Only at New York Fashion Week do the dead walk the runway. The debut of Vanderbilt & Seewald Global Studio at Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall delivered one jaw-dropper after another — and the biggest came courtesy of four Vanderbilt legends, back from the beyond as holograms.
AEXA Technology pulled off the evening’s headline trick, projecting Cornelius Vanderbilt, Alva Vanderbilt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan onto the stage in shimmering light. The packed house watched a century of Vanderbilt history materialize in the very hall the family helped create over a hundred years ago.
The show marked the launch of the new venture from Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin — founder and CEO of House of Vanderbilt and co-founder of SohoMuse — and Michaela Seewald, founder and CEO of V24 Media. Their pitch: combine investment, strategic guidance, media, technology and direct-to-consumer commerce to carry international designers into the U.S. market and beyond, while the designers keep their ownership, creative control and identity.
Mario Lopez ran the room as emcee, and the clothes held their own against the theatrics. Mexico’s Lorena Saravia mixed Mexican craftsmanship with modern luxury. Stockholm’s Dustin Glickman of DSTN rode in with his “dark cowboy” aesthetic. And Nabil Hayari of Hayari Paris flew the flag for Parisian couture.
It wasn’t all light shows. A color guard representing the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy gave the night a patriotic jolt — fitting, with America’s 250th anniversary on the horizon — and Leslie Ann Lopez stopped the show with a special musical performance.
The tech flex continued past the holograms. Livestream e-commerce and Click-to-Buy turned the runway into a storefront, letting viewers anywhere shop the looks as they moved.
The founders weren’t just putting on a show, either. Vanderbilt Costin — founder and CEO of House of Vanderbilt, co-founder of SohoMuse — and Seewald, founder and CEO of V24 Media, built the studio to do something practical: pair investment, strategic guidance, media, technology and direct-to-consumer commerce so international designers can conquer America and the world without handing over ownership, creative control or their brand identity.
And the history wasn’t just decoration. The Vanderbilt family helped shape Grand Central Terminal more than a century ago — so when those holograms flickered to life, they were standing in a room their own family helped build. Try topping that for a fashion week moment.
Best detail of the night? The show started on time — a genuine shock at NYFW, where “fashionably late” is practically written into the bylaws. For more on the new studio, see vsglobalstudio.com.
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