had an all-black cast for the show as a celebration of African-American culture. As women walked down the runway with natural hair styles, phrases including "See us now?" and "Stop calling 911 on the culture" were stitched across a male model's cummerbund and the front of a blouse.

Last month was aptly dubbed #AsianAugust after Crazy Rich Asians and To All the Boys I've Loved Before took off. Claudia Li continued the momentum by staging her first runway show with an all-Asian cast. While rapper-actress Awkwafina sat watching from the the front row, the New Zealand designer paraded her romantically infused and watercolored collections down the runway, inspired by Mount Cook lilies, one of the most well-known flowers from her home country.

OC was more of a performance than a runway show, staged in collaboration with RuPaul Drag Race season nine winner Sasha Velour. Everything from the beauty backstage to the 40 LGBTQ models and drag queens who walked the show—including Miss Fame and Jiggly Caliente—all connected to the theme of individuality and celebrating how far the community has come.

Inclusivity has been in Chromat's DNA ever since Becca McCharen-Tran formed the brand in 2010. As models of different sizes, ethnicities, gender, and disabilities took to the runway, McCharen-Tran wanted to dispel traditional notions of "sample size" through her groundbreaking show. "We wanted to reclaim the experience of hiding under a giant T-shirt at a pool party (when ur too embarrassed to be seen in swim) and make it a garment to wear proudly," she said in the show notes. Breast cancer survivor Ericka Hart also returned to the Chromat runway to proudly display her mastectomy scars.

At this point, Rihanna is practically culture-quaking when it comes to fashion and beauty (see: her ground-breaking 40 shades of foundation that led other companies to quickly follow suit). While her Savage x Fenty show boasted the likes of Gigi and Bella Hadid, Joan Smalls, and Paloma Elsesser, there was also a nearly naked and very pregnant Slick Woods (who reportedly gave birth right after the show), plus a slew of other pregnant models and performers sporting du-rags while dancing across the foliage-lined venue space.

Beautiful clothing for everyday people—that's the message Dutch designer Sander Lak wanted to send, who presented his Spring/Summer 2019 collection above the public plaza at the Lever House. As models both old and young walked the runway (Kaia and Presley Gerber both made appearances), Lak wanted to focus the show on people near and dear to his heart, having friends and family (including his mother) model his designs.