There's something about NEW YORK FASHION WEEK MEN'S that makes it feel looser, less restricted by the rules. It's less attended, less heard of, and more free because of it. It has the fringe element. At the men's shows, a clash of designers come together. There are the cult standbys—menswear labels like ROBERT GELLER offering a refined, urbane sense of design. There are established companies like SUIT SUPPLY that tout business innovation as much as quality—that make reliable staples men want to reach for day in and day out (there was an amazing dusty pink/lavender-hued suit at the Suit Supply presentation). There are many in-between, still figuring out what their voice is and how they fit into the wider fashion landscape. Sure, there are designers showing at NYFW:M you've likely never heard of; these aren't luxury maisons with handbag logos that echo 'round the world. That's not a bad thing. Some of the best labels showing in NEW YORK come with a more radical intent. They're not bothered too much with convention and many are making active statements—through clothing—to change people's perception about sex, gender, race, and class. Sounds heavy, but it's not. It's hopeful. BÁRBARA SANCHEZ-KANE began her career as an industrial engineer, and the process of construction and deconstruction, filtered through an emotional, instinctual lens, shows in her work. There’s a tooling process to the clothes, joined together with exposed fasteners, loops, the fabric twisting around boxy tailored shapes, model’s bodies exposed through strategic openings in the fabric (a nipple here, a bellybutton there). The theme was “artesenal sex shop,” and there were dancers performing around phallic sculptures made of exposed wire and built-up layers of plaster on the runway. Sanchez-Kane said part of her inspiration was the lack of sex education in Mexico; the suits were informed by school uniforms. This was an underground culture hidden in plain sight. That was the strength of WILLY CHAVARRIA's show. Chavarria showed a dark collection called "BELIEVERS," a procession of haunted figures inspired by CHICANO culture and workwear staples worn loose, baggy, and unapologetically. There was sense of recognition in the show—that these are men and women we've seen before. There were some incredible oversized leather jackets that looked at first like standard issue, but on closer inspection revealed beautifully crafted details like gathering along a horizontal seam, giving them a wonderful drape. Chavarria came through RALPH LAUREN, and it seems the detail and storytelling from RL have carried over into Chavarria's vision—he's defining a new sense of Americana... In brief: LULULEMON CEO resigns... ANDREAS MURKUDIS interviews OAMC's LUKE MEIER... EBAY and MASHABLE launch shoppable images.