Kamala Harris Inspires Top Designers at NY Fashion Week: “Joy Has Become My Best Friend”

Six weeks since her sudden anointment at the top of the Democratic ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris has not only galvanized her party in advance of the Nov. 5 presidential election, but also one of the much-buzzed-about sentiments at the heart of her campaign — joy — is also being embraced by the designers who unveiled their Spring 2025 collections in New York this week. If not for President Joe Biden dropping out of the race against former President Donald Trump — after the Democratic incumbent was trailing the GOP nominee in polls — New York Fashion Week would have exuded a decidedly different vibe. “I was feeling very dejected; I remember thinking, is this the America I came for?” Prabal Gurung recalled about the first half of 2024, as he spoke with The Hollywood Reporter prior to Saturday’s debut of his collection.

Months earlier Gurung had visited his native Nepal to see family and friends and celebrate Holi, the Hindu festival that heralds the start of spring, so themes of color and freedom already were top of mind. “Holi is about a sense of abandonment and optimism; there are no enemies, we just have fun,” the designer said, adding that Harris’ entry as the Democratic presidential candidate suddenly put those notions on steroids, causing a bit of a last-minute pivot toward unabashed optimism in his designs. “I just thought, yes, this is why I came to America,” added Gurung, who wore a “VOTE” T-shirt of his own design for the finale. “Achieving impossible dreams is why I came here. And what came out of all of this is that it’s one of the most fun collections I’ve ever done. Before [July 21], I don’t think I’d be doing this collection. But now? Joy has become my best friend.”

Color was the jumping-off point for Gurung’s spring collection, a range that included faded pastels in blues and pinks, while red and pink combined on a strapless peplum gown with a gathered skirt. He also put gold metallics to good use, noting with a smile, “We call it winner’s gold,” thus sparking thoughts about whether any of those looks might find their way onto the upcoming Emmy Awards red carpet. Fabrics, details and one print in particular also were key, Gurung added: “I worked with a lot of cottons and linens and draped jersey, while you’ll also see hand-pleating, because I wanted the work to show,” he explained. “There’s also this one print, inspired by Kamala, which means lotus in Sanskrit, so it’s a splatter print that’s inspired by the lotus flower. It was part of my decision to just go for it and have fun.”

The same was true of the show’s location. In the decade since he immigrated to the U.S. from Nepal, Gurung long had envisioned the iconic archways of the David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building, which houses city government offices at 1 Centre Street and was completed in 1914, as the perfect backdrop for a runway show; part of his “let’s go for it” attitude this season extended to setting his label’s show directly beneath those archways. With the setting came a bonus, a natural breeze through the arches that allowed the trailing details of his designs to set sail.

Gurung also asked composer and musician Chloe Flower to conduct a live orchestra as the musical backdrop. She in turn enlisted classical musicians from the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College, which Flower also attended. “Prabal and I are longtime friends, so I wanted to put together a mix of classical songs that would complement his work,” she told THR, adding that the statement of a woman as conductor also was intentional. “Prabal always has been about empowering women, so I know it was important for him to have a woman leading the orchestra for his show, because even these days, conductors are still rarely women. But it’s also about how music can inspire hope and can transcend cultural and political barriers.”

Ultimately all the elements combined, both planned and unplanned, said Broadway producer Jordan Roth from the front row. “Prabal always brings us a romantic fantasy that also honors the city,” he said. “Today we arrived at this space, with this glorious arch, then the orchestra begins to play, and of course the wind kicks in on cue, and we see glorious clothes that are in themselves doing all of those things via structure and fluidity and romance. All of those things added up to a magical moment.”

Uptown Saturday evening, Sergio Hudson likewise was discussing how he made himself emerge from doldrums during the first half of the year to create a collection that felt equal parts stylish and upbeat. “I really took inspiration from one of the campy movies I love, Valley of the Dolls,” he noted to THR backstage before his show. “So it’s a lot of pastels, plus the soundtrack is all of my favorite jazz music from the ’60s, from Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington, songs that just bring me joy. I listened to Nancy Wilson’s ‘The Good Life’ almost on repeat while working on the collection.”

Like Gurung, Hudson has crafted a variety of suits the vice president has worn over the past four years — as well as a luxe purple ensemble worn by outgoing first lady Michelle Obama at the 2020 inauguration — so Harris’ shift into the top spot in the 2024 race also proved inspirational, both personally and professionally. “To see that moment happen for her from the outside looking in, while knowing what a beautiful person she is and how much her heart is in this country, that brings joy,” Hudson said. “No matter what side you’re on, when someone loves the country and genuinely wants to help people, that shines through. And being the father of three daughters, it means so much more to me. The past month definitely has been a big upper for me.”

Star stylist Zerina Akers noted during an August interview that Hudson “knows how to cut a suit,” and she was on Saturday’s front row alongside client and Ghosts star Danielle Pinnock, resplendent in a red dress by the designer, to view the suits and other pieces Hudson has crafted for Spring 2025. Pastel hues of lilac and yellow dominated the collection, but it was the mix of fabrics and textures that was the true standout, the blend of matte silk crepe and a luminous satin or the nubby texture of a tweed with a sleek knit, while Hudson’s red-carpet gowns included a stunner in lavender sequins with a terrific low back.

Might we see that gown or any other from this collection at Sunday’s Emmy Awards? Hudson certainly hopes so. “Red-carpet dressing made us,” said the designer, who has dressed stars including Kerry Washington, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose and Rachel Brosnahan for events. “As an independent brand, getting your clothes on any person of press value is free advertising, and it has changed the way people in the industry view us. There was a time when you were at the mercy of the stores or the editors, but now the public can control the process, because they can see J. Lo or Beyoncé or Michelle Obama in your clothes, and then the stores have to come to you, because the customers are saying, ‘I want this person’s clothing.’”

Hudson’s fans likewise include some of the most powerful women in television news. “I love Sergio as a person, as a human being, because he’s such a wonderful man, sincere in his passion for what he does — and then there’s the clothes,” said Joy Reid, MSNBC anchor and host of The ReidOut. “He knows how to make a woman look powerful and yet also feminine, conveying both of those things equally. And I love the way he works with color and fit.”

Attorney and co-host of The View Sunny Hostin agreed. “He makes me feel like a boss,” she told THR. “He makes me feel sexy and confident and competent. And his suits are the best. That’s why I think you see Dr. Jill Biden wearing them, why you see our former first lady, Michelle Obama, wearing them, and why you see them worn by probably the future president of the United States. His suits make you feel strong — my favorite is a white suit he made for me when I interviewed our current vice president.”

With Kamala Harris in position to possibly become the most powerful woman in the world, questions of “Should we be talking about her fashion?” have arisen, especially as men serving as president rarely are evaluated on their style (unless you count a certain tan suit worn by then-President Obama in 2014). “I’ll always start googling and texting to find out what Jill Biden or Speaker Pelosi is wearing, because I want to know,” Reid said. “As women, as we enter these powerful positions, what people expect of us is to shear our femininity, as though we’re just another version of these men. But no, we’re not; as a woman, we’re bringing everything we have to the table: our femininity, our power, our intellect, but we’re also bringing our fabulousness, and there’s nothing wrong with our fabulousness being on that table. And when we’re going to be in something amazing, we’re going to tell you who it is. By doing so, we’re also supporting and empowering the community that’s dressing us.”