The Elephant in the Room”: Heavensgate NYC’s Runway That Refuses to Whisper

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Brooklyn’s Bogart House set the scene on September 13 as Heavensgate NYC presented The Elephant in the Room, a group runway and afterparty that refused to sit neatly in one category. Curated by producers Ella Xu and Ni Ouyang, the night unfolded as part fashion spectacle, part social experiment, and all-out celebration of seven designers willing to test the limits of vulnerability, transformation, and performance.

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The collections were nothing if not varied. Valente World led with gender-fluid futurism, splicing sharp Italian tailoring with otherworldly silhouettes. Alexandra Dayton’s debut label, ENTOMODE, turned heads with its mash-up of Victorian romance and insect-inspired detailing—a clever nod to biodiversity that still managed to feel romantic and eerie all at once. Then came House of Duomo, which unleashed a gothic fever dream that drew audible gasps from the crowd. Across the board, each designer insisted on their own language, their own story, styling right up to the edge of excess.

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As the runway cleared, the party came alive. DJs Evaneven and Elladotnet picked up the tempo and carried the room into a different register, turning Bogart House into a thumping late-night haven. The city’s it-girls, nightlife fixtures, and downtown regulars slipped easily into the mix, blurring the line between front row and dance floor. Runway? Rave? In the end, it was both. And in that deliberate blur, Heavensgate found its message.

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Featured Designers
Heavensgate’s lineup offered a sweeping spectrum of vision:

• Valente World – Gender-fluid, futuristic fashion merging Italian heritage with otherworldly aesthetics through sharp tailoring and sculptural silhouettes.
• Giana DiGaetano – Avant-garde eveningwear exploring tension between strength and fragility through textiles, draping, and corsetry.
• Kimily Jiang – Architectural garments balancing fabrics, planes, and the human form.
• Duomo – An alternative anti-fashion label from Milan to LA, featured in Numéro Paris and worn at the Grammys.
• Alexandra Dayton – ENTOMODE, a debut collection fusing 19th-century fashion with insect motifs, reflecting on biodiversity.
• Ava Wilson – The Performance, a powerful debut exploring the expectations placed on Black women in white-dominated spaces.
• Âu Yếm – One-of-one works centered on tenderness and intimacy, created through a practice of inner unknowing.

Credits

Producers: Ella Xu @elladotnet & Ni Ouyang @rotten_avocadoo / Heavensgate NYC @heavensgatenyc

Venue: Bogart House @bogarthouse

Casting Director: Ella Xu & Ni Ouyang

Staging Director: Kate Bolster-Houghton @kateboho

Show director: Gael Aitor @gaelaitor

Sound Engineer: Evan @evaneven

Assistant Director: Ziyun Yma Ma @nuagergen

DJ: Ella Xu @elladotnet，Evan @evaneven， Siyi Liang @siyiliang_

Backstage Interviewer: Caroline @_ogcg_

Staging assistant: Tanaye, Pauline Weissman, William Jingyi Zhang, Amanda Won, Lexie Wu

Styling assistant: Amanda, Eunice Jeong

Photographers: Thiha Min Zin @thiiiiiha , Xing Chen @lisatiric , Lauren Marcelle @coolperolike , Arleth Pando @alienarleth , Christy Wang @occan000

Videographers：Zixuan Wang @xuan1_foto, Lingke Du @blu_bellllaaa

Hair & Makeup:  Planet Fruits @Planetfruits, Katie morgan, Gabriela Madrid @ginkimuak, Daniela Vizuete@vizuetebeauty, David Boardman @davidboardman_ , Taylor Micha’le, Tommy Tafoya @tommy_tafoya, Brandon Lee @theglamourcowboy, Tatyana Natalia@looksbytaty, Cristal Hernandez @cristalhcreates, Ansareli Muhammad

The Elephant in the Room celebrated independent voices in fashion and created a space where unspoken truths took center stage.

Presented by: APG

You can view the original article HERE.