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For the latest NYFW designer episode, international fashion reporter Zofia Zwieglinska sat down with Hillary Taymour, founder and creative director of Collina Strada, to discuss her Spring-Summer 2026 collection. The collection’s show featured a striking visual: Every colorful look was mirrored by a black duplicate, like a “shadow” that followed each model down the runway. The doubled styling underscored how progress, in fashion and in politics, is never free from the weight of what came before.
The collection arrived as the U.S. navigates heightened scrutiny abroad following Donald Trump’s return to office in January 2025. With sweeping tariffs and immigration crackdowns, America’s cultural exports now carry a dual narrative: vibrant and innovative on the surface, but shadowed by policies that shape international perception. Collina Strada’s runway mirrored the tension, with the more colorful brand expression tempered by stark reminders of consequence.
But Taymour is expanding the Collina Strada universe beyond the runway.
At NYFW, she announced a new partnership with OnlyFans, debuting as a creator on the platform while introducing a limited-edition OnlyFans x Collina Strada “Level Up” T-shirt. Through her channel, she’ll give fans an inside look at her design process, plus offer business lessons, creative inspirations and everyday style, while extending NYFW coverage to OFTV. Alongside that came another first: Collina Strada’s debut fine jewelry collaboration, with Awe Inspired, featuring surreal sterling hedgehogs, molten talons and thorn-like forms, priced $225–$1,145 and made available immediately following the runway.
Below are some highlights from the podcast onversation, lightly edited for length and clarity.
On the SS26 show concept
“The shadows represent the policies, histories and systems that trail behind — invisible to some, and glaring to others. Every look we made, we made two of. So if we had a pink floral dress, we made a black floral dress in the exact same silhouette. Even the jewelry was duplicated, [like] a colorful beaded necklace and its shadow version in black. It was about showing that everything we do has something that follows it, whether you see it or not.”
The business side of showing at NYFW
“We show purely to continue the marketing of what Collina Strada is. It’s a ton of attention on us at that moment for our shoppers, for our customers, for our stores. The earned media value of our show is about $3 million, which is the same as Marni showing in Milan. So for me, it’s about knowing what that value is and leveraging it. We’re not Dior; we don’t have 200 stores globally. But we can still command that kind of attention with the right concept.”
The pressures of financing an independent brand
“There were days growing up where I was like, where am I getting $50,000? And I’d be awake at night crying because I didn’t know how to pay my production bills. That’s the reality of running a business without outside investment or a CFO. In order to be successful as an independent designer, you have to be on top of your numbers, [including] the invoices, the production costs, the margins. If you’re not, you won’t be able to continue what you’re making.”
