A New York Minute With DKNY
Meet the stars of DKNY’s latest campaign, as these awe-inspiring figures use the city that never sleeps as the ultimate springboard for their artistry
This story appears in the pages of V138: The Sound of V issue—now available for purchase!
You know what they say about New York City—if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, and DKNY’s newest campaign stars Quannah Chasinghorse, Miles Chamley Watson, Julia Cumming, and Yendry at testaments to this notion. With the recently launched “Today I Feel” Fall 2022 campaign, which aims to spotlight the house’s incomparable spirit of self-expression with a New York state of mind, V sat down with the four superstars to discuss their trajectory into the world’s stage.
QUANNAH CHASINGHORSE
For Quannah Chasinghorse, it’s all about bringing your culture with you every step of the way. “Dating back generations, my people took pride in how we carried ourselves. A lot of people don’t realize that we had our own form of fashion. Whatever we had, we turned into art and that’s how I express myself–through my people’s art,” explains Chasinghorse. Turning heads for all the right reasons in nearly every campaign or show she is in, the 20-year-old Indigenous model, activist, and land protector first captured fashion’s attention when she signed with IMG Models back in 2020 and landed her first cover ever for V Magazine’s voting-focused cover series soon after. Since then, her impact has sent shockwaves through social media as Chasinghorse’s inclusion of her Native American heritage in everything she does has resonated deeply with the youth of today.
“Indigenous kids never saw themselves represented in fashion as we are now,” she explains. “To be someone that can be a part of that movement and conversation, and in the fashion community in a way, is an honor.” With the new wave of beings who are leading this generation into a more inclusive society, Chasinghorse is continuing to champion the need for representation. “I think we’re in a time where everyone wants to see new faces,” she explains. “Everyone has their own sense of identity, whether it be [through] culture or something else. Everyone has their own walk of life and I think that really shapes how we see ourselves.”
JULIA CUMMING
“My dad [used to] take me around the East Village to The SideWalk Cafe and the Bowery Poetry Club, and a lot of these venues would have open mics,” recalls Julia Cumming. “That was kind of how I got started in music.” Having been born and raised in the city that never sleeps, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter, frontwoman and bass player of the Brooklyn-based band, Sunflower Bean–who have just recently released their third studio album titled Headful of Sugar–is certainly one creative who is using the world around her as the ultimate fuel for her passion– especially when it comes to the power of fashion.
“I never even thought about clothes until I joined a band, that was when I was 13 years old. As soon as I started performing, I started to see how you could use style to further your story and your art,” states Cumming. “It’s a way to make art out of your daily life.” But make no mistake–the very beings that inhabit the island of Manhattan (and probably anywhere the MTA can get you) still provide Julia a jolt of cultural energy that she needs to keep pushing forward. “I’m very inspired by a lot of real working artists around me. We’re at a point where, culturally, we can accept that people are really nuanced in ways that we’ll never understand. The best thing you can do is give everyone the freedom to be who they are in every moment, and it’ll make everything so much more fun.”
MILES CHAMLEY-WATSON
Can the worlds of fashion and sport truly go hand-in-hand? Just ask Miles Chamley-Watson the British-born American fencer and two-time Olympic winner. Although having spent his earlier years as a kid in the U.K.–until his family hopped across the pond to New York City when he was just 10 years old–Miles has been fusing the English and American culture into his interests in style and athleticism for as long as he can remember. “As a kid, I’ve always liked fashion and being different while taking risks. That transcends into my sport as well,” he tells V Magazine. “Individuality and style are so important–it’s one of the freest forms of expression.”
With a flair for eccentric style, while flexing his long-trained skills of swordsmanship, the gold medalist has quickly become a fashion-industry favorite and he’s bringing it to the field every chance he gets. “When I look good, I’m going to compete good. I think athletes want to have that expression outside of our sport,” he explains. “I’m someone who doesn’t want to be put in a box. I’m lucky that fashion was one of the first industries to embrace me, well before the sports world even did.” As he continues to master his lunges and attacks, Miles is never forgetting his upbringing in the Big Apple, as he says, “I would definitely call New York home. You can feel the energy when you land here. I definitely try to bring a piece of it wherever I go.”
YENDRY
“I come from two different cultural backgrounds. I’m Dominican, and I grew up in Italy, so I have both worlds in me,” says Yendry, the Dominican-Italian singer and songwriter who’s ready to make her mark on the world. Having gained wide-spanning recognition for her participation in the sixth edition of X Factor Italy back in 2012—and even landing herself a deal with RCA Records and Sony Music Latin—the next-gen songstress has been making her presence known in the Latin music realm for quite some time, delivering bass-laden bops like this summer’s single “KI-KI.” While expanding her sound, she’s also been discovering more about herself in the midst of navigating two distinct music scenes. “It was a big struggle to find my identity.
Everything switched when I started to do research and go back to my roots to understand where I come from [in order to] embrace both cultures,” she says. “Since I’ve started, I’ve been very aware of my individuality— it gave me strength for approaching life, in general.” While uncovering the depths of her heritage, Yendry has been leaning into fashion as another outlet for her creativity. “I’m an artist, so style is a big part of my job. I had to think more about the way I present myself because, with fashion, you can also send messages—it’s full circle,” she explains. “I’ve been fighting this stereotype of being the Latin girl that’s oversexualizing herself, but [I’ve learned] that I don’t have to be responsible for how [people] see me.”
Kevin Ponce is V Magazine’s Digital & Beauty Editor.
This story appears in the pages of V138: The Sound of V issue—now available for purchase!
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