UpNXT Designers Recap
Night one of FashioNXT featured the 2026 UpNXT Emerging Designers Runway Competition and five incredible designers showcased their work: Shore Darling, Dearest Cloud, UpNXT x Truman Fry, Zezenah, and PrismDrifter with one winner chosen by The Peoples Choice and a Panel of Judges.
The show started with opening remarks from FashioNXT founder Tito Chowdhury who said FashioNXT “lays down the roots to what fashion has always been and why people come here year after year to support designers.”
New this year’s opening night featured merch from each designer. This merchandise is still available for pre-order to support your favorite designer!
Anatsia Krug kicked off the show with her brand Shore Darling that was mystifying and transported people to the ocean which the collection was inspired by. The designs featured a range of blue colors along with white and black contrasts and were made with sustainable materials. The clothing played with tulle and lace and every design felt cohesive, each piece building upon one another.
Cloud Tylee went second with her brand Dearest Cloud and her collection Metamorphosis that shows her journey as a designer from cosplay to the runway. The designs show this by being playful and whimsy with a child-like wonder and featuring rich colors with patterns mixed throughout. Most of the pieces were red and black mixed with lace and puffy sleeves and felt fun.
The third collection of the night spotlighted the UpNXT merch line supporting the UpNXT designers and a portion of merch sold goes back to the UpNXT designers. Everything was styled by Truman Fry in fashion-forward streetwear and the designers merch along with accessories.
Pillar Arcos showcased her brand Zezenah and collection La Revolución. The designs featured a mix of denim, deep colors and red velvet blending traditional western aesthetics through a mix of denim and modern silhouettes. The pieces were very sleek and stylish playing up classic pieces to make them more elevated and sophisticated.
Joshua Steward closed the show with his brand PrismDrifter and collection Lux in Tenebris (latin for light in darkness) inspired by the weather. The collection featured dresses that were dark grey inspired by the weather and a time Steward cheated death twice in a twelve hour period by lightning and a flood. This inspired Steward to figure out what he wanted to do in life and he found out it was fashion. This experience is reflected in the collection as each outfit looks like a storm from dark clouds to a tornado. The showcase also included animated visuals and videos as models walked down the runway adding an exciting element to the collection.
The 2026 UpNXT winner is PrismDrifter who won both the People’s Choice Award and the Judge’s Vote. As the winner PrismDrifter will receive a cash prize along with a show slot at FashioNXT Week in 2027!
You can support PrismDrifter by buying his limited edition merch
A huge thank you to this years judges: Seth Aaron, Ken Boddie, Matt Rhoades, and Stephanie McComb.
Tickets for Night 2 and 3 are still available! Come see more incredible collections and designers.