New York Fashion Week kicked off on Thursday with a presentation showcasing new designers at Chelsea’s Pier59 Studios. Hosted by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and LIFEWTR’s ‘Diversity in Design’ series, designers Jamall Osterholm, Ji Won Choi, and Daniel Cloke debuted their collections.
A Rhode Island School of Design graduate, Cloke fashioned menswear pieces “at the intersection of artistry and engineering,” according to a press release. Working within artistry and engineering is evident in Cloke’s collection. His designs feature mostly knits accented with pops of color. A combination of ombré-bleached red, white, and blue jeans, a floral, jacquard trench coat, an ivory jacquard short suit, a patterned mink bomber jacket, and endless fall-ready tops made up the collection.
I caught up with Daniel Cloke about his collection and his dedication to menswear with touches of femininity:
“So, I really started my design process looking at materials. I work a lot in knitwear, so all of my knits I design custom and really try to focus on finding softness in traditional men’s dress,” said the former Alexander Wang, Ralph Lauren, and Perry Ellis designer. “I used a lot of angora, mohair—I was really just looking at ways to reinterpret all of my different patterns and prints in a bunch of different fabrics and materials.”
Check out more of Daniel Cloke’s work and behind the scenes of his NYFW presentation on Instagram @daniel.cloke.
