Last night was a movie, and ESSENCE was live to capture the amazing moments behind the scenes at Christopher John Rogers’ 2023 Resort Collection 010.
Rogers, a 26-year-old Savannah College of Art and Design alumnus, shot to prominence in the fashion world after winning the 2020 Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund prize for young designers and was widely hailed as the face of New York Fashion Week’s future.
Later, he was given the privilege of dressing Vice President Kamala Harris, who was sworn into office wearing Rogers’ outfit and coat. Philanthropist, Meghan Markle, wore an asymmetrical Rogers’ dress to the N.A.A.C.P. awards in February 2022, and Rogers’ success train is chugging along at full speed, with no breaks in between.
Last night, the show was met with rave reviews, including Vanessa Friedman, fashion director and chief fashion critic for The New York Times, who stated, “Mr. Rogers handling of prints normally labeled “clashing” was a lesson in unexpected harmony.”
In addition to fashionable attire, Naeemah LaFond, the lead hair stylist, complemented the looks with her outstanding hair artistry.
“For this show, I’m tapping into visuals I was inspired by when growing up in Brooklyn in the 90’s,” she shares with ESSENCE exclusively. “This corkscrewed spikey knot look is achieved using techniques I learned from local Black hair salons and Black hair magazines.”
Amika’s Global Artistic Director, reveals to us that it’s all about the dimensions, which is why she went for spikes and cornrows for the hair. “We modernized the look from the 90’s by making it less elaborate. It was important to add dimension to the hair, so you could see the models as they come down the runway.” She adds, “We’ve also added spikes into the cornrows for the other models so that the looks are cohesive.”
Also included were cropped wigs with geometric cuts to contrast the soft lines of the CJR silhouettes.
The spikey-firm look was achieved using freeze spray and high heat on extensions to create banana curls and was usually accompanied by an elaborate updo. Amika’s Headstrong Intense Hold Hairspray is the hero product for this chic upstyle and helps us to ensure a strong hold.
These hairstyles were so stunning that we are confident they will become the season’s most requested.