Rachel Scott Is the Busiest Woman at New York Fashion Week

Rachel Scott, the founder of Diotima and the Creative Director of Proenza Schouler, put on two major shows in five days at New York Fashion Week. Her debut at Proenza Schouler was among the most anticipated shows of the week, with fellow designers like Maria Cornejo and Raul Lopez of Luar supporting from the front row.

“There was a lot of my soul that I poured out in one week,” Scott told Nicole Phelps. “I'd say it's the hardest thing I've ever done.”

At her Diotima show on Sunday, Scott collaborated with the estate of Wilfredo Lam, the late Cuban artist and current subject of a Museum of Modern Art retrospective. Scott has long admired Lam, and she found inspiration not only in the aesthetic beauty of his canvases but also the strong anti-imperialist statements in his work.

Scott felt compelled to make her own political statement this season, given the many crises here in the U.S. and the world.

“ICE out, number one,” she said. “We need to really think about what borders are. It's a statement against the repressive forces of colonialism and imperialism.”

She also shared stories from her childhood growing up in Jamaica, her early fashion memories and career trajectory, and her favorite memories from her internship at Vogue.

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