Tory Burch Evokes Sport at New York Fashion Week

Models walk the runway for Tory Burch during New York Fashion Week in New York on September 9, 2024. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP)
Models walk the runway for Tory Burch during New York Fashion Week in New York on September 9, 2024. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP)
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Tory Burch Evokes Sport at New York Fashion Week

Models walk the runway for Tory Burch during New York Fashion Week in New York on September 9, 2024. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP)
Models walk the runway for Tory Burch during New York Fashion Week in New York on September 9, 2024. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP)

American designer Tory Burch unveiled a collection imbued with the spirit of sport -- but without venturing into sportswear -- at New York Fashion Week on Monday.

Freedom and movement were reflected in loose-fitting wool pants and wrap dresses, while power shone through in the assembly of different pieces, fabrics and cuts on the models marching down the catwalk.

"It's more about the spirit and the essence of sport," Burch, whose shows have become a staple of New York Fashion Week, told Agence France Presse of the Spring/Summer 2025 collection.

That means it's about "movement, about freedom, precision" as a starting point, she explained, adding: "The word 'synchronicity' was something I thought about."

Burch, who this year celebrated the 20th anniversary of her eponymous fashion house, said: "I wanted to be careful with not having too many different prints, but I wanted it to come across some textures and the fabrics and the color well."

Among the standouts was an ensemble of ultra-light suede pants with a rope belt and a skin-tight sweater patterned in red and white.

A transparent white jersey shirt with ruffles and overly long sleeves was paired with its formal counterpart, brown wool pants.

Once again, the Pennsylvania native broke from the style that made her famous, a combination of preppy New England with a touch of the bohemian.

A regular at New York's iconic venues, Burch chose the top floor of the former Domino sugar factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with its breathtaking view over Manhattan, for her show.

Along with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, the show was attended by actresses Michelle Williams, Elizabeth Olsen and Kirsten Stewart.

"I want to have a dialogue, but I want to keep evolving and taking it in new directions," the designer said, adding: "I think it's important to have some continuity."



Waste Not: Taiwan Workshop Turns Trash into Sunglasses 

Arthur Huang, founder of Miniwiz, the company that runs Trash Kitchen, holds a pair of sunglasses made with plastic waste in Taipei, Taiwan, August 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Arthur Huang, founder of Miniwiz, the company that runs Trash Kitchen, holds a pair of sunglasses made with plastic waste in Taipei, Taiwan, August 19, 2024. (Reuters)
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Waste Not: Taiwan Workshop Turns Trash into Sunglasses 

Arthur Huang, founder of Miniwiz, the company that runs Trash Kitchen, holds a pair of sunglasses made with plastic waste in Taipei, Taiwan, August 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Arthur Huang, founder of Miniwiz, the company that runs Trash Kitchen, holds a pair of sunglasses made with plastic waste in Taipei, Taiwan, August 19, 2024. (Reuters)

Plastic bottle caps, food packaging, single-use utensils and scrapped toys are just some of the throw-away items that have been given a new life at a zero-waste workshop in Taipei.

Customers get hands-on experience in the recycling process, taking plastic waste brought from home, and melting and molding it into a pair of sunglasses within two hours.

"What we are trying to show in the Trash Kitchen is to let you see, feel, touch within minutes how this process can actually work without secondary pollution, and you can actually turn it into something of value directly in front of you," Arthur Huang, founder of Miniwiz, the company that runs the workshop, told Reuters.

The Taiwan company also produces tiles, bricks, hangers and other daily necessities from plastic and organic waste, using a "miniTrashpresso", a machine it developed in 2017, Huang said.

Kora Hsieh, editor-in-chief for fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar Taiwan, said the sunglasses project is a good initiative to promote sustainable fashion.

"I think environmental protection and fashion still have a long way to go. As for consumers, it is important for them to get first-hand experience, so a workshop like this is very helpful," she said.

Participants said the workshop inspired them to think twice about producing trash and pay more attention to reusable items.

"I have two children. I need to think about their future," said business owner Debbie Wu, 40.

"If you throw away trash without thinking, you kick the problem down the road. So if everyone can do their best, recycle and use less plastic, that will make a big difference," Wu said.

Taiwan produced a record 11.58 million metric tons of waste in 2023, including 6.27 million tons of recyclable trash, according to data from the Ministry of Environment.