Christopher John Rogers is back.
The designer hasn’t shown on-calendar for five years, and it’s been almost two years since he staged his last runway show. But he never left the fashion scene. Back in September 2023, Rogers took a trip to Paris to show his pre-fall 2024 collection and expose the brand to buyers beyond the States. In September 2024, the brand launched its first eyewear collection in collaboration with Andy Wolf. And in October, he launched a sell-out collaboration with J Crew that caused a stir at the Vogue offices. (“It was so frustrating,” Vogue social media manager Taylor Lashley quipped during our studio visit. Rogers laughed and asked why — we explained it sold out too quickly to get our hands on a golden barn jacket or red vinyl coat.)
If it’s been a busy year, you wouldn’t know it from the atmosphere at the CJR studio in Downtown Manhattan, three days out from tonight’s show at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. When we visit, casting is in full swing, as is hair and makeup testing. Songs from Summer Vee’s ‘Judas’ to Jitwam’s ‘Trust’ and Dan Kye’s ‘Focus’ emanate from the studio speakers, encapsulating the (relatively) chill energy in the space. (Many of the tracks’ artworks are just as colourful as Rogers’s designs. A coincidence, I’m sure, but a fortuitous touch nonetheless.)
