Public School NY Reclaims the NYFW Runway

Class is back in session as Public School NY makes its official return to NYFW. Founding designers Maxwell Osbourne and Dao-Yi Chow have absorbed all the lessons from Public School 1.0 and their 7-year break from the brand, returning stronger and more independent than ever before.

“We’ve gotten older. We lost our voice for a second, but then we found it again,” Maxwell shared with Hypebeast backstage. “As we’ve aged, the collection has matured with us. Everything has been upgraded—from the factories we use to our pattern makers and the changes within our team—but the ethos remains the same. We’re still the same guys, and hopefully, you saw that on the runway today,” he concluded.

“As we’ve aged, the collection has matured with us. Everything has been upgraded—from the factories we use to our pattern makers and the changes within our team—but the ethos remains the same.” — Maxwell Osbourne

Public School’s formal reintroduction was a firm reminder of the contemporary design aesthetic that made them the NYFW “It boys” of the 2010s: minimal embellishment, clean styling, contemporary tailoring, and classic men’s silhouettes with a touch of subversion. The collection reprised the brand’s hybrid codes, combining the more sartorial sensibilities with NYC flair.

Wrap-style blazers, an indigo leather anorak, a red bomber jacket, and a short butler-biker jacket hybrid were some of the standout pieces. Additionally, a new Public School Air Jordan 15 and the Nike Air Max Goadome Cowboy Boot, both in full black, were spotted on the runway, signalling the next chapter of Public School’s Nike partnership.

After being pulled in many directions since establishing itself in 2008, the two are taking the wheel this time, focusing instead on a direct model. “It’s finally on our terms,” added Dao-Yi. “The first time around, it was a wholesale model; we were focused on what we could do for other people or creating exclusives for big department stores. Now, we’re taking our narrative back.”

“There is an urgency on our end to seize the moment. It’s ‘now or never’ because tomorrow isn’t promised” — Dao-Yi Chow

The narrative is clear and loud in the newspaper-style show notes, which read “Everything Is Now” at the headline—as well as the runway soundtrack, which blared Ye’s 2010 track “Who Will Survive In America” at the end. “With everything going on in our country and around the world—shit is upside down. There is an urgency on our end to seize the moment. It’s “now or never” because tomorrow isn’t promised,” he explained further.

Rebooted and re-energized, Public School is set to hit the ground running, with a special pop-up and the official relaunch of their site. “We are focusing on a direct-to-consumer model through our own stores and our e-commerce site, which launches tomorrow. We’re building a sustainable business that we can eventually pass down to our families and our kids. That’s the shift,” Dao-Yi concluded.

Public School has exclusively shared that starting today, February 12, it will host its three-day pop-up High Line Nine (507 West 27th Street, 508 W 28th St, New York, NY 10001).