The 50 U.S. state flags are getting a fashionable makeover, courtesy of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary this year, the CFDA has partnered with Rockefeller Center for a special project, “United Flags of Fashion,” to have the flags surrounding the landmark’s skating rink and Pebble Bar reinterpreted by American fashion designers. Over 120 flags spanning each of the 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C., American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands, will be on display until September 4 — just before the start of New York Fashion Week’s Spring 2027 season.
For the project, the CFDA assigned designers state-specific designs to reinterpret. New York had six different interpretations submitted, with Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Raul Lopez of Luar, Donna Karan, and Vera Wang each showing different takes on the state flag — including everything from an Art Deco-like landscape of Manhattan to a stark white background simply stating “New York” in thin black letters.
Meanwhile, The Zoe Report’s Editor-at-Large, Rachel Zoe, paid homage to Colorado with a flag featuring a gold ram on rugged red mountains beneath the rays of an interlocking sun and moon. “I am so excited for the debut of the United Flags of Fashion…I loved having the opportunity to create a reimagined flag for one of my favorite states,” the stylist and entrepreneur wrote on Instagram Stories. “Colorado is such a special place to my family and I. I had so much fun designing this and adding a little 70s glamour to the flag.”
Legacy designers like Ralph Lauren, Diane von Furstenberg, Kenneth Cole, Tory Burch, and Thom Browne also contributed flags for the project, with rising brands like Kate Barton, Jameel Mohammed Khiry, Tanner Fletcher, L’enchanteur, Meruert Tolegen, and Melitta Baumeister also participating.
Rachel Scott, representing her label Diotima, crafted a geometric black, blue, green, and red-paneled flag for the U.S. Virgin Islands. Through his namesake Zankov brand, Henry Zankov packed a punch with a bright yellow and navy abstract pattern representing Oregon. GapStudio’s Zac Posen also made a denim-inspired flag for California, featuring a patchwork version of the state’s signature bear and star symbols.
Accessories designers across all practices also had a hand in the project. Together, Presley Oldham and Tyler Paige depicted Vermont’s flag with a frame of multicolored stripes surrounding a maple leaf. Much like her signature clutches, Edie Parker’s Brett Heyman cheekily showed a marijuana leaf around a color-blocked landscape in hues of red, yellow, orange, and purple. Washington, D.C. was specifically given two flags for the project: an illustration of the Capitol and White House buildings surrounded by cherry blossoms by Alice + Olivia’s Stacey Bendet, and a simple monochromatic red version by ERL’s Russell Linnetz.
Additional pieces on display include flags representing the CFDA, Rockefeller Center, and Vogue, as well as a 250th anniversary flag for the country as a whole. In the coming weeks, each of the U.S. state and territory flags will be rotated to display the full assortment of designs from everyone involved. Together, the range of designs highlights the diverse backgrounds, skills, and disciplines that make up the American fashion industry, marking a stylish conclusion to the summer before Fashion Month begins.
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