To a screeching party soundtrack 102 floors up the Freedom Tower on hallowed 9/11 ground, British wunderkind Christian Cowan helped open New York Fashion Week on Friday night with a riot of sequins, feathers and little T-shirts of love to the city he now calls home.
The 25-year-old designer who first put clothes on Lady Gaga s back while still a teenager in fashion school married Hollywood with Gen Z TikTok culture — and the vibes of Lower East Side club kids with Upper East Side ladies who lunch. He set out this time around to honor New York as the city wakes up amid a pandemic with loosened restrictions and the hope of a brighter future.
“This just seemed like such a symbol of New York’s power and resilience,” Cowan said of the towering One World Trade Center, where he invited guests to the observatory for sweeping night views of the city and the Hudson River. “I moved to New York five years ago but … I always felt like a New Yorker before I even got here.”
Cowan rolled out a variety of evening sparklers, day looks and minis done in Valentine’s Day red. There was a…
