New York
Fashion Week AW23
BEHIND THE SCENES AT NYFW
On February 4th, 2023 RISA VENEZIA showcased their AW 2023 Marco Polo and Palazzo Ducale collections at the MŌCANA event, marking their second appearance in New York Fashion week in just 4 months! This embodied a subversive contrast to NYFW, revealing several unique creatives together in an inclusive environment that sparks positivity and collaboration; while also demonstrating how RISA goes against seasonal fashion trends and instead focuses on sustainable, slow luxury fashion.
MŌCANA is a multifaceted platform that seeks to bring contrasting creatives together to collaborate and produce an immersive experience between one another and their audiences. This was their second event, MŌCANA Vol. 2, and it featured 25 different creatives of many different mediums ranging from performance artists and designers to DJs. The event was split into two parts, a ‘Day Exhibition’ that ran from 4:00 - 9:00 pm and a ‘Night Exhibition’ that continued an hour after and ended at 4:00 am. RISA VENEZIA was fortunate to be the only artist to be featured in both the Day and Night Exhibitions. The event had a market-style format where each artist had a unique space to make their own. RISA created a ‘Venetian corner’ with Venetian-style sofas and gold mirrors to recreate RISA’s aesthetic and produce an immersive and thoughtful experience for everyone seeing the collection for the first time. This was really important for RISA in order for people to understand the brand's background, inspiration, and tradition.
During the ‘Night Exhibition’ RISA unveiled its whole collection with the first traditional, fast-paced fashion show for the brand. They had 13 models walking down the runway with white masks covering their eyes as a representation of Venice’s Carnival. This tradition of mask-wearing began in the 12 century during Carnival to mask one's appearance and identity. A key element of these parties was that they were the only time in which the lower and upper classes were seen socializing together. As a result, these masks represent freedom of expression and the ability to abandon societal norms and class structures. The show introduced 26 versatile designs, featuring feminine silver silhouettes from the Palazzo Ducale collection, RISA’s classic Marco Polo kimonos, and wrap skirts. This collection represents RISA’s values well, displaying reversible and adaptable garments that can fit many sizes and are made to last. This was a memorable and positive experience for RISA to connect with other like-minded, emerging artists and develop further in the New York market. Be sure to follow @mocana.mama to find more emerging artists and know when their next events are.
