VFiles Made Fashion is a showcase of New York’s newest, youngest, most on-the-rise, as well as a celebration of the downtown scene, and an unabashed endorsement of its innermost in-crowd.

Drinking the Kool-aid

As the unofficial ‘beginning’ of NYFW, VFiles Made Fashion is a showcase of New York’s newest, youngest, most on-the-rise, as well as a celebration of the downtown scene, and an unabashed endorsement of its innermost in-crowd.

It was appropriate then, that the show should open not with a model, but with a member of the VFiles community: Preston Chaumsumlit, the online face of the brand, who himself embodies the ultimate VFiles customer: long-haired and mustachioed, wearing a self-parodying tee which read BUSHWICK. Irony in the post-hipster age: quintessential VFiles.

Mixed (alien) signals

First up in the designer showcase: Julia Seeman, with her layered hodgepodge of mall rat meets alien outcast. Wide-brimmed visors and crimped hair topped mismatched layers of denim, fleece, and metallic leather, in sharp contrast to the sleeker vision of Andrea Jiapei Li. Borrowing equally from sportswear and Japanese influences, Li’s pieces contained a more subtle juxtaposition: one long, sheath-like hoodie resembled a meshy zip-up kimono, while an actual kimono was belted by a perforated obi sash.

Sparkle and substance

Fresh from his recent high as the winner of the H&M Design Award, Ximon Lee proved himself more than a one-hit wonder with a collection both different and complimentary to his winning graduate collection. While some fundamental design qualities remained – oversized sportswear and rich textural interplay, which so far are the hallmarks of his nascent aesthetic – Lee covered fresh ground with pinstripes, fringes, and hefty braided accessories. Di$count Univer$e opted for maximum-impact sparkle – long, trailing silhouettes in an outshine-you blend of The Blonds meets Jeremy Scott, glittering with club kid-approved studs and eye-popping teen-dream cartoons. Sparkle on, young blood!