Although set at the Paradise Club in The Times Square EDITION, The Blonds teleported us to a new galaxy, far far away for the brand’s SS22 ‘Cosmic Cabaret’ collection. As their first show back post-pandemic, Phillipe and David Blond brought their classic, show-stopping aesthetic as the closing show for New York Fashion Week. In a range of hues of fiery fuchsia, captivating cerulean, and hints of heavy metal metallics, the duo also tapped a lineup of supernova talents such as Paris Hilton, Lion Babe, Ariadna Gutierrez, Gigi Gorgeous, Jazzelle Zanaughtti, Leomie Anderson, The DuPont Twins, and more to grace the runway and debut the new assemblage.

V’s Kevin Ponce caught up with David backstage to talk all about the pieces + what it was like to be back at fashion week!

Kevin Ponce: Well first of all, how does it feel to be back showing at fashion week?

David Blond: Oh my God, honey, we are so excited! I was dying to do this—originally we were just going to throw a party and once we started building it, it became a full-scale show.

KP: We love that!

DB: We have friends like Bodine and Lion Babe who inspire us as artists, so it was a really good chance to get a group of people together to do something special. We really wanted to do something more intimate and just invite friends and family so that we can celebrate being together, being back and alive again.

KP: Talk to me about the new collection—what was the main source of inspiration for the lineup? It was like cosmic galaxy fantasy going full throttle.

DB:  The main influence was just the future of fashion and the merging of fashion and music. We feel like fashion is becoming its own entertainment hub and is going to be as important as huge concerts or sporting events.

KP: Speaking about the future of fashion, what do you hope we’ll see as the years transpire?

DB: Well, I think it’s interesting how the entire industry is changing. We’re working in partnership with On Location and IMG to create and generate these experiences and their packages that will also work into the commerce side of our business because it brings a new clientele. They [can also] come in and have an appointment where they purchase something—we’re all about the entire experience, from start to finish.

KP: Out of the whole lineup, which piece is your favorite?

DB: The pants that Phillipe has on, obviously! *laughs*

KP: I mean how much time goes into creating a pair of pants like that?

DB: It actually takes quite some time—there are about 66,000 crystals! I’m not even joking, they counted. These pants were sent to the Czech Republic and they crystallized them, sent them back and then we constructed everything. The idea of it was about mercurial aspects of what’s going on now—reflection, light, and love. It’s our classic silhouette, but then you turn around and hit them with the robot!