Potato Sack Couture Kicks Off New York Fashion Week, Presented by the Idaho Potato Commission

Select Designs Auctioned Online to Support No Kid Hungry

NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — New York Fashion Week (NYFW) opened with one of its most unexpected runway moments – a couture collection fashioned entirely from burlap Idaho® potato sacks. Models strutted the Haute Potato Collection down a catwalk in NYC’s Grand Central Terminal, dazzling curious commuters while generating awareness for the No Kid Hungry campaign.

Known for engaging potato lovers in unique and delicious ways, The Haute Potato Collection is an extension of the Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) mission to weave Idaho potatoes into America’s pop culture fabric. “Idaho potatoes fit in everywhere,” said Jamey Higham, President & CEO. “They’re one of the world’s most versatile ingredients and they somehow span the cultural continuum from backyard barbecues to NYFW, from the mashed potatoes you make at home to the patatas bravas you order at a 5-star restaurant. And, we wanted to remind the world of that in a really fun and entertaining way.”

The sculptural, high-fashion collection includes flowing gowns, tailored suit silhouettes, and architectural detailing, elevating the potato sack into wearable art, reframing it as both cultural symbol and creative canvas. Inside Grand Central Terminal, the runway unfolded among fashion editors, media, tastemakers, and everyday commuters alike.

In 1951, Marilyn Monroe famously posed in an Idaho potato sack that later became fashion folklore. Seventy-five years later, that material returned to the NYFW runway, reimagined by Idaho-born designer Cartier Dior Eliasen, who first gained national attention on Project Runway Junior. Her work reflects a journey shaped by Idaho Potato farming roots, formal high-fashion training, and a deep love of Americana storytelling.

The IPC partnered with No Kid Hungry, a national campaign working to end childhood hunger, with select dresses from the collection being auctioned to help feed children across the country. Bidding is open at IdahoPotato.com through February 17 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

“Food is one of the most powerful ways we connect as people,” said Anaïs Laurent of No Kid Hungry, Associate Director of Talent Partnerships. “This collaboration shows how creativity, culture, and purpose can come together to help ensure kids across the country have access to the meals they need.”

The event also included a culinary component created in partnership with Grand Brasserie, featuring Idaho potato–inspired hors d’oeuvres that extended the collection’s themes of craft and origin from runway to table.

Video, images, and event details are available at HautePotatoCollection.com.

Established in 1937, IPC is a state agency responsible for promoting and protecting the famous “Grown in Idaho®” seal, a federally registered certification mark that assures consumers they are purchasing genuine, top-quality Idaho® potatoes. Idaho’s growing season of warm days and cool nights, ample mountain-fed irrigation, and rich volcanic soil give Idaho potatoes their unique texture, taste, and dependable performance. These ideal growing conditions are what differentiate them from potatoes grown in other states.