About Us
What is Break Free NYFW
Break Free NYFW is a runway show with a cause. We are leading the discussion on mental health,, substance use, and co-occurring disorders within the fashion industry through fashion as our artistic medium. For each runway show we host, we invite mental health and addiction recovery activists to not only walk on the runway as models but to be featured designers showcasing their collections for the world to see.
Last Season's Virtual Panel Topics
- Friday, October 29th: Sober is the New Black: a Conversation about Fashion, Mental Health, and Sobriety is a virtual roundtable discussion that will feature models, designers, stylists, and fashion lovers who all discuss their experiences of the fashion industry and its views on mental health and sobriety.
- Tuesday, November 30th: Mental Health within the Fashion Industry (a focus on how we can improve the industry for 2022 and beyond)
- Thursday, December 16th: Addiction and the Fashion Industry (a focus on how the fashion industry perceives addiction and those who were addicts)
- Tuesday, January 25th: Dress for Myself A Conversation on Sobriety and the Fashion Industry
- Monday, February 7th: Know Your Why, A Conversation with Recovery Thought Leaders
This Season's Up and Coming Show
Break Free NYFW is an immersive runway experience of art, design, fashion, and social issues. Our next show will be held on Sunday, September 10th, 2023.
- 5 pm: Doors open to the venue, enjoy virtual highlights from our virtual panels or walk the red carpet
- 6 pm: The fashion show begins
The projected attendance for this showcase is 300 audience members and 50 members of the press.
Why a Runway Show?
Break Free NYFW was founded by Alexandra Nyman. In 2019, Nyman made her official premiere as a designer during NYFW under the moniker LadyCat. Alexandra wanted to use this platform she was provided with the spread a deeper message about mental health and titled her first collection "Therapy".
The inspiration for “Therapy” came from her brother and his mental health journey. "He has faced so much since being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and I am in awe of his strength every day. He is my driving force and main inspiration in all I do. In collaborating with my brother, I have learned how to be a better mental health advocate and how to ensure he gets the care he needs.
"I wanted this collection to inspire others to seek help and to take their mental health as seriously as my brother does. He has learned to be vocal about his needs and how to support him on his mental health journey. This collection served as a visual reminder of the need for all to do the same," Alexandra recalled when she thought back on the launch of "Therapy". And though it wasn't perfect, it was a learning experience for her that sparked the inspiration behind Break Free. To create a space for sober and mental health advocates to share their art with other like minded individuals in a showcase during NYFW. And to lead the conversation on substance use disorder and mental health within the industry.
The first showcase for Break Free NYFW was held on Monday, February 14th, 2022 and featured six designers. The showcase sold out and had around three hundred people in attendance. The show was held at Ideal Glass Studios and was embraced by members of the press with coverage in Forbes, E Online, Seventeen Magazine Online, Time Out New York, Yahoo, Digital Journal, Fashion Week Online, and No Kill Magazine to name a few.
