Inside the Vision of Valerian Hughes: “Regards Croisés” Brings Fashion, Art and Performance Together at NYFW

At AP Space Gallery, Paris-based designer Valerian Hughes presented “Regards Croisés,” an immersive fashion experience connecting contemporary art, performance and a new generation of creative voices.

For Valerian Hughes, fashion has never existed in isolation.

At New York Fashion Week, the Paris-based designer presented “Regards Croisés,” a new immersive presentation at AP Space Gallery that brought together fashion, contemporary art and performance in a more expansive expression of the Valerian Hughes vision.

The presentation marked another important chapter for a designer whose work bridges Parisian craftsmanship with a contemporary perspective, while creating space for cultural identity, performance and individual expression.

A Meeting of Perspectives

The title Regards Croisés—translated as “crossed perspectives”—captures the spirit of the presentation.

Rather than treating the collection simply as a succession of looks, the experience placed fashion within a broader creative environment. Garments, performance and the surrounding artistic space became part of the same conversation.

The result was an immersive presentation designed to give the audience a closer look at the world Hughes is building around his fashion house.

A Powerful Cast

The presentation brought together an accomplished group of performers and personalities from fashion, television and entertainment.

Dominique Jackson, Jelani Alladin, and Shahadi Wright Joseph were among the featured talent, while Brazilian television host Patricia Poeta closed the show.

Their presence reinforced the presentation’s connection between fashion and performance, allowing the collection to exist not only as clothing but as a visual and cultural experience.

A New Chapter for Valerian Hughes

The presentation follows the momentum of Valerian Hughes’ growing relationship with New York fashion.

Earlier in 2026, the house presented during New York Fashion Week, with Dominique Jackson among the talent featured. The latest presentation expands that conversation, placing Hughes’ work within an environment where fashion, art and performance intersect.

For a Paris-based Black designer developing a presence in New York, that dialogue is particularly significant. Hughes’ work is informed by the relationship between his Parisian foundation and the cultural energy of New York, creating a space where tailoring and contemporary expression can meet.

Regards Croisés makes that philosophy tangible.

It is a presentation about looking across disciplines, perspectives and cultures—and about what can happen when fashion is allowed to exist beyond the traditional runway.

The Future Through a Different Lens

The most compelling element of Regards Croisés is its refusal to separate the garment from the world around it.

Fashion becomes performance.
Performance becomes storytelling.
Art becomes part of the environment.

And the designer becomes more than the person creating the clothes—he becomes the architect of an entire visual language.

For Valerian Hughes, “Regards Croisés” represents an increasingly ambitious vision for the house: one where Parisian heritage, New York energy, contemporary art and performance can coexist.

As Hughes continues to build his presence in New York, the presentation suggests that the next chapter of the house will not be defined by clothing alone, but by the worlds created around it.

Fashion, viewed from another perspective.

Valerian Hughes’ “Regards Croisés” is that perspective.