Christian Cowan debuts high-tech fashion design at NYFW as models strut with cigarettes
Old habits die hard, and tobacco is one we can’t seem to kick.
As more Gen Zers are stepping out for a smoke — it’s “cool,” they say — designer Christian Cowan is declaring it en vogue, his models waltzing down Sunday evening’s catwalk holding cigarettes à la Kate Moss while flaunting the designer’s fall/winter collection.
Many of the garments were true to Cowan’s design DNA — featuring his hallmark star hemlines, an ode to his love of astronomy and nearly-naked ensembles — but notably lacked his usual wildcards, like last season’s human-sized disco ball or giant fur ball.
Instead, he employed unorthodox runway accessories: half-smoked cigarettes and glasses of wine balanced in models’ hands as they ambled around the Harmonie Club ballroom in front of a star-studded front row.
In a nod to the Mob Wife aesthetic taking over the internet, many of the 33 looks were fabulously luxurious with draped silk, feather trims and sheer organza, while others exuded boss lady energy in matching power suits with cropped blazers sporting 60s bouffants.
Cowan’s runway also marked the first time Adobe’s Primrose, technology for digital clothing, was used to craft wearable garments; the closing ensemble — a shining, metallic number adorned with cascading stars and a mesh neckline — was electronically reconfigured to change colors as the model walked.
The “petals” — made from laser-cut polymer in liquid crystal, per Adobe — of the dress lay atop a flexible circuit board that allows them to transform from gray to ivory, ushering in a new way to transform “once static” clothing into “dynamic expressions of art and technology,” Gavin Miller, the head of Adobe research, said in a statement.
In a statement provided to The Post, Cowan said he was “eager” to test the technology for himself “as someone who is always trying to push the limits and embrace new ways of working.”
“I was immediately inspired by its potential and was particularly drawn to the notion of sustainability behind it with the ability to create multiple iterations of a singular garment,” he said.
“I am honored to be the first designer to showcase how this impactful technology can be used to bring fabric and designs to life in ways like never before.”
