Hamptons Fashion Week 2022 Gets Haute in Southampton

With how integral fashion and big summer events are to the identity of the Hamptons, it’s strange to think there was ever a time before Hamptons Fashion Week, but that was the reality when DCG Media Group CEO Dee Rivera decided to do something about it. Now ramping up for the fourth iteration of the event, August 5–7 in Southampton, Rivera has an even bigger experience planned than in years past.

With experience working as fashion editor of Latina Magazine, helping produce New York Fashion Week at Bryant Park and serving on the board of the Ellen Hermanson Foundation, Rivera realized during her frequent visits to the Hamptons that something was missing.

“I’ve always gone to the Hamptons — it’s like my happy place — and I saw that in the events, there wasn’t a lot of fashion. … There wasn’t something that really highlighted the fashion that’s in the Hamptons, which has its own look in itself,” she says, adding that the expertise she gained from producing high-end events in the city was pivotal in allowing her to successfully launch Hamptons Fashion Week.

“That experience, fast forward, helped me to know what to do and what not to do with this event. … I got to learn everything I learned, and then I implemented that for Hamptons Fashion Week. That being said, my goal for the Hamptons is to take it to the next level.”

HAMPTONS FASHION WEEK 2022 LINEUP

The 2022 event kicks off with a Hamptons Fashion Night Out and Runway on Jobs Lane on Friday, August 5.

Rivera worked with the Southampton Arts Center board of trustees and Southampton Village Mayor Jesse Warren to organize a fashion show on Jobs Lane featuring the latest collections from Hamptons stores including Ralph Lauren, Marina St. Barth, Hidden Gem, Fivestory, Unsubscribed and other labels. “I’m very excited that they came behind us and believed in our vision, because it’s the first time there’s a fashion show on Jobs Lane,” Rivera says.

At the Shop & Sip after party, guests can shop, sip wine, enjoy tasty bites, and race to be one of the first 200 attendees to visit each participating store, take a photo of their favorite item and tag @hamptonsfashionweek on Instagram to win a goodie bag with $5,000 worth of swag.

Also new to Hamptons Fashion Week 2022, as part of a full day of fashion shows at Southampton Arts Center on Saturday, are the Hamptons Swim Week event — which showcases celebrity swimwear designers and international designers, such as BOLD Swim and Origin of Oceans — and the Hamptons Fashion Week Metaverse event where attendees can get a glimpse of tomorrow’s experimental fashion styles. Guests will enjoy bites from participating chefs, a wine bar, barista bar and cocktails, selfie station and swag.

“As the world is evolving, as the Hamptons is evolving, there is so much fashion in the Hamptons,” Rivera says.

Also on Saturday, Hamptons Fashion Week presents the Fashion Icon Awards. Rivera and event sponsors Victoria Schneps, Schneps Media founder/president; and Alicia Grande, Grande Cosmetics CEO/founder, will present this year’s awards to four deserving names in today’s fashion landscape.

Fashion icon Nicole Miller will receive the Designer of the Year Award to celebrate 40 years in fashion, celebrity stylist/designer Cesar Galindo will receive the Trendsetter of the Year Award, fashion writer/editor Constance White will receive the Fashion Media Award, and sustainability-focused designer Gloria Lee will receive the Rising Star Award.

Rivera adds that she loves that she’s able to celebrate diversity in Hamptons fashion with these awards.

With runway shows all through Saturday, the day’s final show takes place at the Southampton Arts Center at 9 p.m. with a 40-year retrospective of Nicole Miller’s celebrated work in the fashion industry.

Then, Hamptons Fashion Week 2022 officially ends on Sunday, August 7 with an exclusive invite-only event known as Bites, Bubbles & Brunch. Press, VIP guests and designers will enjoy a book signing of How to Slay by Constance White and a menu curate by Picnics & Peonies Luxury Picnics.

Rivera expects this year’s event to further solidify Hamptons Fashion Week as one of the Hamptons’ signature events, and she hopes to continue to build upon the event, eventually extending festivities to a full week with shows across the South Fork that highlight local and international designers.

“We want it to be a platform for worldwide international designers — we want it to be open to everybody — but we also want to highlight the luxury brands that are in the Hamptons,” she says.

For more info about Hamptons Fashion Week, visit hamptonsfashionweek.com. For tickets, head to hamptonsfashionweek2022.eventbrite.com.