Harlem's Fashion Row Reveals 2026 Style Awards Honorees, Including Erykah Badu and Wisdom Kaye
Harlem's Fashion Row has named the six honorees for its 19th Annual Fashion Show & Style Awards, with singer Erykah Badu receiving the Fashion Icon Award and content creator Wisdom Kaye taking The Virgil Abloh Award, presented by LVMH. The event is set for Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at The Glasshouse in New York City, where it will open the New York Fashion Week season (FashionUnited).
The 2026 Style Awards recognise work across design, styling, editing and cultural influence. Brandon Blackwood will receive the Designer of the Year Award. Audrey Smaltz, the veteran fashion commentator and former model, takes The Ann Lowe Maverick Award, named for the mid-century couturier who dressed Jacqueline Kennedy. Jahleel Weaver is Stylist of the Year, and Recho Omondi receives the Editor of the Year Award. The full list of honorees was announced on August 24, 2026 (WWD).
The event's theme, "Peace by Piece," carries across both the awards ceremony and the runway show. Three emerging designers will debut spring 2027 collections as part of the Runway Ahead Designer Fellowship, a programme launched earlier this year by the PVH Foundation — the philanthropic arm of PVH Corp., the American group that owns Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger. The fellowship provides grant funding, executive mentorship and business-development support to designers of colour building their own labels.
The three fellowship designers each bring a distinct point of view. Atelier Nido-Waina Clancy shows womenswear. Rey Jaiteh creates luxury menswear and womenswear rooted in Harlem. Chuks Collins runs a luxury fashion house that blends African heritage with contemporary global design.
A $100,000 grant — the Runway Ahead Prize — will go to one of the three, judged by a selection committee that includes Brandice Daniel, the founder of Harlem's Fashion Row and its nonprofit arm ICON360, alongside executives from Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger North America, GQ, Vanity Fair and PVH. Stylist and creative director June Ambrose also sits on the committee.
Harlem's Fashion Row was founded in 2007 as a platform to discover, showcase and support designers of colour (harlemsfashionrow.com). Over its history the organisation has brokered collaborations with Nike, Gap, Nordstrom and Tommy Hilfiger, pairing those brands with emerging designers of colour for limited collections and retail launches. Its stated aim is now the long-term growth and visibility of diverse-owned brands rather than one-off partnerships.
The September 8 event brings the awards ceremony and the runway debut together in one evening, positioning Harlem's Fashion Row as the traditional opener for the broader New York Fashion Week calendar, when the city's major designers present their main-season collections to buyers and press.
