Thom Browne's Poe-tinged dark romance ends NY Fashion Week

In a sparse warehouse dotted with trees, models sauntered down the catwalk in tweed coats to the sound of ravens as US designer Thom Browne closed New York Fashion Week with what he called a "romantically dark" show.

The designer's theatrical autumn-winter 2024 collection on Wednesday evening was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's seminal "The Raven," in which the hero, who has just lost his lover, is visited by the black bird.

With Janet Jackson and Queen Latifah looking on, half-human, half-animal forms -- some with feather veils or masks-- sported Browne's distinctive black and white palette, as a female voice read lines from the poem.

A stole made of shredded tuxedo strips was worn over the shoulders of one model.

The US designer used velvet, cashmere, black mohair and silk to create the deconstructed, eccentric silhouettes he favors.

Known for reimagining the gray suit, with Bermuda shorts or pleated skirts for men, Browne said after the show that he had sought to create a "romantically dark" atmosphere.

At the center of the show was a model acting as a tree, wearing an immense black puffer jacket, by far the largest piece seen during fashion week in the Big Apple.

'Put Africa on the map'

With between 10 and a dozen shows a day since Friday, the catwalk marathon saw an avalanche of styles.

New York's week may be less significant than those in Paris, Milan and London, but it still attracts a galaxy of stars, like Beyonce, who sat in the front row for the Luar fashion show on Tuesday.

Designer Jacques Agbobly, 26, who was born in Togo and immigrated to Chicago as a child, represents a new, diverse generation of fashion talent.

"My work is to put Africa on the map," Agbobly told AFP about his collection.

"I'm telling a story about my upbringing as an African person living in the United States... and having to navigate my identity between West Africa versus living in America and figuring out a middle ground of having to exist in between spaces," he said.

Among the pieces shown by Agbobly was a double-belted trench coat in green, yellow and red checks, reminiscent of the colors of his native country's flag. His creations are in the running for this year's LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers.(AFP)