Libertine Stays the Course on 25th Anniversary

by · WWD
Libertine Spring 2027 ready-to-wear collection at New York Fashion Week.Courtesy of Libertine

All the Libertine superfans turned out Wednesday afternoon at the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park to help Johnson Hartig celebrate his silver anniversary.

The rooms were filled with women — and some men — dressed to the nines in the brand’s elaborately embellished dresses, jackets and pants.

Backstage before the show, Hartig marveled at his ability to survive as a profitable, independent fashion brand for a quarter century. “It’s kind of remarkable in this day and age,” he said.

The secret sauce to his success lies in the ability to stay on point and give those superfans the sequins, feathers and artisanal embellishments he’s built his brand on.

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For this special season, Hartig didn’t stray too far from the tried-and-true, offering pieces for both genders in striking ivory and white stripes, as well as Bloomsbury patchwork on linen, dropcloth prints inspired by paint splatters, giant paillette butterflies on suits and a topiary coat hand-embroidered with double boxwood in Versailles boxes.

“Yeah, we’re all over the map like we always are, but there’s always a garden and flowers,” he said.

The only overt nod to the anniversary came at the end with a basketball-inspired jersey and shorts emblazoned with a red sequined 25 as the music played “Happy Birthday.”

So what’s to come as Hartig ponders the next 25 years? “If I don’t have a stroke at this show, I’ll tell you tomorrow.”