Author: Mix Cacho-Negrete 

RUNWAY IMAGES CREDIT: Michael Pagara

Veejay Floresca has been on her journey as a fashion designer for a long time. Hailing from the Philippines, she has her bachelor’s and master’s in fashion. Years later, she is now Project Runway USA’s latest winner – an incredible accomplishment where thousands of viewers all around the world got to learn more about her story. 

Clearly, fashion design is in Veejay’s bones at this point so I was curious to see her inaugural collection during this February’s New York Fashion Week. As I walked into the Ritz Carlton, Veejay’s presentation room was packed with excited viewers. The room was literally buzzing with excitement, then we got hushed by her team. Suddenly, an impromptu runway show started. I loved getting to see the clothes move down the ‘runway’ then see them up close after – it was a great move by Veejay to make the audience feel like they were at a high-fashion event where they could actually engage with the looks. 

Veejay has been very vocal about her commitment to inclusivity, and her show demonstrated that characteristic deeply. There were models of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and ages. Her models were by far the most diverse group I saw the entire week. 

On top of that, Veejay created a massive, very wearable collection that could fit so many different occasions and aesthetics. In many ways, it reminded me of Christian Siriano’s approach to his label. Of course, I’m sure Veejay is deeply inspired by Siriano, as he’s another Project Runway winner, who mentored Veejay on the show. She also shared that the collection was inspired by Willem de Kooning’s abstract expressionist paintings. In action, this meant the collection had tons of color, unique patterns, lots of layering of interesting textures. 

I thought the tailored suits were fun. One in a black and red geometric pattern. One sage grey. One bright yellow and white. I’m telling you – Veejay thought of every kind of person who would wear a suit and created something they’d be comfortable wearing day in and day out. 

Veejay’s eveningwear shined the most to me. There was one black gown that had a fitted, sleeveless top, with a gigantic, flowy feathered bottom. Another standout was a white see-through fishnet-style dress with white leather fringe shaping the silhouette. And there were many sparkling tones – green, purple, and pink to name a few – that Veejay showed on a variety of different sizes. I felt like Veejay’s eveningwear could make any woman feel glamorous, which is hard to achieve. 

I’m excited to continue watching Veejay grow her platform. She’s been going for this dream for a long time, and it’s clear she wants to bring every kind of fashionista with her along the way.