In the midst of a hectic schedule, bursts of rain, and extreme heat, Colin LoCascio’s SS24 show was a breath of fresh air. Taking an industrial elevator up to the open-plan, warehouse space set to serve as a backdrop to the joyful collection, guests were immediately greeted by a sense of joy and belonging. With light flooding through windows and a little Frenchie running around, LoCascio’s presence could be felt from wall to wall. Guests dressed to theme, in colourful hues, bold jewellery, and intricate detailing, and from the second the first model emerged, the crowd went silent.

There are few designers as fun as Colin LoCascio, and he has truly upped his game once again. Drawing inspiration from his seventh birthday, when he received a fish tank from his godfather and became enamoured by the aquatic world, the designer celebrates the power of youthful imagination and dreams with his SS24 collection. The follow-up to his debut NYFW runway show, it is equal parts an homage to his own upbringing, with super-specific references of growing up in Queens, NY, and an exploration of early 2000s nostalgia that can be universally felt across the nation and globe.

“A lot of my collections are inspired by family memories, because it puts me in a very sentimental place,” LoCascio explained to me after the show. “For me, it’s really helpful to go into something emotionally and then start to build the collection from there.”

The collection is both subtle and direct, with models just as likely to have appeared from behind the scenes wearing a sparkly, stuffed dolphin top as they were slippery, shiny tights, layered ruffles, or patchwork corduroy. “We wanted there to be a high-low of quirky, kitschy campy approach while also having nuances in it,” he explains when I ask about this. “There is a lot of high shine to reference water, there is netting, there is a lot of textural play and surface design. There’s sequins and ruffles to create a feeling of the movement of water or of stagnant water.”

One highlight of the collection was the finale of the show, a birthday dress featuring a unique icing technique to reflect a cake. With intricate detailing such as pearls and bows, he pulled from both birthday motifs and birthday dressing (“it’s like when you’re young and your mom dresses you,” he tells me).

The expansive narrative of the closing look is just one example of LoCascio’s ability to tell stories through design. From piece to piece, collection to collection, he takes great care in the emotional and intimacy of storytelling — not only with his namesake brand but when working with other designers as well. Speaking on balancing the two and the differences between working on his own personal story and someone else’s, he explains that it’s all about understanding the vision: “I respect designers because I know what it takes to do it. So it’s about really connecting with a designer and seeing what story they want to tell and just helping to add to that vision, while really asking them what they want and trying to understand what they’re after. “I think sometimes as creatives, we have a feeling we want to mimic or a feeling we want to go for, so it’s just about building that out and expanding on that.” Perhaps it is this ability to perfect such thoughtful, comprehensive narratives that makes his work resonate so deeply with an audience — leaving guests thinking, dreaming, and discussing the concepts long after the show closes.

Personally, I have not been able to stop thinking about the SS24 show since. LoCascio’s collection reflects a balance of fantastical and reality, a dichotomy that coexists within any space we cannot fully explore with our own eyes. It is a reminder that no matter how much we think we know about the world under-the-sea, or about anything really, there is always more beauty and excitement than we will ever see with our own eyes. It is in that space of unknown that mystical imagination blossoms, and harnessing the curiosity of a seven-year-old with a new fish tank might just be the key to unlocking such creativity.