Net-a-Porter Celebrated Minju Kim, the Winner of Netflix’s Next in Fashion

If the idea of a lush garden party seemed at odds with New York Fashion Week’s midwinter timing, no one seemed to notice last night. Tucked just inside a West Village townhome, fashion’s finest gathered to toast the dreamy designs of Minju Kim, who just won Netflix’s Next in Fashion competition.

Guests mingled within a three-story atrium dressed with a cascading flower wall that served as a breathtaking backdrop for the presentation of Kim’s winning collection. (Select pieces launched today on luxury-fashion mainstay Net-a-Porter.) Instagram’s Eva Chen was joined by Net-a-Porter’s Alison Loehnis and Elizabeth von der Goltz, as well as designers Phillip Lim, Prabal Gurung, and Tabitha Simmons, to celebrate with the winning designer. Next in Fashion cohosts Alexa Chung and Tan France were also in attendance and did double duty as party guests and emcees for Kim’s presentation.

“It’s part of the job, I guess—I tried not to be!” Chung joked to Vogue about her off-screen friendship with France. But before filming the show together, the two had only met once. “We found out we were going to be working together, we went for a brunch, and we became incredibly fast friends,” France added.

Of the show and the fashion industry at large, he mused, “This is a form of art—we’re not pushing fast fashion here. We’re promoting a form of art.”

Viewers of the show see just how slow Kim’s fashion really is, and partygoers last night could admire the products firsthand. After the presentation, guests sipped yuzu soju spritzes (a nod to Kim’s Korean heritage) while DJ Myles Hendrik kept the party mood going with a playlist created by Chung for the event. Even as the night came to a close, energy was in the air. So what was next for everyone last night? One last sleep before NYFW officially kicked off.