Diotima enlivens New York Fashion Week with cultural odes by designer Rachel Scott

The spring/summer presentation was held on September 9 in lower Manhattan

Diotima spring/summer 2025 collection for New York Fashion Week (Kaleigh Werner)

Candle smoke congealed into nostalgia inside a barren room at Diotima’s spring/summer 2025 show, forming free-flowing garments with breaths of the brand’s signature crochet and dramatic draping. Scattered and static, models appeared to be in motion even when they weren’t, their long layers shifting ever so subtly as they lined the back walls in a palette of pastels and neutrals next to painted red poles and dried palm leaves.

For Rachel Scott, creative director and founder of Diotima, lasting memories of the summer seasons spent in the Caribbean and in Jamaica catalyzed the collection, as she reimagined traditional styles in contemporary fashion. Long, delicate garments were layered over colorful tights while the sensuality of dancehall was conceptualized with stud paillettes. And though Diotima’s emblem design cues were kept from previous seasons, the spring/summer collection was nuanced with new silhouettes and purposeful botanic embroidery.

Platform, peep-toe wedges were partnered with mid-calf skirts, ballooned denim, and high-low trains as collared dresses and light cardigans were juxtaposed with single full-moon statement earrings, weighted fringe, and head scarves.

Vibrancy and texture were not lost against the sanded-down, solid-shade interior. In fact, mesh knits and pulled yarn added an abstract dimension that would otherwise be absent in the wide-open space.

Models were dressed in mesh knits and pulled yarn with purposeful draping and baggy denim (Kaleigh Werner)

Exaggerated silhouettes were juxtaposed with open-toe wedges (Kaleigh Werner)

Odes to Jamaican traditions were woven into the collection with opaque tights layered under long skirts (Kaleigh Werner)

Red candles were spread throughout the space with dried palm leaves (Kaleigh Werner)

The presentation lived up to the expectation after Scott was nominated for CFDA’s Emerging Designer of the Year award last year. The artist did more than just present a collection of clothing indicative of her unique talent; she also rendered a new era of runway, forgoing trend expectations by continuing to carve out a cultural niche with meaningful intention.