Alexandra O’Neill

Helmed by O’Neill, Markarian exhibits timeless design in a NYFW display of the SS23 collection produced entirely in NYC

Why do you believe NYFW contributes to the local artisan community?

NYFW is a comprehensive presentation of the hard work of the many people who bring the designer collections to reality. Numerous hours of skilled and specialized handwork goes into creating each piece. NYFW also supports so many creative jobs outside of the designer community including production teams, florists, event designers, staging companies, hair and makeup artists, tailors, and so many more. 

If you were to estimate, how many hours of handwork went into the full runway collection? How many pairs of hands contributed?

Our team develops each collection over a period of 6 months. Thousands of hours of work go into each collection and as many as 100 people will be involved in the process. For the SS23 collection, we worked with our many incredible partners and collaborators in the Garment District including factories, embroidery houses, fabric suppliers, trim suppliers, and pattern makers.

Leading up to a momentous NYFW show, does crafting things locally give you an advantage?

Absolutely! Crafting our collections locally gives us a huge advantage because we can be closely involved in each stage of a garment’s progress. It also allows us to quickly make changes or additions to the collection. We can feel good knowing every single person who is involved in creating each beautiful garment.

Are there any special techniques or individuals that created something unique to this collection?

Every person who works on bringing this collection together is specialized in some way. It can be the seamstress that excels in making the finest baby hem on a chiffon dress (an incredibly difficult task) or the jeweler who makes each piece by hand. Our favorite milliner Gigi Burris handcrafts our intricate headpieces and M&S Schmalberg creates our beautiful silk flowers, which is a true art-form in itself. A local embroidery house handles our beading and embroideries.

-As told to Stephanie Wimmer