Collina Strada’s salad days are not quite over.
Hillary Taymour, the New York-based designer behind the forward-thinking label, presented her latest eco-chic collection, titled “Thank you very much for helping me,” as an immersive farmers market jam-packed with the season’s juiciest trends: activism, food and babies.
The runway performance, in the Gramercy Park neighborhood on Sunday, featured out-of-this-world designs including T-shirts hand-drawn by the designer’s young niece, who walked in🌞 the show. Statement-making accessories, inᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚcluding fanciful floppy hair bows and bedazzled glasses, added to the whimsy, as did performances by rising artists Zsela and Tei-Shi.
Inclusivity is standard for Taymour’s brand, which consistently casts models, creatives, artists and tastemakers from all walks of life. This show’s stars included dogs, twins, a model with two tots in tow and even a surprise streaker graffitied in politically charged, climate-driven slogans — all of whom interacted with the atmospher💃e by cherry-꧂picking produce to munch on while walking.
(Unfortunately, there was no sign of baby Emmett, the showstopping baby who sat perched on his model mama Hartje Andresen’s shoulders when ಌshe walked Collina Strada in February.)
The message of sustainability was on equal footing with the fashion. The designer drove home her intent to save Mother Earth by leaving a tip sheet on each seat, urging showgoers to shop local, cook at꧙ home and bringꦦ their own bag to the grocery store. Reusable Baggu totes were on hand to fill with free fruits, flowers and veggies from the set post-presentation.
“Sustainability is a journey, not a destination,” said Taymour in the show notes.
“In this climate crisis I am struggling to figure out how to be as responsible and transparent as possible, I’m learning daily how to build better business practices and design with consciousness as the Amazon continues to burn.”