As the fashion industry continues to take over New York during New York Fashion Week, a small segment of insiders traded the streets of the city for the lanes of New Orleans. Not to attend the Super Bowl NFL game mind you, but to attend the inaugural GQ Bowl and the first Bode. Rec runway show.
Taking place Friday evening at the historic Hotel Peter and Paul, the show saw the creative director at the New York-based brand, Emily Adams Bode Aujla, make her runway return following a two-year hiatus. The event also marked the first time the Bode Recreation was presented in a show format. The activewear line from Bode, the idea for the Bode Rec. show reportedly stems from talks with Will Welch, the editor-in-chief at GQ, according to an interview with Bode Aujla and Vogue Business.
One of the largest and most elaborate shows in the brand’s history, and the first since Bode launched womenswear back in January 2023, the runway show was designed to introduce Bode Rec. to a new range of customers, while cementing the world that Bode Aujla and her team are creating. Opening the show, supermodel lucky Blue Smith presented the first look, a black bandleader coat made from tropical wool and embellished with antique bouillon floral accents. Sitting alongside the brand’s core collection, Bode Rec. pieces are designed for movement, made from woven, natural materials, and inspired by the past 200 years of American athletic wear and uniforms.
Bode Rec. presents Spring/Summer 2025 collection during debut runway show at the GQ Bowl
Establishing herself as a leading figure in men’s fashion thanks to her innovative reinterpretation of historical dress, transforming nostalgia and pageantry into refined contemporary designs, this season saw Bode Aujla draw inspiration from football, specifically from the 1940s through to the 1970s. Making the show’s location and timing extra fitting, her father was the captain of his high school football in Massachusetts, so Bode Aujla grew up familiar with the all-American varsity style and all it entails.
For Bode Rec. spring/summer 2025 runway show, the twice named CFDA American Menswear Designer of the Year explored the cultural significance of parades, specifically, the midcentury homecoming celebrations of small-town high schools and colleges, as well as the elaborate traditions of Mardi Gras. Although many of her contemporaries have distanced themselves from Americana influences, often viewing preppy and varsity aesthetics as either overly sentimental or politically fraught, Bode Aujla adeptly distills elements of this shared heritage in a way that feels both inviting and sophisticated. And there are not that many symbols that encapsulate Americana as fully as football.
Several NFL stars, including top wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and CeeDee Lamb, made their runway debuts during the show, as Bode Aujla felt that these athletes embody the Bode world and are an integral part of the brand. Accordingly, Adams Bode Aujla’s runway show featured more than just traditional athletic-inspired sweatsuits—an approach that aligns with Bode’s signature aesthetic. In addition to sportswear elements, she drew inspiration from podium and medal ceremony attire, incorporating details that capture the full spectacle of these celebratory moments. The collection included fringe skirts, beading, and sequins, as the designer wanted to fully represent the entire narrative of Americana.
Launched last April, Bode Rec. also featured two new colorways of the Bode Rec. x Nike Astro Grabber collaborative sneaker, which is based on an archival football cleat from the 1970s. An instant hit, the new colorways are sure to further cement the line’s growing popularity.
- Bode Aujla’s inaugural Bode Rec. runway show in New Orleans showcased the brand’s new activewear line, inspired by American athletic wear and uniforms from the past 200 years.
- The show featured NFL stars and incorporated elements of football and homecoming celebrations, creating a unique blend of Americana.
- Bode Rec. also launched two new colorways of its collaborative Nike Astro Grabber sneaker, further solidifying the line’s popularity.
