Underground Artists Take Over NYFW: Fakemink & Nettspend Team Up as Love, Kelly Independent Show Draws Crowd to Midtown
In partnership with Starlight PR
By Matt Emma
The underground scene takes center stage at New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week is never short on spectacle, but some of the most memorable moments happen far from the official runways. One of the week’s standout nights unfolded at the Bowery Ballroom, where two underground powerhouses—Fakemink and Nettspend proved why the future of music is already here.
Fakemink Brings UK Energy to New York
Fakemink, the Essex-born rapper with a knack for bending styles, has become one of the UK’s most prominent new underground artists. Already a fixture in London, he brought that momentum stateside, drawing an eager New York City crowd ready to catch a glimpse of him.
Nettspend Joins the Buzz
Halfway through his set, the energy reached another level when Nettspend, his American counterpart, stormed the stage. Together, the two teased a collaboration, setting the room abuzz. The performance captured the essence of NYFW’s fringe scene: bold, unpredictable, and loaded with cross-Atlantic synergy.
Love, Kelly Breaks Away From the Mainstream
Another creative force making noise from the underground during the week was American designer and music video director Kelly Butts-Spirito, the mind behind the emerging Love, Kelly brand. His independent presentation set him apart from the usual brand-sponsored designers. His show was quite the spectacle, presented in a warehouse in Midtown, Manhattan, with underground artists and mainstream artists from various scenes taking a front-row seat.
“This whole show has been a surreal experience,” he recalled of Season III. “Every other show we have done in the past had someone else’s following attached to it, whether it was a brand collaboration or artists performing. This time, it was purely a Love, Kelly show. No support outside our team. So to see this crowd, it’s just amazing how far we have come. It’s a beautiful feeling of accomplishment against all odds.”
Color, Grief, and Hope
The show revolved around color as much as cut. “The vision was centered on specific colorways—pastels, teal, green, pink, in combination with earth tones of brown and black. This whole show had a really intentional, cohesive vision and color palette. From the lighting of the venue to the music and clothes, I wanted to create a cohesive experience and feeling. I wanted the show to give a raw feeling of colorful optimism in the midst of darkness. I’ve been going through a lot of grief recently. Growing pains, I suppose. The warehouse being dimly lit, yet the clothes being colorful was on purpose. I wanted to represent hope amid the dark and most challenging chapters of life.”
Behind the Scenes
Pulling it off was no small feat. “It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done creatively. Every detail fell on me and my team. I want to shout out my business partner, Kevin Garrison; my stitch specialist, Milo Rubin; my production director, Mike Granucci and help from Nick Corsini, and content curation from Neptune. Our team handled everything—designs, manufacturing, guest lists, models.”
The challenges only made the outcome more meaningful. “Realizing that the obstacles didn’t define the outcome is a beautiful thing… this show was bigger and better than last year. We just reached a new level.”
The ambition doesn’t stop there. “I want to expand—Paris, Milan—I want to elevate Love, Kelly into a well-known name brand. I want [Love Kelly] to be a place of unity and inspiration in this divided world. We need unity now more than ever. My brand aims to merge worlds and bring people together.”
The Power Shift Is Already Here
In a week where underground culture repeatedly outshone the establishment, Fakemink and Nettspend’s collaboration, paired with the raw, unfiltered energy of the Love, Kelly Independent Show, proved that the next wave of cultural influence isn’t coming from the top; it’s bubbling up from the underground. The youth are leading the way, making more noise than the most established brands. While traditional fashion week mainstays clung to
polished perfection, these boundary-pushers brought grit and authenticity to the forefront. Disrupting order and bringing together a real community. The underground presence during this New York Fashion Week wasn’t just a moment in time; it was an indicator of the democratization of power within the creative space. The underground isn’t knocking on the door anymore; it’s already inside, and the power shift is undeniable.