Sukeina RTW Fall 2023

Senegalese designer Omar Salam holds the traditions of his childhood close to his heart, which is why he rang the new year in an unexpected way: collecting rocks — and its inspiration for fall — near the East River in Manhattan.

In West Africa, throwing stones in water is a way of expressing wishes for the future. So what does Salam hope for in 2023? "Love," he said backstage.

Title "You", the collection was an expression of his own love for the Sukeina woman whose presence Salam sees him as holding great strength and tenderness in equal measure, attributes he also associates closely with pebbles.

The designer is "intrigued by things that don't necessarily go together, that are sometimes even poles apart and through design, says he seeks to understand "how they can enhance and complement each other".

Stones literally translate here to the use of slate gray on pants with gold concealed and revealed zippers and Mod aprons layered over sequined tops and embellished with marabou feathers and herringbone knit accents. Their plumpness, which he likened to a smiling face, led him to revisit his sharp-edged origami folds that only appeared on two nearly identical two-tone coats.

Taking a more gestural approach, flared pencil skirts open up like water when she is struck by a solid object. Ditto the black and magenta tufted final look sported by Coco Rocha, who sailed down the house, whipping the cathedral train to much fanfare from the public.

If love is what he wanted this year Salam definitely got it at this time.