Eckhaus Latta Puts Motherhood on Display for Spring '18

It takes a special kind of brand to get a crowd of fashion heavyweights and art kids to wander into the heart of Bushwick for a runway show, yet that's exactly the attention that Eckhaus Latta commands. The avant-garde design duo of Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta have previously staged shows in locations as far ranging as Queens' MoMA PS1 and Manhattan's Seward Park, but this year they found a home for their spring '18 collection deep in Brooklyn.

Tucked into a repurposed warehouse, the designers enlisted Moses Sumney to play guitar and sing live in a corner as a diverse array of models walked through the crisscrossing rows of seats. Alongside Eckhaus Latta mainstays like Michael Bailey Gates, India Salvor-Menuez and Alexandra Marzella, a new cast of models included notable faces like R&B singer Kelela and Kim Gordon's daughter, Coco Gordon Moore.

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This season, the designer's boldly reaffirmed themselves as one of fashion's most notable names with a lineup that was daring, beautiful, and, most importantly, refined. The first look, a tailored black suit, became a statement of how far they've come, while later looks showed that their penchant for experimental knits and abstract shapes will always be part of their brand DNA.

As models zigzagged in an array of fringes, patches and zippers, the larger theme seemed to center on nudity, femininity and, thanks to a pregnant model whose belly became the focal point of her garment, motherhood. Visible breasts beneath sheer tops weren't used as shock factor so much as a natural extension of womanhood.

Women and men of all ages caked in clay wore interchangeable garments that blurred gender and, by the time the last look cleared the runway, it became clear why they're the underground brand to beat. From the diverse models to the space's ethereal atmosphere, Eckhaus Latta's NYFW presentation was an artful, thought-provoking celebration of what fashion can, and should, be.

Photography: Sam Gamberg