When I first entered the SKYCO presentation at NYMD the room was packed— I decided to leave and return once the crowd had mellowed out— how wrong I was, the mellowing never came. I had to brave the crowd anyway.
As I explored the collection, the hype made sense. Models posed along the walls of a grass-lined room in clothes that appeared to be wearable art. These garments are joyful and animated and undeniably cool. These are clothes that wearers will cherish. I asked one of the models to direct me towards the designer, he pointed me towards an unexpectedly young man.
The designer is 22-year-old Skyler Hetz, surrounded by a gaggle of industry people (journalists, buyers, and influencers galore). Hertz doesn’t look like your average fashion designer. He’s dressed in his own designs; including a colorful blazer in the collection’s signature Running Man camouflage print, and a furry hat (a collaboration with designer Angel Chen). While I wait to chat with him, I strike up a conversation with a woman standing next to me, she’s an art teacher from Florida named Claire Natoli, and she happens to be Skyler's mom. I’m so amazed and so proud of him. He’s worked so hard. He’s always been very creative. I asked her if she knew he’d be a fashion designer, and she said it totally makes sense. Skyler Hertz grew up going to art shows with his mother, he spent years scrapbooking, painting, water coloring, and tapestrying, harnessing a creative eye, establishing taste, and building a skill set that would eventually make him the designer he is today.
After establishing a name for himself producing garments and objects with pop culture motifs, Skyler launched SKYCO (short for Skyler’s Company) a project where he gets to continue exploring his interests and creative endeavors. This was their first collection presented at New York Fashion Week.
This collection, titled The Running Man was inspired by Jesse Owens, a hero of Hertz. Hertz, who is of Jewish heritage, was inspired by Owens’s legacy as the athlete that won the gold medal at the Berlin Olympics, defying the Nazi regime for the world to see. Moreover, Hertz was also fascinated by the idea that Owens wore shoes designed by Adi Dassler (who would go on to establish Adidas), these shoes would go on to inspire the Madison Margiela Replica sneakers, another initial inspiration for Hertz to join the fashion world.
The collection is filled with SKYCO’s signatures; there are photo-realistic images of NASCAR drivers, palm trees, and sketches by artist Miguel Villalobos. The collection has Hertz’ signature tapestry work, but he doesn’t want to be boxed into being the tapestry designer. He also showcases clothes made with grain pleats, a stretchy fish scale pleat, and garments made from upcycled coffee bags. There is a clear passion here for craftsmanship and artistry, working beautifully alongside a sense of childlike wonder in his approach. His clothes are the kind that customers will love and cherish. This was his first presentation, but I (and many others) are excited to see where he goes.