Some runway moments are about what comes next in fashion. Others are about recognizing the people who helped change what was possible.
For 831MINHLE, New York Fashion Week became an opportunity to do both.
On September 12, designer Minh Le presented the world premiere of her latest collection inside the Janet Mandell New York Showroom in Manhattan’s Flatiron District. Rather than staging a conventional runway show, the private-client couture and performance tailoring house presented the collection as part of The Legacy Table, an intimate evening bringing fashion, sports and culture into the same room.
Hosted by celebrity stylist and fashion curator Dawn Marie Haynes and presented by brand architect Mahiri Takai, the event welcomed a curated audience of 75 guests.
But the heart of the evening belonged to Lisa Leslie.
Designing Around a Legacy
The collection, titled “First Ladies,” was dedicated to and inspired by Leslie, whose influence reaches far beyond basketball.
As a WNBA Hall of Famer and Basketball Hall of Famer, Leslie helped define an era of women’s professional basketball. For 831MINHLE, however, the inspiration was not simply her accomplishments on the court. It was the presence, confidence and sense of purpose associated with the woman behind them.
That translated into a collection filled with strong color, commanding silhouettes and tailoring intended to balance appearance with movement.
The clothes were designed for women and men who do not want to choose between polish and practicality. That philosophy is central to Minh Le’s approach, which begins with the body rather than forcing the body to conform to a predetermined silhouette.
Here, power dressing did not mean stiffness.
It meant clothes capable of moving with the person wearing them.
Lisa Leslie Takes the Runway
Then came the moment that transformed the presentation from tribute into something more personal.
Lisa Leslie closed the show herself.
Rather than simply sitting in the audience while a collection inspired by her moved down the runway, Leslie stepped directly into the story.
She walked in a look created by the designer who had spent the evening interpreting her legacy through clothing.
It was a fitting conclusion to a show centered on presence. The person who inspired the collection became its final image.
The moment carried additional significance because of what was waiting for Leslie just days later.
On September 20, the Los Angeles Sparks were scheduled to unveil a statue honoring Leslie at Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The honor would make Leslie the first woman represented with a statue in the plaza, placing her alongside Los Angeles sports figures including Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal.
Eight days separated the runway and the unveiling.
Together, the moments created an unusual intersection between fashion and sports history, one celebrating Leslie through clothing, the other through a permanent monument to her career.
“Every Moment You Wear 831MINHLE Is a Special Occasion”
Yet one of the evening’s most revealing stories had little to do with basketball statistics, trophies or statues.
It was about a suit.
Speaking to the room near the close of the presentation, Leslie reflected on her relationship with Minh Le and the designer’s understanding of her body. She described 831MINHLE as such a trusted resource that the clothes fit without her needing to try them on.
Leslie also recalled receiving a suit from Minh that she loved so much she decided to save it.
She waited for an occasion important enough to wear it.
Eventually, the two crossed paths at another event, and Minh asked why she had never seen Leslie wearing the suit.
The designer’s response became perhaps the clearest explanation of the 831MINHLE philosophy:
“Every moment you wear 831MINHLE is a special occasion.”
It was a small exchange with a much larger idea behind it.
Luxury does not necessarily have to wait for a gala, an award ceremony or another milestone. Sometimes the clothing itself can change the way an ordinary moment feels.
Clothes Built From the Body Up
That perspective helps explain why 831MINHLE occupies an interesting space between couture and performance tailoring.
Minh Le is not simply designing clothes intended to photograph well from one angle. Fit, movement and function are treated as part of the design rather than problems to solve afterward.
For clients with demanding schedules and highly visible careers, that distinction matters.
A garment may need to move between meetings, appearances, stages, travel and cameras without losing its structure or presence.
The “First Ladies” collection leaned directly into that challenge.
Bold colors gave the runway visual authority, while sophisticated tailoring created silhouettes that felt intentional without becoming restrictive. The result was clothing that acknowledged the theatrical possibilities of fashion while remaining connected to the realities of the people wearing it.
A Fashion Family Reunion
For Dawn Staley, another longtime 831MINHLE client, the atmosphere went beyond a traditional fashion presentation.
She described the evening as “magical” and likened the gathering to a family reunion.
That feeling may ultimately have been what separated The Legacy Table from the endless calendar of events surrounding New York Fashion Week.
This was not simply about getting people into a room to watch clothes walk past them.
The collection was connected to relationships.
Designer and client. Fashion and athletics. Clothing and identity. Personal history and public legacy.
Those relationships gave the garments context before they ever reached the runway.
When Fashion Becomes Part of the Legacy
Fashion frequently borrows from sports, and athletes have become increasingly influential figures within luxury and style.
The relationship presented by 831MINHLE felt different.
Lisa Leslie was not being used simply as a recognizable face attached to a collection. Her history, stature and relationship with Minh Le provided the foundation for the story the clothes were attempting to tell.
That distinction became clearest when Leslie walked the finale.
Days before Los Angeles would prepare to permanently memorialize her place in basketball history, New York Fashion Week offered another kind of portrait.
Not one made from bronze.
One constructed through fabric, tailoring, color and movement.
For Minh Le, it was a collection about a client, collaborator and cultural figure.
For Lisa Leslie, it was another moment in a remarkable week devoted to legacy.
And for 831MINHLE, it reinforced a philosophy that could be heard throughout the room that evening: the special occasion does not always come first.
Sometimes, you dress like it already has.
Production Credits
– Designer: Minh Le, 831MINHLE
– Creative Direction & Brand Strategy: Elliot Carlyle, CURRENT•LY Global (@currentlyglobal / @elliotcarlyle)
– Casting & PR: 831MINHLE & CURRENT•LY Global
– Project Management: Jo Milan (@_jomilan)
– Hair & Makeup: Damali Beauty Agency (@damalibeautyagency)
– Stylist: J’Lyn E. Martin (@jemstyleslife_)
– Photography: Full Fledged Icon, LLC (@fullfledgedicon)
– Venue: Janet Mandell New York, 28 West 25th Street, New York City (@janetmandell)
– Event Concept & Director: Mahiri Takai @mahiritakai
– Live Entertainment: Greg Banks @gregbanksmusic
