"United Flags of Fashion," a public installation project commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, is being held at Rockefeller Center in New York. Organized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Vogue in collaboration with Rockefeller Center and America250, the exhibition runs from July 27 to September 4.
Over 120 custom flags were produced for the project. Designers reinterpreted the flags of the 50 U.S. states, 5 territories, and Washington, D.C., in their own unique ways. Participants included Altuzarra, Amiri, Bode, Calvin Klein, Carolina Herrera, Coach, Gabriela Hearst, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Thom Browne, Tommy Hilfiger, Tory Burch, Vera Wang, and Willy Chavarria. As multiple designers were assigned to a single region in some cases, the total number of flags exceeds the number of regions.
Each flag reflects the brand's visual language and regional motifs selected by the designers. Tommy Hilfiger depicted New York using graphics derived from nautical signal flags, while Cynthia Rowley incorporated her upbringing and the landscapes of Illinois into her design. Vogue's flag was created by artist Hazel Zavala, based on American quilt culture and abstract art. The CFDA flag was designed by illustrator Ruben Toledo.
The project's identity and digital experience were handled by the design studio PORTO ROCHA. While installing actual flags in the Rockefeller Center space, a microsite was also created to allow online viewing of each design and the participating designers. After the exhibition concludes, the flags will be donated to the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia, for preservation and future exhibition use.
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