The Most Influential Asian Stars in New York Fashion Week

New York Fashion Week may be built around the runway, but the front row has become a fashion show on its own. This season, Asian stars arrived in looks that moved between preppy, sharp tailoring, romantic dressing, monochrome, and statement-making. 

Standouts of the season include Heart Evangelista, Alex Eala, and Kelsey Merritt from the Philippines; Phuwin Tangsakyuen, Fourth Nattawat, Gemini Norawit, and Mew Suppasit from Thailand; Jisoo, Jung Hae-in, and Jeon Yeo-been from South Korea; Cai Xukun from China; and Japanese-Canadian actress Miku Martineau from Netflix’s Crew Girl. From Manila to Seoul, Bangkok to Shanghai, here are the names who caught our eye.

Heart Evangelista made her way through New York with a wardrobe that shifted easily from one house to another. At COS, she stayed firmly in black, pairing an oversized leather jacket with a dark floral piece, knee-high pointed boots, and a fringed bag. The monochrome look had plenty going on, from the dark floral print underneath to the fringe on her bag.

Prabal Gurung brought out something softer. Heart wore a blush-toned dress with delicate, dimensional embellishment. Her braided hairstyle and structured book-shaped bag added another layer of polish, bringing a little uptown, literary charm to the look.

She went louder with print at Tory Burch, choosing a long illustrated dress covered in graphic scenery and foliage. It was the kind of print that asks to be seen, and Heart let it have the room to do so. 

Carolina Herrera brought her back to classic femininity with a floral dress. Heart herself put it simply: “Classic doesn’t mean boring.” 

Her New York appearances extended beyond these shows, with stops including Cult Gaia, Sandy Liang, Simkhai, and Christian Cowan, giving her one of the more varied wardrobes of the week. 

For her first New York Fashion Week, Alex Eala moved through three very different shows: Tory Burch, Michael Kors, and Calvin Klein. The clothes shifted with each stop, too, from tailored color to ladylike black and then an almost entirely white look. 

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Alex attended the S/S 27 show at Gotham Hall as an athlete guest. Tory Burch gave her a vivid red blazer over a blue-gray striped shirt, paired with tailored wide-leg trousers and a quilted brown bag. The proportions had an athletic rhythm to them, with the strong tailoring up top opening into a looser, wider leg. 

Calvin Klein took the palette almost completely away. She wore a relaxed white button-down with off-white trousers, pointed pumps, a narrow black belt, and a metallic bag. The belt was a small detail, but it broke up all that white at exactly the right place. 

At Michael Kors, Alex went fully black in a dress with dimensional floral appliqués, matching gloves, rounded shoes, and a structured handbag. It was more ladylike than her Tory Burch look, with the raised florals giving the dark dress its texture. 

Kelsey Merritt brought a distinctly Ralph Lauren kind of romance to New York in a chocolate-brown, floor-length look. A wide belt with an oversized buckle defined the waist within the same rich color family. The oversized buckle gave the look an equestrian touch, a detail that felt right at home with Ralph Lauren.

Mew Suppasit kept his COS appearance sleek in black, with a clean, understated look that suited the brand’s pared-back approach. He attended the COS A/W 26 show in New York. 

Over at Tommy Hilfiger, Phuwin Tangsakyuen, Gemini Norawit, and Fourth Nattawat brought three more Thai names into the New York front row. The Spring 2027 collection took over The Plaza Hotel, where Tommy Hilfiger revisited classic American prep through rugby stripes, Oxford shirting, Ivy jackets, polos, and chinos.

Jisoo and Jung Hae-in were also part of Tommy Hilfiger’s star-studded front row, where the house’s American prep codes were front and center. The collection mixed familiar collegiate pieces, keeping the spirit of classic prep while refreshing it for a younger generation.

At Ralph Lauren, Jeon Yeo-been went in a more fluid direction, wearing a brown gown with a lustrous finish and a trailing scarf detail that extended from the neckline toward the floor. The elongated detail gave the otherwise understated silhouette a dramatic finish.

Japanese-Canadian actress Miku Martineau of “Crew Girl” brought a hit of lime green to Tory Burch in a dress with an asymmetric neckline. She paired it with a tan quilted bag, keeping the accessories understated against the vivid green.

Cai Xukun arrived at COS in an all-black look finished with statement fringe gloves. The gloves brought the texture and attitude, breaking up the otherwise streamlined outfit. His appearance also came shortly after COS named him its global brand ambassador.