Celebrity Families, Major Fashion Brands and an Amazon Live Broadcast Kicked Off the Back-to-School Season
Haddad Brands’ 17th annual fashion show united celebrity families, major children’s brands, youth entertainment and nationwide viewers for a celebration of style and family.
Back-to-school fashion took center stage in New York City on Thursday, July 30, as Haddad Brands presented the 17th Annual Back-to-School Fashion Show Presented by Rookie Kids at Iron23. Bringing together celebrity families, leading children’s fashion brands, media, influencers and industry insiders, the event once again established itself as one of the season’s most anticipated celebrations of youth style.
For the first time—or, more precisely, as part of its continued evolution—the show extended beyond the room. The event was streamed live nationwide on Amazon Live, giving audiences across the country a front-row seat to the latest children’s fashion trends and allowing viewers to experience the energy of the runway from wherever they were.
Now in its seventeenth year, the Rookie Kids Fashion Show has become a premier platform at the intersection of fashion, family, entertainment and youth culture. Emceed by La La, this year’s presentation delivered a lively program of fashion and performance. A talented youth acrobatic dance troupe brought athleticism and movement to the evening, while an energetic marching band added a spirited soundtrack to the celebration.
On the runway, professional children’s talent appeared alongside the children of celebrity guests, creating the kind of memorable family moments that have become a defining hallmark of the event. The show featured the latest back-to-school collections from Nike, Levi’s, Lacoste, Converse and Hurley, highlighting the styles, colors and everyday essentials expected to shape the upcoming shopping season.
For shoppers ready to bring the runway into their own wardrobes, all featured styles are available through Amazon stores at amazon.com/backtoschoolfashionshow. The event’s influence extends well beyond the runway itself: since its inception, the Rookie Kids Fashion Show has generated more than 5 billion media impressions, solidifying its reputation as one of the country’s premier children’s fashion showcases.
The evening’s celebrity guests and participants included Angela Simmons, Brandon Flowers, Carissa Rosario, Charles Oakley, CJ, Coco, Claudette Bailon, DaniLeigh, Dascha Polanco, Dave East, Daz Dillinger, The Dixon Family, DJ Drewski, DJ Mick, Edgar Berlanga, Elyse Fox, Evan Hirsch, Gabby Sanders, Guy Brown, Haileigh Vasquez, Ice-T, Javiel Sellas, Jaylene Sellas, Jen Su, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Kevin Fernandez, La La, Lil’ Kim, Lil Mo Mozzarella, Mel White, Mirabelle Lee, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Peter Quillan, Super Fan Vivian, Tiki, Traci Barber, TJ Palma, Toya Johnson and Reign Rushing, Trillian, Wendy Lam and Yovngchimi.
Many of the participating celebrities’ children took to the 런웨이 throughout the evening, reinforcing the show’s central appeal: a 패션 event where the excitement of a new school year meets the warmth, visibility and shared experience of family.
See the full runway show images below:
Photos by Getty Images (photo credit Janice Yim)
Rookie Kids and Haddad Brands: The Vision Behind the Show
The Back-to-School Fashion Show Presented by Rookie Kids is the flagship event of Haddad Brands, one of the most established children’s apparel licensees in the United States. Founded on the principle that children deserve the same quality, style and brand recognition afforded to adult consumers, Haddad Brands has spent decades cultivating licensing relationships with the world’s most recognizable fashion and athletic labels. Rookie Kids serves as the retail expression of that mission, functioning as a curated destination for premium children’s apparel that bridges the gap between playground practicality and genuine runway sensibility.
Now in its seventeenth consecutive year, the annual fashion show reflects the company’s long-term commitment to elevating children’s fashion as a legitimate cultural category. Rather than treating back-to-school shopping as a purely utilitarian exercise, Rookie Kids repositions the season as a moment of self-expression and identity for young people. That philosophy is evident in the careful brand selection on the runway each year, the integration of live entertainment and the deliberate choice to include celebrity families rather than simply celebrity names. The result is an event that resonates with parents and children alike, reinforcing the idea that getting dressed for school is, at its best, an act of confidence.
Brand Highlights: What the Runway Revealed for the Season Ahead
The 2025 Back-to-School Fashion Show offered a focused look at the collections most likely to define children’s wardrobes in the coming months. Each brand on the runway brought a distinct identity, and together they painted a comprehensive picture of where youth fashion is heading this season.
- Nike presented performance-driven silhouettes that transition seamlessly from the classroom to after-school activities, with an emphasis on breathable fabrications and bold colorways designed for visibility and movement.
- 리바이스 continued its legacy of denim versatility, showcasing updated fits and sustainable-minded finishing techniques that appeal to style-conscious families.
- Lacoste brought its signature refined sportswear aesthetic to the children’s market, with polo shirts and structured outerwear that carry a distinctly polished sensibility.
- 반대 reinforced its status as a generational staple, pairing its iconic footwear with coordinating apparel that celebrates individual expression.
- Hurley introduced casual, sun-influenced pieces rooted in its surf heritage, offering relaxed fits and graphic-driven designs suited to the final weeks of summer and the early school calendar.
Taken together, the lineup reflects a broader industry shift toward versatile, identity-forward children’s clothing that holds up across the full demands of a school day.
Amazon Live Integration: Bringing the Runway to a National Audience
The 2025 event marked a significant expansion in the show’s reach through its live broadcast partnership with Amazon Live. By streaming the full runway presentation directly to Amazon’s shopping platform, Haddad Brands and Rookie Kids effectively collapsed the distance between editorial fashion experience and consumer purchase decision. Viewers watching from anywhere in the country could observe each look as it appeared on the runway and immediately access the corresponding product through Amazon’s dedicated back-to-school fashion page at amazon.com/backtoschoolfashionshow.
This integration reflects a growing trend across the fashion industry in which shoppable content replaces passive editorial coverage as the primary point of engagement between brands and consumers. For a children’s fashion event with an established media footprint, the Amazon Live partnership represents a natural evolution rather than a departure. It preserves the spectacle and cultural weight of a live runway show while simultaneously addressing the practical reality that the parents in the audience, and those watching remotely, are the ultimate purchasing decision-makers. The result is a format that serves both the fashion community’s appetite for event-driven storytelling and the modern consumer’s expectation of instant, frictionless access to the products they see presented.
