World Fashion Expo is heading back to New York Fashion Week this fall, bringing an international lineup of designers and models to Midtown Manhattan with singer Jenn Cuneta set to headline the after-party in the latest of several appearances with founder Consuelo “Gigi” Hobson’s fashion platform this year.
The Season 3 showcase is scheduled for Sept. 10 at Loft39 (38 W. 39th St.) with doors opening at 3 p.m. and the runway show running from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. A trunk show and after-party will follow through 10 p.m., with Cuneta slated for a teaser performance and CDs available for sale during the event.
For Hobson, the New York stop continues a busy 2026 run for the brand.
World Fashion Expo staged a Cannes Fashion Festival in May and a Hawaii edition later that month at the Marriott Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa, underscoring Hobson’s effort to build the show as a traveling international platform rather than a one-city event.
That broader reach is reflected in this season’s roster.
Featured designers include Amir Sali and Simon Ariel Vasquez of the Philippines, Sandra Manniesing of the Netherlands, Regina de Jesus of Hawaii, Shima Shyna of Japan and Michigan-based label Understand the Brand, giving the show a mix of emerging and cross-border creative voices.
The model lineup is similarly global, with participants representing Serbia, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, the Philippines and the United States.
Among the names expected to draw attention is Rain Batingana, recognized as the first Filipina transgender model to appear on “Project Runway” Season 22, adding another layer of visibility to the event’s international cast.
Cuneta’s involvement also gives the New York show a sense of continuity.
She previously hosted World Fashion Expo’s Cannes Fashion Festival in May and appeared again with Hobson in Cannes in May, making the NYFW appearance another stop in a growing creative partnership between the singer and the producer.
Hobson, an Austin, Texas-based producer, founded World Fashion Expo in 2019 and has built the brand around a hybrid formula that blends runway presentations with live entertainment. The show’s slogan (“Come for the Fashion. Stay for the Music”) has become a shorthand for the kind of event she aims to stage, where fashion and performance share equal billing.
The New York event is co-produced by Rei Pearson of Pinnacle International, with creative direction by Claris Maclingmot of CCA Toronto.
Tickets are available through Eventbrite.
