BIFC co-founders Lindsay Peoples and Sandrine Charles floated through the room like seasoned hosts to greet guests and toast the season’s close with a speech:

“This year’s dinner felt like one of the first! We wanted to reconnect with our board members, new partners, and supporters since the season’s showroom. We look forward to hosting some more micro dinners and events through the season with various groups, people, and collaborators in the network.”

Plates of grilled salmon, steak au poivre, cacio e pepe gnocchi, and French fries made their way down the endless table (the warm chocolate chip cookies at dessert were a fan fave), while conversation sparked across generations of fashion industry leaders. Meanwhile, Lalo tequila cocktails were sipped amid florals by BUDS. Attendees included Sergio Hudson, Denée Benton, Jordyn Woods, Kamie Crawford, Zerina Akers, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, and 2024 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winners Dynasty and Soull Ogun of L’Enchanteur, among others.

Towards the end of dinner, the celebration turned personal with a surprise birthday toast for Emil Wilbekin, journalist, former Vibe editor-in-chief, and founder of Native Son, whose decades of championing Black creatives made the tribute feel especially poignant. By the end of the evening, it was clear that this wasn’t just another fashion week dinner; it was a joyous close to the NYFW season and a reminder that Black creatives continue to set the pace for fashion’s future, one stylish night out in Bushwick at a time.