'I Love Jewish Girls' Makes NYFW History With First Jewish Runway

Algemeiner reports New York Fashion Week hosted its first-ever Jewish-themed runway show Thursday night, an 'I Love Jewish Girls' event celebrating 18 Jewish and Israeli designers.

Algemeiner reports that a runway show titled 'I Love Jewish Girls' took place Thursday night at the Léman Ballroom in New York City, part of New York Fashion Week, and that organizers describe it as the first Jewish-themed runway show in the event's history. Artist and designer Elizabeth Sutton opened the show wearing a gown and matching headpiece by Israeli brand Shani. According to Algemeiner, 18 designers from Israel, Brazil, Mexico, and across the US showed looks, and the majority of the models were Jewish. Featured models included former Miss Haifa 2024 Daniela Sonnenfeld, actress Jenny Anne Hochberg, Miss Universe Israel Danielle Yablonka, rapper Kosha Dillz, activist Zach Sage Fox, and philanthropist Ari Ackerman, with about 500 people in attendance.

The surprising element is the claim of a historic first: according to the Algemeiner, no Jewish-themed runway show had previously taken place at New York Fashion Week, making Thursday's event a milestone for Jewish visibility in an industry the article describes as facing rising antisemitism. The show was conceived by Jewish Mexican artist Alejandro Glatt, whose 'I Love Jewish Girls' artworks inspired the title. Algemeiner reports that Glatt formulated the concept after being dropped from Miami Swim Week in late May, when he says organizers called to say his art was 'too political.' He instead staged his own Miami show and then brought the idea to New York Fashion Week.

Algemeiner details the range of garments shown, from modest attire to ready-to-wear and couture, including sweaters reading 'Stop Antisemitism' and 'chutzpah,' shirts saying 'I love Jewish boys,' Star of David and Israeli flag apparel, swimsuits with Jewish symbols, and a dress resembling a tallit. Designers on the runway, per the report, included tailor Yosel Tiefenbrun, Aviad Arik Herman, Mikael Aghal, Yaron Minkowski, Shalosh, Miriya Love, Tomer Peretz, and Tribe True Tradition. Among the attendees, Algemeiner names Fern Mallis, the creator of New York Fashion Week, and 10-year-old designer Max Alexander. This message-heavy, identity-forward programming stands in contrast to the SS27 beauty trends other outlets covered this week, such as the 'sunglass nails' that Allure reports walked Diane von Furstenberg's first NYFW show in nine years.

According to Algemeiner, the show was organized by Alejandro Glatt with fashion-industry figure Tobi Rubinstein, and co-produced by EPN Fashion Week in coordination with the Israeli Consulate in New York, whose cultural affairs head Yael Hashavit addressed the audience about resilience and the 'neshama' of Jewish creativity. The report quotes Rubinstein saying, 'We are walking the runway to remind the world that Judaism and fashion are intricately interwoven, from 7th Avenue in New York City to the streets of Tel Aviv,' citing the statue of an old man in a yarmulke over a sewing machine on 7th Avenue. Performances included Israeli singer and cantor Dudu Fisher singing 'Hatikvah,' 'God Bless America,' and 'Jerusalem of Gold,' and Iranian-American singer Ghazal Mizrahi in Hebrew and Farsi, per Algemeiner.

The stakes, as framed by the participants Algemeiner quotes, go beyond one evening. Rubinstein told the outlet that the fashion industry 'is also subject to a lot of antisemitism,' and that the answer is not to hide but to be 'bold and in your face.' Fisher told Algemeiner backstage that 'this is the time that we have to show off and stand up, not just for ourselves but also for Israel,' while Hashavit called the event a demonstration of resilience in an atmosphere of rising antisemitism. In a season when outlets like Hypebae are chronicling SS27 runways through beauty moments — glittery grunge eyes at Diane von Furstenberg, graphic eyeliner at Proenza Schouler — a show centered explicitly on Jewish pride marks a distinctly message-driven turn in what a runway can carry.

Algemeiner reports that the evening ended with a shofar blowing to welcome Rosh Hashanah, which began Friday night, tying the show to the Jewish new year and positioning it as a statement of continuity rather than a one-off. Having already proven the format twice — at Miami Swim Week, after the cancellation Glatt describes, and now at New York Fashion Week with about 500 attendees and institutional backing — the concept has a plausible runway ahead, though the Algemeiner article does not announce a next edition. For New York Fashion Week more broadly, the moment sits alongside a busy SS27 slate that Hypebae says includes Coach's 85th birthday celebrations and DVF's return, while Allure's 'sunglass nails' and Hypebae's crimped-hair and hairy-nail moments show the beauty world racing in a more experimental direction.