NYFW might be about the runways, but the parties are where fashion, music and culture collide—and ESSENCE Fashion House brought all three.

Held at Jean’s in New York City, the celebration drew a fashionable crowd including Coi Leray, Daniel Kaluuya, Leon Thomas, Claressa Shields, Key Glock, Sydney Colson, Brandon Blackwood, Bernard James, Tia Adeola, Fe Noel, Romeo Hunte, Bruce and Glen Proctor and more.

Style icon Va$htie Kola kicked off the night behind the decks before Flo Milli took the stage for a special performance. Mellow Domingo later kept the party moving into the early hours.

The room offered its own snapshot of contemporary culture, with designers mingling with musicians, actors rubbing shoulders with athletes, and some of fashion’s most recognizable creatives trading the runway for the dance floor.

Guests also stopped by presenting partner smartwater’s Hydration Station, while beauty favorites from Fenty Beauty, Mielle, HAUS LABS, MAKEUP BY MARIO, The Honey Pot and more filled the evening’s curated gift bags.

Between Va$htie on the decks, Flo Milli onstage and a room filled with fashion’s movers and shakers, ESSENCE Fashion House proved that some of NYFW’s best moments happen after the runway lights go down.

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Photo Credit: Getty Images for ESSENCE