César Galindo and Ema Savahl kicked off New York Fashion Week inside the new BMW of Long Island City on September 9, with a runway presentation that treated a car showroom like a couture stage.
Planet Fashion TV opened its 2026 NYFW slate with DRIVEN BY DESIGN, staging the evening at the automaker’s newly opened four-story flagship on Queens Boulevard rather than a traditional venue. The BMW Long Island City dealership, completed earlier this year, is built around a 40-foot glass façade and roughly 180,000 square feet of showroom space, giving the presentation an unusually wide-open backdrop for a runway.
Galindo with Models,, Photo Credit: BMW Long Island City X Planet Fashion TV, Photo Credit: BMW Long Island City X Planet Fashion TV
Two designers anchored the night. César Galindo, a Mexican-American designer with more than three decades in the industry, has previously worked with Diane von Furstenberg and dressed Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and Courteney Cox for red carpet moments, with past pieces also appearing at the Met Gala. He shared the runway with artist and designer Ema Savahl, whose collection leaned into her own recognizable visual style, giving the evening two distinct but complementary points of view.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 09: A model walks the runway at the Cesar Galindo show as BMW kicks off New York Fashion Week at BMW Long Island City on September 09, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Mark Gunter/Getty Images for BMW Long Island City X Planet Fashion TV)
The pairing of fashion and automotive design was intentional. Planet Fashion TV founder, CEO and executive producer Celia Evans said the space itself shaped the concept behind the show, noting that a venue built around movement and precision felt suited to fashion.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 09: A model walks the runway at the Ema Savahl Design show as BMW kicks off New York Fashion Week at BMW Long Island City on September 09, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Mark Gunter/Getty Images for BMW Long Island City X Planet Fashion TV)
Architecture firm TACA designed the Long Island City building, which opened in early 2026 on the site of a former car wash and repair shop. For DRIVEN BY DESIGN, that setting became the connective tissue of the night, with the showroom’s glass walls and open sightlines doubling as a stand-in for a traditional runway tent.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 09: A model walks the runway at the Ema Savahl Design show as BMW kicks off New York Fashion Week at BMW Long Island City on September 09, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Mark Gunter/Getty Images for BMW Long Island City X Planet Fashion TV)
The presentation marked the first public event held at the new BMW location and set an unconventional tone for the week of shows to follow across the city.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 09: A model walks the runway at the Cesar Galindo show as BMW kicks off New York Fashion Week at BMW Long Island City on September 09, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Mark Gunter/Getty Images for BMW Long Island City X Planet Fashion TV)
