Katie Jane Hughes (@katiejanehughes) spent nearly a decade working her way up the ranks backstage at New York Fashion Week, from assistant to key makeup artist. But four years ago, she decided to ditch the runway.

Unlike makeup artists like Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, Pat McGrath and Charlotte Tilbury, who used global fashion weeks to catapult their own lines, a new guard of talent is looking beyond the runway.

Hughes, Patrick Ta and others like fashion week veteran and Westman Atelier founder Gucci Westman, known for her work at Revlon, were absent from backstage spots entirely this season. Instead, artistry-led brands are betting on celebrities, influencers and consumer-facing activations.

BoF explores how a new generation of founders like Katie Jane Hughes, Donni Davy and Danessa Myricks is focused on moments off the runway — those with celebrities, consumers and social media. Read more in our #linkinbio

✍️ @liz_flora
📷 Spotlight/Launchmetrics | Katie Jane Hughes | Donni Davy | Danessa Myricks