From Party Queen to Wellness Warrior: The Stunning Transformation You Won’t Believe
Isn’t it wild how a fresh start can feel both like a whisper and a roar? This morning, downtown bathed in that iconic New York City sunlight pouring through giant windows, Nicholas Aburn made quite the statement with his debut collection for Area—a label known for its bold, party-ready vibes since 2016. Now, here’s a designer with an impressive pedigree—Tom Ford, Alexander Wang, Balenciaga Couture—you name it—and yet, he’s quietly stepping into the spotlight with something that’s both a nod to Area’s theatrical roots and a sleek reboot. You have to wonder: can you keep that wild, crystal-studded, avant-garde spirit alive while making pieces that people actually want to live in every day? Spoiler alert: Aburn’s proving you can. It’s like catching that sweet spot where high-octane glam meets “yeah, I can run errands in this” cool. Curious how he’s blending culture, street style, and a sprinkle of that NYC attitude into wearable magic? Say no more—this is where party-ready meets practicality in the most unexpected way. LEARN MORE
Downtown in an open space with big windows ushering in the New York City sunlight, Nicholas Aburn debuted his first collection for Area this morning. “It’s like a fresh start,” said the Maryland-born designer, who, despite not being a household name just yet, boasts an impressive resume that includes stints at Tom Ford, Alexander Wang, and most recently Balenciaga Couture.
With the desire to keep the brand’s 10-year persona alive—Area’s first collection launched in Spring 2016—Aburn, who studied at Central Saint Martins while working at Prada on London’s Bond Street to pay for school, spent time looking at past collections in order to push the brand forward under his new direction. For the past decade, Area has solidified itself as the destination for party-ready separates, with signatures that include crystal embellishments, novelty jeans and avant-garde statement pieces for the woman (and man) that isn’t afraid to stand out. “I like the position that Area has in New York as one of the crazier, more theatrical shows,” he said in a preview a few days ahead of his debut. “But I do think that there is a sweet spot with that maximum fun that is still liveable.”
For Spring-Summer 2026, he started looking at characters—more specifically women and men on the streets of New York City and London—most of whom were represented on a giant wall-sized moodboard in the brand’s studio. From Bella Hadid in a Carhartt-style jacket with mini white biker shorts to Charli XCX in a varsity t-shirt and a distressed denim skirt to an anonymous subject in Adidas track pants accented with a makeshift crystal belt, these fashion moments of proportion and detail excited Aburn on his quest to breathe new life into the NYFW mainstay. “There are codes of New York dressing—jeans with black tailoring, white t-shirts, and sportswear, but all pushed to extremes and given a fun Area twist,” he said.
The show, styled by Emma Wyman, started with a series of monochromatic looks in “a quite stark change to what we saw before,” Aburn said. The opening look featured a black satin hoodie paired with cargo capris. The Y2K-leaning moment was inspired by another character on many a moodboard as of late. “I was re-watching Sex and the City for the nine-thousandth time and saw Carrie wearing these little cargo pants in the episode when Berger loses his book deal,” Aburn said. “I was immediately like ‘it’s time to do those and we need a flare version and a jacket.’” Those two, accessorized with an exaggerated crystal lariat necklace, appeared in look three.
From there the collection transitioned into more of what the Area customer and audience expects from the brand. First, a skirt constructed from crystal chainmail and pearls (there was a dress version too) paired back to a ruched white crew neck, followed by a pastel pink taffeta mini styled with a fitted black turtleneck and mismatched heels (also a nod to Ms. Bradshaw).
Sportier elements were incorporated into the mix, centered on an upcycled sequined dress crafted from cut-up basketball jerseys and a pair of oversized gymshorts accented with crystal ties at the waist and a new, more fluid take on the AREA logo. The latter is sure to be scooped up at retail and sold with a half-zip running top decked out with a matching crystal accoutrement on the zipper. “It’s your running errands top but with a bitchy underwire,” Aburn said while holding up the commercial piece in his studio. He was referring back to the “liveable” nature of his designs and the desire to find a modern way to wear the Area sparkle whilst marrying the brand’s OG hot party girl with a slightly cooler vibe.
Other highlights included Aburn’s new take on tailoring (it’s here where he references Balenciaga’s Demna Gvaslia), from oversized blazers worn with statement jeans to a tuxedo-style maxi skirt with an undone cummerbund styled with a navy satin hoodie. Aburn was quick to point this look out as his personal favorite, dubbed his “female avatar”, and took his bow in a zip up version of the sweatshirt. Also worth noting was a couture-style t-shirt featuring a graphic of the New York City skyline and a dramatic train that was shown with black trousers. Chic.
While Aburn made a point to layer in commercial pieces—think black mini dresses and special occasion denim—the idea was really to create items with Area’s visual sensibility but with less glitz. “I asked myself how I could do the eye-catching but with the language of clothes,” he said, pointing to the denim mini skirt in look 22 that was constructed with two legs of a jean tied in a bow.
However, he didn’t flake on the longtime Area fan who has grown to love a crystal-heavy party moment. For the final looks, Aburn and his team sourced materials from suppliers that work with Party City. The result was a white, sequinned dress decorated with colorful pieces of confetti that were connected to each sequin via metal wires. The showstopper required weeks of handwork by a team in India. Ditto for the dresses that followed, one of which was constructed entirely with metallic ribbons, and the closing look, which was made with a rainbow of streamers and topped off with a large matching boa.
“Area is really associated with a party vibe so I thought about the most elemental way to achieve that,” Aburn said. “It’s pom-poms, present ribbons, and a dress covered in confetti because nothing makes you feel happier than confetti.” With a collection like he presented today, perhaps a fresh start does.
Area Spring Summer 2026
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