EXCLUSIVE: MEFeater Hosts 5th Annual Galentine’s NYFW Show Featuring Caribbean Designers And Cyn Santana

On February 13, 2026, MEFeater Magazine returned to New York Fashion Week with its now-annual Galentine’s runway show. A high-energy celebration of women designers, performers, and creative community. Founded by Gabrielle Amani in 2013 when she was just 17, MEFeater began as a youth-driven fashion and culture magazine spotlighting emerging talent. 13 years later, the platform has evolved into a multimedia brand known for blending music, fashion, and entertainment — and Galentine’s has become its signature Fashion Week moment.

Now in its fifth year, Galentine’s was born, Gabrielle said, from something simple: “I love girls. I think girls are awesome.”

Positioned intentionally between the frenzy of New York Fashion Week and Valentine’s Day, the show reframes February 13 as a day to celebrate female friendship, collaboration, and visibility. “We need a day to celebrate each other,” she explained. “I love my girlfriends. We have incredible friendships.”

Unlike traditional runway presentations that center legacy houses or corporate-backed labels, MEFeater’s Galentine’s show exclusively features women designers — a decision Gabrielle has maintained since its inception. “Women don’t necessarily get the most shine during Fashion Week,” she said. “Men really run it… they’re really good. But to me, it’s economics.”

Her argument is less about talent and more about access: funding, sponsorship, and institutional support. With a background in marketing and communications and early experience on Wall Street, Gabrielle positions herself as both creative director and strategist. “I know how to sell,” she said. “I’m taking my talents of knowing how to sell an event to put this on for women who deserve it.”

This year’s theme leaned deeply personal. The 2026 edition drew inspiration from Caribbean and Panamanian culture, a tribute to Gabrielle’s heritage. After Jamaica was devastated by a recent hurricane, her family’s home — built over two decades — was destroyed.

“You take for granted how much a household holds memory,” she reflected. The resilience of her relatives, particularly her grandmother, became central to the show’s spirit. At the same time, a health scare involving her 96-year-old Panamanian grandfather prompted Gabrielle to reconnect with the Latin side of her identity.

“Even if we are separated by one sea — the Caribbean Sea — we’re all Caribbean,” she said. “We have to come together.”

At the Glasshouse in Hell’s Kitchen, that ethos of unity defined the runway. The evening featured presentation designers DUPPY, MAMAYASHI, and BAD GYAL BRUKINS, whose vibrant showcases celebrated movement, bold styling, and diasporic identity, setting the tone for a night rooted in culture and community. Between runway segments, a live performance by Cyn Santana transformed the event into a multi-sensory experience with two dancers, blending music and fashion while reinforcing the show’s cross-cultural heartbeat.

The runway segment reflected this spirit through three distinct but connected visions. BCD PLANET delivered graphic polish through black-and-white polka dots punctuated with mustard accents. A sleeveless A-line mini dress with a ruffled hemline moved fluidly as the model walked, while a tailored midi skirt was paired with a corset top and sheer puff sleeves in sculptural detailing. One key accessory was the Kwanzaa Hat — a modern take on the traditional African Zulu hat.

SEV leaned into high-impact textures and body-conscious silhouettes — a confident celebration of sensuality. Rich chocolate leathers, metallic silver trousers, plush fur trims, and embellished second-skin jumpsuits created a runway moment that felt indulgent and commanding. The emphasis on glamour, confidence, and bold presence is connected to the vibrancy of Caribbean nightlife and music culture, reinforcing the show’s message of unapologetic self-expression.

Tanya-Marie offered a powerful counterpoint, embracing bold, voluminous silhouettes enriched with layered ruffles, feathers, crochet, fur, and massive beading. The collection culminated in a dramatic finale look featuring a sculptural hat, voluminous sparkly trousers, and a heavily embellished floor-length blazer, styled with futuristic sunglasses. The theatricality and movement of her collection echoed the spectacle of Caribbean Carnival and the expressive nature of diasporic celebration, positioning femininity as both performance and power.

As in previous years, MEFeater fused fashion with performance, treating the show less as a conventional presentation and more as a cultural narrative. Gabrielle approaches each production as a journalist telling a story through reflection of her own roots in media. The result is immersive: music, movement, and styling working together to express identity and shared experience.

Behind the scenes, 2026 marked a major transition. For the first time, Gabrielle produced the show with an entirely new team. “This was the hardest year,” she said. “I started my business at 17… I had family with me. Now I’m 31. This is a brand new team.” The shift represents both growth and reinvention, a scaling up of vision.

Looking ahead, Gabrielle dreams big. She envisions Galentine’s becoming a cultural spectacle on the scale of the televised Victoria’s Secret fashion show; widely streamed, widely discussed, impossible to ignore.

“I want it to be filmed. I want it to be a big thing people talk about,” she said. At its core, however, the mission remains intimate: women supporting women, students finding inspiration, and emerging designers receiving a platform.