In its 20-year history supporting fashion and the arts, Gen Art has helped launch the careers of many young designers: Peter Som, Phillip Lim, Rebecca Taylor, Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte and Zac Posen among them. Last night, following a three-year hiatus, Gen Art kick-started New York Fashion Week by staging its 2015 Fresh Faces in Fashion runway show.

The competition’s three finalists — Annie Cannon-Brookes of House of Cannon, Ada Zanditon and Nik Thakkar of Ada + Nic and Daniel Silverstain — were selected by a fashion jury that included Betsey Johnson, Lydia Hearst, Robert Verdi and Fresh Faces alumnus Duckie Brown. Each designer chose 12 looks to present from their spring 2016 collection.

This story first appeared in the September 11, 2015 issue of WWD.

For her Sydney-based House of Cannon collection, Cannon-Brooks showed a playful and kitschy lineup of dresses, shorts and tops in prints that included dinosaur bones and a robot against the skyline of Hong Kong.

The mood changed to dark and moody as London-based Zanditon and Thakkar showed a short video titled “SYN.” The looks in their spring 2016 Ada + Nik collection mirrored the video with a dark, Armageddon feeling. There were plenty of leather biker jackets with dramatic draping paired with pleated shorts.

The stage lightened up considerably as New York-based Daniel Silverstain played with texture and pops of primary colors, all in a futuristic yet wearable way.

The 2015 Fresh Faces winner will be announced shortly and will receive a one-year incubation with Gen Art.

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Read the full article here: http://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/gen-art-fresh-faces-2015-10215454/