Podcast Summary

The Run-Through with Vogue

Episode: Rachel Scott Is the Busiest Woman at New York Fashion Week
Date: February 18, 2026
Hosts: Nicole Phelps (Director, Vogue Runway)

Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation between Nicole Phelps and Rachel Scott, founder of Diotima and the new creative director of Proenza Schouler. The discussion covers the whirlwind that was Rachel’s New York Fashion Week—her debut at Proenza Schouler and her own Diotima show—her creative inspirations, reflections on the current state of the fashion industry, and the role of political resistance in design. The episode also explores Rachel’s upbringing in Jamaica, her journey into the industry, her collaborative approach to leadership, and how she manages to balance her two demanding jobs.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Dual Show Challenge at New York Fashion Week

• Rachel’s Experience:

  • Rachel described the week as “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” (03:37)
  • She poured her soul into both shows, feeling both exhaustion and joy.

• Proenza Schouler Debut:

  • Her mission was to lay the foundation for a new era at Proenza Schouler after the departure of its founders, Jack and Lazaro.
  • Focused on “beginning vocabulary” for the brand and rethinking the Proenza woman to both respect the brand’s legacy and offer her unique perspective.
  • Emphasized subtler materiality and a more nuanced use of color compared to her work at Diotima.
  • “I think the most important thing was thinking about the woman...trying to think how I could bring her forward with me without isolating her, but maybe offering a different perspective.” (04:25)

• Community Support:

  • Fellow designers like Maria Cornejo and Raul Lopez provided emotional, not practical, support.
  • “It can be extremely isolating to be in this position...I appreciate criticism, but it’s also a very emotional process. You bury your soul in these moments.” (06:43)

• Support from Jack and Lazaro:

  • They were encouraging and sent her flowers after the show, though busy with their own work in Paris. (08:17)

2. The Politically Charged Diotima X Wifredo Lam Collaboration

• The Collaboration:

  • Rachel worked with the estate of Cuban artist Wifredo Lam—something she describes as miraculous due to legal and logistical hurdles. (08:56)
  • The collaboration coincided with Lam’s major retrospective at MoMA.

• Artistic Resonance:

  • “Where Picasso looked at African sculpture and saw cubism, Wifredo looked at the work and saw the people.” (11:13)
  • Lam’s work addressed anti-imperialism and the underrepresented Black Caribbean experience.

• Political Urgency:

  • The collaboration was spurred by “an extremely terrifying political moment in the US...with repressive forces and domination and colonialism and imperialism.” (12:59)
  • Rachel felt the collection was a statement against these forces: “We need to really think about what borders are. We need to think about autonomy of people of the Caribbean...it’s a statement against repressive forces and domination.” (12:59)

• Fashion as Resistance:

  • “If you have any form of platform, you need to use that...every decision is political—there is no such thing as being apolitical.” (14:04)
  • Rachel’s show was seen as one of the week’s few political statements: “You gave New York Fashion Week its backbone.” – Jose Criala Senzuet, Vanity Fair (13:44)

3. Embracing Craft, Community, and Refugee Artisans

• Working with Refugee Atelier:

  • Rachel collaborated with Rupa Pemmaraju’s nonprofit to employ skilled refugee women for crochet work, expanding beyond her usual Jamaican artisan partnerships. (15:10)
  • “It was really important to work with refugees in this moment...especially as refugees are being accosted.” (15:10)

• Role Models in Political Design:

  • Rachel is inspired by designers like Willy Chavarria, Raul Lopez, Maria Cornejo, and her former boss Rachel Comey—all of whom approach fashion with a sense of social justice and independence. (16:14)

4. Rachel Scott’s Journey: From Jamaica to New York and Milan

• Early Influences:

  • Raised in Jamaica with parents steeped in creativity—a mother who owned a boutique and a father who was a furniture designer.
  • Early DIY fashion rooted in necessity: “You’d go down to Halfway Tree...go to the fabric shops and figure it out yourself.” (18:20)
  • Inspired by magazines and a belief (fostered by her parents) that creativity was viable, despite cultural pressure towards more traditional careers.

• Vivid High School Looks:

  • Described her teenage wardrobe as “very small,” bright, and handmade—tiny skirts, hot pink, lime green—the “Jamaican context.” (20:26)

• Educational Detour:

  • Attended Colgate for a liberal arts education before pursuing fashion seriously in Milan (Instituto Marangoni).
  • Her true “education” came working at the Milanese brand Costume, after a failed attempt to get into Antwerp’s school (“I didn’t get in, but there’s no way I was going to do that multiple years in a row.”) (22:26)

• First Vogue Experiences:

  • Her high school connection with Grace Coddington landed her a Vogue internship:

    “The best day was at the end of the internship. Grace really wanted to take me on a shoot...I’ll never forget that day.” (25:30)

  • Early lessons: humility and the importance of learning by doing.

5. Leadership Style and Balancing Dual Creative Director Roles

• Time Management:

  • Rachel splits her week between Proenza Schouler (4 days) and Diotima (3 days), with at least one solo day for creative thinking.
  • “I’ve learned how to invent time.” (26:46)
  • Stresses the importance of supportive teams and her wife’s grounding influence—“who cooks me Jamaican food.” (27:56)

• Gentle Leadership Philosophy:

  • Rejects “the old-school screamers,” favors collaboration and kindness:

    “Everyone that is a part of the process is so important...No creative director anywhere, it’s not their vision alone. It’s a collaborative process...” (28:18)

6. Creative and Commercial Evolution at Proenza Schouler

• Designing Accessories:

  • Enthusiasm for designing luxury bags—longer process, focus on heritage (“PS1”), and user experience as a “bag lady” herself. (29:37)

• Retail Expansion:

  • Working directly on Proenza’s new store designs for LA and Uptown, seeking to blend the house’s established identity with Rachel’s tactile sensibility. (30:55)

• The Proenza Woman vs. The Diotima Woman:

  • There is overlap, but the Proenza woman is “put together, precise, and formal,” while the Diotima woman leads from a “more emotional and visceral place.” (32:03)
  • Both brands have deep ties to the art world and cultural curation.

7. Representation, Challenges, and the State of the Industry

• Change in Fashion:

  • On progress for women and minorities: “Not really...it’s gotten even more complicated, especially in the States with tariffs...Saks bankruptcy.” (37:03)
  • “You just have to hold on...you can’t grieve these things—you have to keep your eye on the goal.”

• Advice for Aspiring Designers:

  • “Don’t feel you have to have a brand straight out of school. Those trajectories are wrapped up in ideas of class and privilege...if your path takes 17 years to start a brand, that’s okay.” (38:40)

8. Life Beyond Fashion: Family, Downtime, and Inspirations

• Unwinding:

  • Rachel and her wife, Sade, relax by playing dominoes, spending time with friends, visiting the beach, and enjoying massages. Rachel treasures alone time for quiet as well. (39:53)

• On Pets and Office Culture:

  • Their puppy, Romeo Gigli (named after the designer), is being trained for the dog-friendly Proenza office. Rachel is “a cat person,” but relented for her partner. (40:38)

• Designer Heroes:

  • Influences include Romeo Gigli, Azzedine Alaïa, Rei Kawakubo, and personal friends like Maria Cornejo and Christopher John Rogers. (41:41)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rachel on her Proenza debut:

  “It’s almost impossible to achieve everything I’d like to achieve in one collection because it’s a resetting...it’s laying foundations for a new path.” (04:25)

• On collaboration with the estate of Wifredo Lam:

  “I put together a presentation, sent it to them at the end of November...It should not have happened so quickly. It should have taken at least a year, if not a year and a half, even just for the legal.” (08:56)

• On the intersection of politics and fashion:

  “You have to speak through fashion in some way. It doesn’t have to always be so vocal...but every decision is political.” (14:04)

• On the state of representation in fashion:

  “Not really. I haven’t seen any change...as an independent business, it’s gotten even more complicated.” (37:03)

• Encouragement to hopefuls:

  “If your path takes 20 years or 17 years as mine did to start a brand...that’s okay. You learn who you are as you work through.” (38:40)

• On inventing time:

  “I said to somebody the other day that I’ve learned how to invent time.” (26:46)

Key Timestamps

• 03:37: Rachel describes the intensity of Fashion Week.
• 04:25: Her vision for Proenza Schouler’s new era.
• 06:43: Emotional and community support through the process.
• 08:56: Wifredo Lam collaboration and its significance.
• 12:59: The political message of her Diotima collection.
• 14:04: Rachel’s view on fashion as political tool.
• 15:10: Working with Refugee Atelier and the importance of community.
• 18:20: Rachel’s Jamaican upbringing and early fashion ingenuity.
• 22:26: Education journey – from Colgate to Milan.
• 25:30: Vogue internship with Grace Coddington – formative moments.
• 26:46: Managing two major jobs and “inventing time.”
• 28:18: Collaborative, emotionally intelligent leadership style.
• 29:37: Designing luxury bags for Proenza Schouler.
• 32:03: Comparing the Proenza and Diotima women.
• 37:03: State of the fashion industry regarding representation and business.
• 38:40: Advice for young, diverse designers.
• 39:53: How Rachel and her wife relax.
• 41:41: Designer heroes and influences.

Conclusion

Rachel Scott’s episode is a vivid, personal journey through the highs and challenges of New York Fashion Week, an honest look at building two distinct brands, and an outspokenly political manifesto about fashion’s role in representing identity and resistance. Rachel’s collaborative leadership, craft-driven practice, and vision for thoughtful, inclusive design offer much for listeners—especially those dreaming of a fashion career that charts its own path.