On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, PARÉ reached a defining milestone.
Additionally, the presentation of PRESENCE opened NYFW 2026 – The Fashion Week Experience’s RUNWAYS ON FIRE.
It took place at Father Duffy Square in Times Square, New York City.
This milestone highlights senegal as a growing influence in global fashion.
Before an audience of more than 2,000 people, Jonathan and Hélène watched the collection they had envisioned come to life in the heart of Manhattan.
For this presentation, ten male and female models walked the runway wearing creations from PRESENCE, highlighting the collection’s gender-inclusive character and the fashion house’s contemporary vision.
Yet behind every silhouette, craftsmanship is directly connected to Senegal. In addition, the fabrics used throughout the collection were handmade by artisans there in Senegal. They were then incorporated into PARE’s designs. This craftsmanship gives PRESENCE a dimension that extends beyond aesthetics. Each fabric carries a skill, an identity, and a story.
So when the ten models stepped onto the Times Square runway, it was not only a collection being presented in New York. The work of Senegalese artisans was also being brought to an international stage.
The experience extended far beyond the clothing. As the models walked, Senegalese and Creole music accompanied their steps, echoing the Senegalese and Martinican roots of the two co-founders.
Music became an integral part of the narrative.
Moreover, sound, movement, textiles, and fashion intertwined, bringing echoes of Africa and the Caribbean into the unmistakable energy of Times Square.
The models were no longer simply presenting clothes in Times Square.
They were carrying a story.
For Hélène, the moment held an even deeper personal meaning. A family memory connected to her grandfather inspired a collection. That collection, created around fabrics handmade in Senegal and the craftsmanship of Senegalese artisans, is now presented thousands of miles from its origins before an international audience. PARE
PRESENCE was no longer simply a collection to be seen.
It had become a story to hear, to feel, and to remember.
THE POWER OF CONNECTIONS
PARÉ’s journey to Times Square was also shaped by collaboration and the power of connections within the diaspora.
The story began only two months earlier through “Senegal Calling,” a business travel initiative led by Josephine Garrick, at a time when Senegal was also enjoying strong international visibility through football. The initiative created the opportunity for a new encounter with Jonathan and Hélène.
That encounter then evolved into a collaboration with AlizéLaVie Agency, represented by Dr. Alizé Utteryn, which supported PARÉ with communications, public relations, and marketing surrounding its participation in New York Fashion Week.
The New York presentation also benefited from a collaboration with Ruart Fashion Group, represented by fashion coordinator Christian Ruart, enabling PARÉ to take another step forward on the international fashion scene.
Together, these connections illustrate the potential of diaspora networks when they move beyond simple networking and become genuine platforms for opportunity — capable of identifying talent, building bridges, and helping emerging entrepreneurs access new markets and new audiences.
Connection became collaboration. Collaboration became opportunity.
A FAMILY MOMENT, A SYMBOL OF LEGACY
At the end of the runway show, Jonathan and Hélène stepped onto the stage to thank the New York audience.
Their baby was in their arms.
A seemingly simple moment, yet one that carried particularly powerful symbolism within the story of PRESENCE.
A collection partly inspired by the memory of Hélène’s grandfather had crossed the Atlantic. One generation had inspired the story; Jonathan and Hélène had transformed that memory into creation; and the next generation was now in their arms.
Past, present, and future came together on one runway.
For these two young entrepreneurs, building both a fashion house and a family, the image also revealed a reality rarely seen behind the glamour of Fashion Week: the commitment, courage, and sacrifices required to pursue an international ambition.
BEYOND THE RUNWAY
The lights of Fashion Week offer visibility. But for an emerging fashion house, the real challenge begins when the runway show ends.
How do you transform visibility into genuine economic opportunity?
New York can enable PARÉ to develop new relationships with buyers, distributors, media outlets, investors, stylists, and strategic partners. The objective is not simply to be seen, but to transform this international exposure into distribution, collaborations, sales, and sustainable growth.
The opportunity also extends beyond PARÉ. When a brand producing in Senegal succeeds internationally, the benefits can also reach the artisans and creative professionals who contribute to its production ecosystem.
In the case of PRESENCE, this dimension takes on its full meaning: behind the creations presented in Times Square are Senegalese artisans, handmade production techniques, and local expertise that can benefit from the brand’s international growth.
Celebrating African creativity is essential.
Building an economy around African creativity is even more powerful.
Fashion may be born from creativity, but building a fashion house also requires an entrepreneurial vision, a business strategy, and the ability to transform visibility into sustainable economic results.
For PARÉ, Times Square should therefore not be viewed as a destination.
It is a gateway to the world.
FROM THEIR ROOTS TO THE WORLD
PARÉ was founded in France in 2020, shaped by Jonathan and Hélène’s Martinican and Senegalese roots. Six years later, PRESENCE transformed a personal memory into contemporary creation, carried fabrics handmade by artisans in Senegal all the way to New York, and placed two emerging entrepreneurs before an international audience.
Yet perhaps the most symbolic image came after the final walk.
Jonathan and Hélène stood before the audience, their baby in their arms — one generation remembering the one that came before while preparing the way for the generation that will follow.
From Senegal to Times Square, PARÉ did far more than present a collection. The brand demonstrated what can emerge when heritage, craftsmanship, creativity, entrepreneurship, and the power of connection come together.
Memory inspired the collection.
Senegalese craftsmanship gave it substance.
Fashion carried the story.
And in Times Square, generations came together.
PARÉ — MEMORY. DIGNITY. HERITAGE.
