Fashion is perpetually preoccupied with the new. At International Heritage Fashion Week, however, the future begins with understanding what came before it.
Returning to Manhattan’s historic 3 West Club on September 10, IHFW presented its fifth season during New York Fashion Week with a Spring/Summer 2027 program rooted in craftsmanship, cultural identity and creative evolution.
Founded and produced by celebrity designer Prashant Goyal, the platform brought together designers, models, artisans, beauty professionals and emerging creatives for a day that felt as much about community as clothing.
His Highness Prince Mario-Max returned as official host, continuing a relationship with IHFW that dates back to its first season.
Season 05 was its largest yet. But rather than allowing scale to overwhelm the clothes, IHFW used it to tell more stories.
Heritage, With a New York Attitude
The day’s defining statement arrived through Heritage India Fashions and Goyal’s The New York Edit.
Presented across 70 models, the collection placed Indian fashion heritage against the attitude and individuality of New York—a meeting of cultural tradition and a city perpetually reinventing itself.
That dialogue between past and present appeared throughout the afternoon.
ICON Fashion Magazine opened with an editorial runway presentation before Rohan Narang Fashions introduced Where Nature Becomes Couture, a collection informed by the movement and beauty of birds.
Then came Willow Bean Studio. Designer Jennie Fear’s En Pointe turned toward ballet for inspiration, bringing romantic youth couture and a softer sensibility to the runway.
Different references, different aesthetics, different stories—but each demonstrated how heritage and inspiration can become starting points rather than creative restrictions.
The Beauty of Making Something by Hand
Perhaps one of Season 05’s most compelling contrasts came later in the day.
At 4 p.m., Ruchi Goyal Crochet opened with more than 50 handmade looks.
Against an industry increasingly defined by speed, the collection celebrated something considerably slower: the human hand.
Crochet’s texture and intricacy became the focus, allowing a traditional technique to exist comfortably within a contemporary Fashion Week environment.
SteevTeez, owned by Tiffany Whitehurst, followed with a Bermuda-inspired perspective before Heritage India Fashions returned for the 70-model finale.
Craftsmanship even extended to the models’ fingertips.
GN Collections, founded by Gayatri Ganeshan, presented Symphony of Colors through handmade nail art created for select Ruchi Goyal Crochet and Heritage India Fashions models. The manicures weren’t simply finishing touches; they became miniature works of wearable art.
It Takes a Community to Build a Runway
While collections are what audiences ultimately see, IHFW’s fifth season placed equal importance on the creative infrastructure behind them.
More than 40 volunteer beauty professionals joined the Glam Team, while over 50 interns from fashion schools across the United States worked across production, media, backstage, designer support and front-of-house operations.
The production team included Victoria Nowak, Production Director; April Love, Creative Director; Brenda Jameson, Creative Administrator; Nadia Neubert, Creative Back House; Rachel Lauren, Creative Front House; Evelin Gonzalez, Creative Beauty Director; and Deval Parikh, Creative Media Director.
Returning Heritage House Models Victoria Nowak, Sasha Bas, Amy Saori Sanchez, Olivia Todaro, Francesca Sadek, Joannie Taveras, Makayla Mechelle, Hailey Bella, Caroline Cartagena, Kate Saucedo and Jaelyani Gregor joined the larger Season 05 cast.
Backstage, Doll Face Lashes, Billion Dollar Beauty and JAPONESQUE supported the beauty team. Heritage India Fashions continued its longstanding event sponsorship, while UNWELL Beverages joined the fifth season.
The show’s media community expanded too, with Paris Runway Official returning as a media partner alongside Fashion X.
Growing Without Losing the Story
For Goyal, growth isn’t simply measured by the number of people in the room.
“Every season we try to grow… not simply by making the show bigger, but by bringing more creative people into the room,” he said. “It isn’t only about a designer or a collection. It’s the models, the creative team, the glam team, the people backstage and everyone who gives something of themselves to make the show happen.”
And despite Season 05 becoming IHFW’s largest production yet, Goyal’s final objective remains surprisingly intimate.
“Season 05 is our biggest yet, but I still want it to feel personal.”
Perhaps that is where International Heritage Fashion Week finds its identity.
Indian heritage met New York energy. Seventy models shared a finale while more than 50 handmade crochet looks celebrated the deliberate beauty of craft. Bermuda references appeared alongside ballet, nature and intricate nail artistry. Returning members of the IHFW community worked beside a new generation learning what it takes to create Fashion Week from backstage.
In an industry forever asking what comes next, IHFW offered another possibility:
The future of fashion doesn’t always require leaving tradition behind. Sometimes, it begins by giving heritage an entirely new place to go.
Credits:
Writer: Brit Olivia @onceuponatimebrit
PR: Paris Runway Official @parisrunwayofficial
Show: International Heritage Fashion Week @internationalheritagefw
Prashant Goyal — Founder / Celebrity Designer — @prashantcgoyal
Victoria Nowak — Production Director — @victorialnowak
April Love — Creative Director — @aprillove
Brenda Jameson — Creative Administrator — @mizbjam
Nadia Neubert — Creative Back House — @nadianeubert_model
Rachel Lauren — Creative Front House — @msmodelmentor
Evelin Gonzalez — Creative Beauty Director — @evelin__gonzalez__
Deval Parikh — Creative Media Director
Prince Mario-Max — Official Host — @princemariomax
Photographer: DEVAL PARIKH @dreamfashionprodnyc