New York Fashion Week
Fall / Winter 2026
The winners, the power players, and the business behind the buzz
We saw the glamour, the celebrities, and the headlines. But true understanding doesn’t come from surface-level chatter — it comes from the data. Thousands of data points, 60+ brands, 529 models.
This report moves beyond opinion. We don’t guess who won; we measure it — across four key arenas: the Media Landscape, the Runway Talent, the Business Power Brokers, and the Digital Ecosystem.
The Media Landscape: Who won the war for attention?
Our analysis began with a comprehensive media scan, tracking every significant mention of the official NYFW designers across articles, social media, and video. Four clear winners emerged, each dominating a different category of success.
Media & Buzz WinnerLaQuan Smith
In the battle for pure, raw attention, there was one undisputed champion. With 48 unique media mentions in our dataset, LaQuan Smith generated the highest volume of coverage and social velocity. His show was the most recapped, most shared, and most talked-about event of the week.
Critical DarlingKhaite
Prestige is a different kind of victory. While not topping the volume charts, Khaite consistently appeared in the most influential articles — a mainstay in “Best Looks of the Week” and “Top Collections” from Vogue and W Magazine, cementing its status as a tastemaker.
Breakout StarCult Gaia
For a brand making its official NYFW debut, success is measured by breaking through the noise. Cult Gaia landed on “Best Looks” lists alongside established giants — the definitive breakout story of the season.
Legacy Power PlayerMichael Kors
Michael Kors demonstrated enduring brand power — securing supermodel Christy Turlington for the runway and an A-list front row that became a news story in itself, reaffirming its position as a pillar of American fashion.
The Runway Analysis: The most valuable human capital
A collection is just clothing until a model brings it to life. We processed the complete cast lists from every major show to see who was in the highest demand.
| Rank | Model | Shows |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naki Depass | 7 |
| 2 | América González | 6 |
| 3 | Mayowa Nicholas | 6 |
| 4 | Ugbad | 6 |
| 5 | Alaina Rae | 5 |
| 6 | Alex Consani | 5 |
| 7 | Haojie Qi | 5 |
| 8 | Luiza Perote | 5 |
| 9 | Nyawurh Chuol | 5 |
| 10 | Sara Caballero | 5 |
The “Major Booking” impact. A world-famous face can generate more buzz than an entire collection. Gigi Hadid’s singular, exclusive appearance at Ralph Lauren was one of the most talked-about modeling moments of the week — a classic high-impact strategic booking.
The “Opener / Closer” prestige. For the season’s most-talked-about show, LaQuan Smith, the honor of opening went to Anna Savka, while Aviana M was entrusted with the close — roles that signal a casting director’s utmost confidence.
The Business of the Runway: The real power brokers
This is where Brand Pulse provides the insights others miss. To understand the industry, follow the flow of talent and money. We analyzed agency representation and casting choices across all 529 unique models in our dataset.
| Rank | Agency | Bookings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elite New York City | 59 |
| 2 | Next New York | 54 |
| 3 | The Society | 48 |
| 4 | Ford Models | 45 |
| 5 | Women Management | 43 |
| 6 | IMG New York | 41 |
| 7 | DNA Models | 39 |
| 8 | Muse Management | 38 |
| 9 | Supreme Management | 32 |
| 10 | The Lions | 29 |
The casting director’s inner circle. Cross-referencing model and show data reveals the “go-to” rosters of elite casting directors. Ashley Brokaw repeatedly booked Alex Consani, Zhao Ziqi, and Dru Campbell across Coach, Tory Burch, and Calvin Klein. Piergiorgio Del Moro — casting for Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors — relied on Haojie Qi, Nyawurh Chuol, and Lulu Tenney. These gatekeepers define the faces of the season.
The Digital Ecosystem: Measuring true influence
The conversation on social media is now as important as the show itself. We analyzed the digital footprint of the week to distinguish celebrity presence from measurable influence.
The media magnet — Julia Fox. Our headline analysis confirmed Julia Fox as the most valuable celebrity attendee for generating pure press, mentioned in more headlines than any other individual.
The true influencer — June Ambrose. Attendance isn’t influence. While many celebrities sat front row, stylist and creator June Ambrose created a dedicated TikTok recapping the LaQuan Smith show — original content and commentary that provides far more measurable brand value than passive attendance.
Creator Ad Value (CAV)
The articles and posts analyzed here represent millions of dollars in potential ad value — but without a framework, it’s just noise. The CAV methodology applies a proprietary model to the engagement on every post to assign a real, dollar-denominated ad value.
This is the number brands are desperate for. This is the future of fashion analytics.
The story of NYFW is a story of data.
So, who won New York Fashion Week? Not one name, but a complete picture painted by data:
- LaQuan Smith won the public media war.
- Khaite won the respect of the industry’s toughest critics.
- Cult Gaia won the title of most successful debut.
- Naki Depass won the runway, as the season’s most in-demand model.
- Elite New York City won the business, as the most powerful agency.
The winner isn’t a matter of opinion; it’s a matter of objective, verifiable data.
This is what the data says about the industry. Imagine it focused on you.
Get a Brand Pulse dossier built for your brand, your competitors, and your next purchase-order pitch.
Book a 15-min strategy call