A Vanderbilt Return, Reimagined with Seewald: V&S Global Studio and the Grandeur of Fashion’s Next Chapter**

Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin and Michaela Seewald launched V&S Global Studio with a spectacular New York Fashion Week finale—an evening that made fashion feel ceremonial, global, and boldly future-facing. The duo brought their new international partnership to luminous life at Grand Central Terminal as Vanderbilt & Seewald Global Studio made its NYFW debut before a packed Vanderbilt Hall.

Marked by an atmosphere of high glamour and strategic ambition, the presentation was also the first major public showcase for the venture co-founded by Vanderbilt Costin—founder and CEO of House of Vanderbilt and co-founder of SohoMuse—and Seewald—founder and CEO of V24 Media. Together, the entrepreneurs built V&S Global Studio around an audacious proposition: uniting investment, strategic guidance, media, technology, and direct-to-consumer commerce to help international designers establish and expand their presence in the U.S. and global markets—while retaining ownership, creative control, and brand identity.

With Mario Lopez serving as emcee, the runway unfolded as a carefully curated procession of three distinctive international voices. It featured Mexican designer Lorena Saravia, Stockholm-based designer Dustin Glickman of DSTN, and Paris couturier Nabil Hayari of Hayari Paris. Their participation reflected the global outlook at the heart of the Vanderbilt–Seewald partnership—using New York as a gateway for international creative talent. The trio was selected to represent divergent aesthetics and markets: from Saravia’s fusion of Mexican craftsmanship with modern luxury, to DSTN’s “dark cowboy” sensibility, and Hayari’s unmistakably Parisian couture refinement.

Rather than staging a conventional fashion evening, Vanderbilt & Seewald Global Studio framed the event as an elegant intersection of style, entertainment, American history, and emerging technology. As the United States moves toward its 250th anniversary, a color guard representing the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy brought a patriotic grandeur to Vanderbilt Hall, while Leslie Ann Lopez delivered a special musical performance that deepened the evening’s theatrical sophistication.

The setting itself carried an additional layer of meaning. More than a century after the Vanderbilt family helped shape Grand Central Terminal, Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin brought the family name back to the landmark—with a distinctly contemporary purpose shared with Seewald and a new generation of designers, entrepreneurs, and technology innovators. Past and present collided dramatically: figures including Cornelius Vanderbilt, Alva Vanderbilt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, and Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan were brought to life as holograms by AEXA Technology, placing icons of Vanderbilt history into a distinctly 21st-century fashion narrative. It was not heritage as nostalgia, but heritage as a platform—using an extraordinary American legacy as a launching pad for what comes next.

Technology was not merely ornamental; it was integral to the founders’ vision. V&S Global Studio incorporated livestream e-commerce and Click-to-Buy technology—connecting the physical runway experience inside Vanderbilt Hall with consumers beyond Grand Central. The demonstration underscored the venture’s intent to convert the thrill and immediacy of a live fashion show into direct consumer engagement and commercial opportunity.

And for a show designed to challenge fashion convention, Vanderbilt & Seewald Global Studio broke with one longstanding NYFW tradition from the start: it actually started on time.

The presentation also embodied a broader ambition behind the studio: to use New York as a platform for international designers seeking enhanced access to the U.S. market. The venture brings together investment and strategic guidance with media, distribution, and commerce infrastructure—all while seeking to preserve designers’ ownership and creative control.

“America’s 250th anniversary gives us an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate where the country has been while also looking toward what comes next,” said Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin, founder and CEO of House of Vanderbilt and co-founder of Vanderbilt & Seewald Global Studio. “Bringing fashion to Grand Central is deeply personal. The Vanderbilt name is part of the history of this building, but this evening is about using that history as a platform for new voices, new ideas and new opportunities.”

The runway further served as a demonstration of the new venture’s technology. Vanderbilt & Seewald planned to incorporate AI-enabled commerce, livestream shopping, and “Click-To-Buy” runway integration, enabling the physical show to connect directly with consumers beyond Vanderbilt Hall. The platform is powered in part by the creative network and technology of SohoMuse, co-founded by Vanderbilt Costin. At the heart of the presentation lay a deliberate juxtaposition: a 20th-century New York landmark, America’s 250-year story, and the changing economics of 21st-century fashion. Rather than treating heritage as nostalgia, House of Vanderbilt used the occasion to position its history alongside designers and technologies pointed toward fashion’s next chapter.

For Vanderbilt & Seewald Global Studio, the September presentation became the first public expression of a model intended to take fashion beyond the traditional runway. The venture provides participating designers with access to investors and family offices, international runway opportunities, media support, and technology designed to convert live fashion moments into direct-to-consumer commerce.

The result was an old New York name behind a new proposition: using the Vanderbilt legacy not simply to celebrate the past, but to provide a stage for the designers, cultures, and technologies shaping what comes next.

About V&S Global Studio
V&S Global Studio, co-founded by Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin—founder and CEO of the House of Vanderbilt and co-founder of SohoMuse—and Michaela Seewald—founder and CEO of V24 Media—partners with select fashion designers to transform their creative excellence into global brand presence and commercial success.

V&S Global Studio provides designers with the capital, connections, and technology needed to scale on their own terms. Through investment, strategic guidance, and proprietary commerce tools (e.g. Click-to-Buy) that drive visibility, distribution, and direct-to-consumer engagement, V&S helps designers grow without sacrificing ownership, creative control, or brand integrity. For more information, visit https://www.vsglobalstudio.com/.

About the House of Vanderbilt
House of Vanderbilt is a modern family office and global platform founded by Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin, dedicated to legacy preservation, philanthropic impact, purpose-driven partnerships, and multi-generational influence. Rooted in one of America’s most historic lineages, the platform connects heritage with innovation across industries and continents.

For more information, visit http://www.houseofvanderbilt.com.

Kevin Czopek/BFA.com

Photo Credits: Getty Images / Sean Zanni

Photo Credits: Getty Images / Sean Zanni