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On Monday evening, guests gathered on the upper plaza of The Rink at Rockefeller Center as prominent designers, including Michael Kors, Vera Wang, Tommy Hilfiger, and Tory Burch, posed for a group portrait in front of 130 newly unveiled flags representing every U.S. state and territory.
The installation, United Flags of Fashion, is a joint project from Vogue and the CFDA—created with America250 and Rockefeller Center—that tapped more than 100 designers to reinterpret the nation’s flags in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Several states were interpreted by more than one designer, resulting in multiple creative visions of the same place.
Attendees made their way down to The Rink for cocktails and canapés beneath the colorful flags, weaving between tables shaded by oversized umbrellas—a fitting setup for the evening’s unpredictable weather.
Prabal Gurung, fashion designer and vice chair of the CFDA, described the evening as a celebration of creativity and community. “At the end of the day, our job as creators is to make people feel seen,” he said. “That’s what we’re doing today—gathering everyone in solidarity and in celebration of joy.”
Many designers approached their assignments through personal history. “You can take the girl out of Illinois, but you can’t take Illinois out of the girl,” Cynthia Rowley said, explaining that she incorporated childhood memories into a flag reflecting both the state’s rural landscapes and Chicago’s cultural influence.
Others explored and embraced history. KHIRY founder Jameel Mohammed titled his own Illinois flag Free and Fighting, honoring the state’s decision to enter the Union as a free state. “Ultimately, I believe we’re all on the same side, and we can find union together,” he said.
“I feel like this is a real coming together. It’s amazing that we can inject a new vision into something that has been such a tradition,” Rowley added.
For Brooklyn-based jeweler Bernard James, New Hampshire’s motto became the starting point for his flag. “‘Live Free or Die’ really resonated with me,” he said. “That’s what my brand is all about—chasing freedom. And that’s what America is about, too.” For him, the installation represented a unification of the eclectic and diverse creative talent across the U.S.
Some designers embraced the challenge of interpreting unfamiliar places. “We had the luxury of redesigning Tennessee, a state I’ve actually never been to,” said Public School’s Maxwell Osborne. Born-and-raised New Yorkers, Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow turned the flag’s palette mostly from red to blue and condensed its three stars into one, playing with proportions to make the design their own. “I think we should put it in the running for their new state flag,” Osborne joked.
Adam Goldston and Ryan Goldston of APL also reimagined the Tennessee flag, incorporating the University of Tennessee’s checkerboard pattern into the installation’s only orange flag. “Confinements breed creativity,” Adam Goldston said. “There aren’t many opportunities to design something that feels like legacy and permanence.”
Around 6:45 p.m., CFDA Chairman and designer Thom Browne opened the evening’s remarks by calling the creativity, diversity, and individuality on display “pure American.” “America is not made up of one voice,” he said. “It’s made up of all of ours.”
