When Danessa Myricks was thinking about ways for her eight-year-old namesake brand to participate in the spring 2024 collections in New York, she decided to work on shows that doubled as “conversation pieces.”ĭanessa Myricks Beauty, which is sold at Sephora, sponsored three activations, including Marco Marco’s runway show which doubled as a 2,600-person Diplo concert and Big Motion’s showcase of alumni designers from historically Black colleges and universities. “A makeup look on one person can be more impactful than something going down the runway,” said Hughes.

Instead, artistry-led brands are betting on celebrities, influencers and consumer-facing activations. Hughes, Patrick Ta and others like fashion week veteran and Westman Atelier founder Gucci Westman, known for her work at Revlon, were absent from backstage spots entirely this season. Unlike makeup artists like Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, Pat McGrath and Charlotte Tilbury, who used global fashion weeks to catapult their own lines, a new guard of talent is looking beyond the runway. “New York Fashion Week, for me, has been running around putting makeup on my girls and my clients, and just sort of getting them ready for the shows that they’re attending,” said Hughes, who works with Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner.ĭespite the imminent launch of her own beauty cosmetics line, KJH.brand, this month, “glamming talent” is now Hughes’ “preferred way of getting involved in fashion week as opposed to being backstage.” But four years ago, she decided to ditch the runway.

Katie Jane Hughes spent nearly a decade working her way up the ranks backstage at New York Fashion Week, from assistant to key makeup artist.

Gigi hadid runway shows