Christian Cowan, Tyla’s album dress designer, presents his 2025 spring/summer collection at NYFW
Image: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
Celebrity designer Christian Cowan, who dressed South African superstar Tyla for her debut album cover, presented a show-stopping spring/summer 2025 collection for New York Fashion Week (NYFW), which wrapped on Wednesday night.
The collection, set against the Blade East tarmac in New York City, featured models sashaying down the heliport runway with theatrical movement in a black, white and blue palette, in a modern, edgy take on Agatha Christie.
“So this collection is inspired by a short story I did about a lady called Clarice who’s at a party in Vienna and gets poisoned and dies at the party,” Cowan explained to TimesLIVE. “The collection also builds on the tailoring techniques previewed on the 2024 Met Gala red carpet, along with Smiley’s Future Positive collaboration.”
Johannesburg-born megastar Tyla, 22, who made history on Wednesday night as the first African female artist to win an MTV Video Music Award 2024 in the Best Afrobeats category, wore a bespoke embroidered recycled plastic paillette sequin set from Cowan’s spring/summer 2024 collection for the cover of her self-titled debut album.
Image: Victor Pagan/Getty Images
Her stylist, Lee Trigg, also put together an exquisite, multi-sized star-studded sequin outfit by Christian Cowan and Retrofête for her performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, from Cowan’s spring/summer 2024 collection.
“This new collection for New York Fashion Week is somewhat different from the collection worn by Tyla. There’s a lot of satin in this [new] collection. I think I felt the need to stay away from the materials people expect me to use, such as sequins and so on. So, you won’t see any of that. There’s no pinks, there’s no fluff — it’s just a different expression. There’s obviously a bit of sparkle, but no sequins this time. And there’s also a lot of blue.”
His top tips for South African emerging designers who want to conquer NYFW?
“Be true to yourself and do your own thing — but also don’t be afraid to do something commercial at the same time. It’s not the kiss of death — it’s what will allow you to grow.
“And, honestly, make sure you’re always having fun. Don’t stress out ... It’s just clothes. Just have a good time and savour the moment.”
TimesLIVE
