An Insider's Look at Colin LoCascio's Post-Impressionist Fantasia
- Savannah Bradley
- Mar 15
- 3 min read
The New York designer talks about the inspiration behind his FW25 collection.
Does anyone know color better than Colin LoCascio? You'd be hard-pressed — especially this season — to find anyone with the temerity and taste necessary to embrace such vibrance. Hailing from Queens, the 31-year-old designer cut his teeth at RISD, then became a 2023 finalist for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund prize after establishing his namesake brand. LoCascio's ascendancy comes at a time when American design finds itself at a crossroads — NYFW, both across the Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer seasons, followed an unusually sparse calendar, and rising tariffs now push designers' sales and craftsmanship trajectories. It's easy to feel embittered by this tension, but designers like LoCascio understand a fundamental truth this season: hope is the thing with feathers.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Savannah Eden Bradley: Your Fall/Winter 2025 collection seems to mark a new chapter for the brand — both in terms of craftsmanship and personal evolution. How did your time in the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund shape your approach to this collection?
Colin LoCascio: Being a part of the CVFF was such a transformative experience. During the fund, you are constantly meeting industry insiders and pitching your brand- — what makes it special, what makes it different, and ultimately why they should choose you. That process really allowed me to identify my brand and what I stand for. I looked back at the last 5 years of collections and used that as the building blocks of the new collection. I identified key elements from my collection and doubled down on those.
SEB: You note Van Gogh’s “Yellow House” period as an influence, a time marked by change, optimism, and intense artistic experimentation. How did these themes manifest in your design process, both aesthetically and emotionally?
CL: I was really inspired by the color palette that Van Gogh worked with in that era. The sentiment of starting anew and going in a new direction [with ]the work he created at the time echoed the sentiment of my collection.
"Over the last few years, we’ve built a visual vocabulary and language for the brand, and now it’s just about evolving and elevating."
SEB: Your signature florals have transformed into tactile, sculptural elements this season, appearing in both hand-embroidered and 3D-printed forms. What excites you most about this interplay between centuries-old techniques and futuristic fabrication?
CL: I wanted to explore new materials and new ways to imagine my signature flowers. 3D printing was always something I wanted to explore, and this collection felt like the best time to do it! I really liked the idea of rooting the world of technology and 3D printing in more historical mediums like hand embroidery and hand dyeing.
SEB: Moreover: handwork — dyeing, embellishing, crochet — plays a major role in this collection. What draws you to these intimate, labor-intensive techniques, and how do you see them coexisting with the more digital aspects of fashion’s future?
CL: I think the artistry in fashion [lies] in the pattern-making, the artistry of the handwork and finishings. Our customer loves to see some “hand” in the work we develop. I love being able to collaborate and work with centuries-old techniques and people whose skills are passed down [from] generation to generation.
SEB: Your early work was known for its print-heavy mesh designs, but this collection moves toward intricate, highly crafted pieces that have even appeared on major red carpets. How do you see your brand identity evolving while staying true to its core DNA?
CL: Over the last few years, we’ve built a visual vocabulary and language for the brand, and now it’s just about evolving and elevating. Our brand is founded and rooted on the love of color and texture and the idea that fashion can be a means of self-care and self-expression. Our customer base is older than when we first launched, and she’s looking for new things from us.
SEB: Fashion is in an ongoing dialogue with technology, but there’s often a tension between the digital and the handmade. In your view, what is the future of fashion craftsmanship, and how do you see your work pushing that conversation forward?
CL: I think the future of fashion is about embracing both aspects of digital and the handmade — finding new ways of incorporating centuries-long techniques in new and fresh ways. I think the future of craftsmanship is [in] utilizing technology and various mediums to further world-build within your collection.
You may view the entire Colin LoCascio FW25 collection here. 🌀
Savannah Eden Bradley is a writer, fashion editor, gallerina, Gnostic scholar, reformed It Girl, and future beautiful ghost from the Carolina coast. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the fashion magazine HALOSCOPE. You can stalk her everywhere online @savbrads.