NYFW SS22
Bronx & Banco
Words by Matthew Burgos
Photos by Harol Baez
Natalie De’Banco’s familial history immerses deeply within the fashion realm, a fuel to her passion for sartorial elements that bring about her reverence for the female form. This year, she has proven devotion to her craft by continually redefining elegance. Inspired by the natural beauty of island life, combined with the characteristics that define the Bronx and Banco woman, the collection consists of sensual silhouettes and refined details that capture the brand’s distinct edge. Thick white ropes one may see on an island getaway visited the runaway as looks that hug the curves. It contrasts the dress of the same material but sewn as horizontal, parallel lines that open into DNA-shaped circles on the left side of the garment.
Daring slits, sleek curves, and cut-out details remain constant throughout the collection. A see-through, satin-like fabric interweaves in a crisscrossed arrangement across a woman’s body, permitting a glimpse of the torso’s skin, and ends up wrapped around the waist to concoct an open, wavy style in the bottom. The use of see-through fabric occurs multiple times as it reappears in the other attires, clothing the chest and bottom parts of a woman with the light material before being cinched at the abdomen to resemble a garter hair clip. Such a method of clip-like tie slides through the terracotta-hued fabric for a swimwear cover-up, the chest displaying a split and forming the shapes of two crescent moons.
For the first time, De’Banco launches a handbag capsule and incorporates materials such as seashells and rope in silhouettes that remain true to the Bronx and Banco DNA. Borrowing tones, textures, and splashes of subtle color from Tulum, each look draws inspiration from one’s ability to seek out beauty in their surroundings. Driven by her warrior instincts and undeniable confidence, the Bronx and Banco woman embraces her strength and empowers herself to express her true nature and style as the women flaunt their gritty and raw selves on the runway at Spring Studios Terrace in a much smaller capacity show that has been seen in recent years.
Despite a scaled-back show, De’Banco has yet again demonstrated the thesis of her ardor for global travel, exotic locations, unique characters, and cosmopolitan adventures. No wonder famed personalities such as Selena Gomez, Carrie Underwood, Ellie Goulding, and Candice Swanepoel have been swooned by the brand’s identity: Natalie De’Banco’s collections reverberate femininity in its fun, vivid, and flattering styles, flavors, and silhouettes, a reflection of a worldly woman who stands in the power of her strength, confidence, and trend.
