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Anyone who attended a few shows at New York Fashion Week likely noticed signs for ‘The Venue Collective‘ throughout the week. So, what is it? Industry vet Leslie Russo, chief architect of N4XT Experiences, tells The Daily about this new kid on the NYFW block—and what they’ have in store for seasons to come.
What’s the concept behind the Venue Collective, and who is behind it?
The Venue Collective is the first part of a five-phase plan to reimagine New York Fashion Week, led by KFN / N4XT Experiences. The Venue Collective was conceived as a foundational first step, and developed in tandem with a cross section of industry voices—from designers, editors, government officials, producers, business and real estate owners, to name a few. At its core, The Venue Collective eliminates the need for a centralized venue and in its place, provides a network of fully contracted, design-forward venues with built-in operational support offered at no cost to New York-based designers. The goal is to remove the heaviest burdens such as venue acquisition, permitting, production logistics, and backstage infrastructure so designers can focus on their collections and their creative presentations. It also addresses logistical challenges for editors and buyers who are dashing from show to show by keeping the shows in a loose “campus” or perimeter. New York has always been a market for independently-owned brands and new talent discoveries, but that strength often comes with resource challenges. The Venue Collective helps level the playing field for New York’s talent, both emerging and established.
Kate Barton Spring 2026
Kate Barton Spring 2026 Runway
What’s your role?
In addition to my work as the founder of The Culture Shop, a cultural agency I founded in 2023 that builds IP and live productions globally at the intersection of fashion, sports, and entertainment, I joined forces with N4XT Experiences as their chief architect to build new platforms for New York Fashion Week and LAFW, from the ground up. The Venue Collective was conceived as the foundation of the new platform, designing a system that responds to the needs of the industry first. My role is to make sure the infrastructure supports creativity, not the other way around—and to create a scalable path forward that showcases New York and LA’s cultural relevance and contributions to global fashion.
What designers will be showing, and what venues are you working with?
This is just the pilot season, and the response was overwhelming. We curated a mix of established names and emerging voices, including Brandon Maxwell at Sotheby’s, Altuzarra at the Woolworth Building, Sergio Hudson at Spring Studios, Tibi at Broadway Studio, Simkhai at Essex Crossing, Fforme at Little W. 12th Street, Off-White at New Design High School, and Kallmeyer at The Crane Club. Plus, we had a boutique multi-use venue where Aknvas, Zankov, Kate Barton, and Advisry showed, and showrooms at Highline Nine that were by appointment. As part of the cultural programming, the relaunch of Public School at Saga was another highlight of the week.
Kate Barton Spring 2026 Runway (Courtesy)
Why did it feel necessary to create something like this for New York again?
New York is a culturally rich community. We want to put that front and center and demonstrate how American fashion influences and impacts fashion on a global scale. New York Fashion Week is one of New York’s signature cultural moments, but like everything else in our world, the industry is rapidly evolving. A designer’s show has to tick a lot of boxes beyond just showing collections to buyers and editors. It has become a critical tool in amplifying a designer’s brand to their potential consumers. One fashion show now demonstrates a brand’s cultural relevance and values, serves as a brand campaign, showcases brand ambassadors and engages social audiences, to name a few of the many objectives. A fashion show is a pricey proposition, and unlike other global fashion weeks, there is no government funding or corporate conglomerates that help to fund [it].
This is your first season at NYFW. What are your plans for the future?
Expansion of The Venue Collective is in the future, but our next phase is in development and a cultural platform for the broader fashion enthusiast that showcases American culture through the lens of fashion. We are also in development of a proprietary digital product that we believe will be transformative.
Maxwell Osborne, Dao-Yi Chow, Steven Kolb, Leslie Russo, Imad Izemrane. Prabal Gurung (Courtesy)
How can designers get involved in the future?
The Venue Collective will announce another round of applications for 2026, but that will be just one of the formats. We don’t believe there is a “one size fits all” model for showcasing fashion or style. Not everything needs to be a fashion show. It’s our culture—our music, our sports, our energy, our style, our diversity, and our communities that make American fashion influential globally. We are building a variety of ways designers can be involved to showcase what New York, and New York fashion, is all about.
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