DOORS NYC at W Hotel Times Square: The Future of Fashion Is Community, Curation, and Code

By DOORS NYC Magazine
September 22, 2025

As the fashion world teetered between legacy fatigue and digital disarray this New York Fashion Week, one activation reminded us that innovation doesn’t have to look like a $1B metaverse sandbox or a logo rehash from 1998. Instead, it can take place in a living, breathing Times Square hotel—where nearly 30 designers, stylists, and insiders gathered to toast a new era of independent fashion, powered by AI, curated with precision, and rooted in physical connection.

From September 9–15, 2025, DOORS NYC, the SoHo-based, AI-driven fashion platform for independent brands, launched an immersive pop-up inside the W Hotel’s Style Lab in Times Square. The seven-day experience brought together 20+ trailblazing designers from New York, Seoul, Paris, Porto, and beyond, showcasing the power of community-driven retail, experiential storytelling, and AI-assisted merchandising in one of the world’s most iconic locations.

Songs of Siren: A Mythic Opening

The week opened with a cocktail night and debut collection from Songs of Siren, the emotional-luxury label by former McQueen stylist and backstage photographer Tinka Weener. Models draped in hand-beaded armor stood in a set built like a moody editorial spread—less runway, more revelation. It was fashion as emotional intelligence, wrapped in sensual myth-making.

Nearly 30 DOORS-affiliated designers attended, alongside stylists, photographers, and select tastemakers—transforming the Style Lab into a site of visibility, discovery, and next-gen networking. Notably, W Hotel’s Living Room Bar turned into a fashion salon of sorts, with editors discussing retail trends over negronis and brands capturing reels for global audiences.

The Intersection of AI and Retail Experience

At its core, the event was a proof of concept for the DOORS NYC ecosystem, a hybrid of ecommerce, serviced retail, and PR strategy—powered by a proprietary AI operating system called BrandOS™.

“From over 2,000 global brands, we selected 20 to represent the most forward-thinking, original voices shaping fashion today,” said , Founder & CEO of DOORS NYC. “This activation is not just a pop-up—it’s an operating thesis. You can’t scale culture through code unless you build community first.”

“From over 2,000 global brands, we selected 20 to represent the most forward-thinking, original voices shaping fashion today,” said Alise Trautmane-Uzuner, Founder & CEO of DOORS NYC. “This activation is not just a pop-up—it’s an operating thesis. You can’t scale culture through code unless you build community first.”

That community is DOORS’ differentiator. With a database of 35,000+ independent brands, a flagship concept store in SoHo, and curated pop-ups from Paris to LA, DOORS is rewriting what it means to enter the U.S. market: not through gatekeepers, but through data, design, and direct connection.

Why Times Square Still Matters

While many luxury brands steer clear of Times Square, DOORS leaned into the chaosand emerged with clarity. Partnering with the W Hotel, known for its creative cultural programming, provided exposure to luxury tourists, hotel guests, and digital-first consumers all in one stream. “It’s an honor to collaborate with such a visionary entrepreneur,” said Christine Devers, GM of W New York – Times Square. “W Hotels has always been about bold creativity, and this partnership aligns perfectly.”

Post-NYFW: What Comes Next

With Paris Fashion Week on the horizon, DOORS will replicate its hybrid activation model overseas, blending short-term retail experience with long-term platform growth. This is not retail theater; this is retail architecture—event-driven, high-intent, and built to convert both consumers and editors alike.

The platform is nearing 7-figure annual revenue, all self-funded, and continues to add designers through its membership model, offering services from line editing and U.S. pricing strategy to PR and stylists pulls.

For brands priced out of traditional wholesale or lost in the algorithmic abyss of ecommerce, DOORS offers something radical: an actual door—to press, to market, to community.