Collina Strada’s Hillary Taymour on runway value and independent brand survival

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 tariff...