For LUAR’s SS24 show — the finale of New York Fashion Week — Ashley Systems engineered the ARCH: a freestanding architectural arch built from 28 d&b audiotechnik KSL line-array elements, curving up from the ground on one side of the runway and back down to the ground on the other. Imagined by And or Forever and inspired by LUAR’s iconic bag handles, the arch was both the show’s scenic centerpiece and its entire sound system — the show music came from the arch itself. Ashley Systems engineered the build and also carried the show’s cinematic lighting installation and complete power distribution, delivering the production as a single technical vendor. d&b audiotechnik featured the build on its own channels, crediting the curved KSL array publicly — with the Ashley Systems founder quoted on the engineering: “They approached us with the idea, which after getting over the initial shock of curving an array back around until it hits the ground we thought: yeah, why not!”
The Challenge
Fashion shows treat loudspeakers as a necessary evil to be hidden behind scrims. LUAR’s show demanded the opposite: the sound system as architecture. That creates three simultaneous engineering problems. Structurally, KSL cabinets are designed to fly in vertical hangs — curving an array continuously through a full arch, ground to ground, required rigging engineering with real safety margins over a runway full of press and buyers. Visually, the arch had to read as a finished scenic piece from every seat and every lens, at the single most photographed slot of NYFW — the finale. Sonically, 28 boxes positioned for the shape of an arch are not positioned where a system designer would put them: coverage and timing had to be solved for a geometry chosen by design, not acoustics.
The Solution
The ARCH. 28 d&b audiotechnik KSL elements forming a continuous freestanding arch over the runway — a concert line array bent into scenic architecture, engineered by Ashley Systems from And or Forever’s design concept.
Making it sound right. The system was modeled and tuned so the arch itself carried the show: coverage, delay alignment, and low-end behavior solved around the fixed curve, supported by two d&b SL subwoofers outside the arch for foundation.
Lighting & power. A cinematic lighting installation designed around the arch, plus complete power distribution for the show — audio, lighting, and power from one vendor.
By the Numbers
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Centerpiece | Freestanding ground-to-ground arch of KSL elements |
| KSL elements in the arch | 28 |
| Subwoofers | 2 × d&b SL-SUB |
| Role | Scenic centerpiece AND the entire show PA |
| Design | Imagined by And or Forever, inspired by LUAR’s bag handles; engineered by Ashley Systems |
| Slot | NYFW SS24 finale show |
Result
The ARCH did what runway scenic rarely does: it earned coverage from the audio industry itself — d&b audiotechnik featured the build on LinkedIn, crediting the curved KSL array at LUAR’s NYFW finale. For LUAR it delivered the show moment of the week: a room framed by the object producing everything the audience heard. For Ashley Systems it is proof of the studio’s defining habit — treating sound equipment as design material, engineered to structural and broadcast standards. Show coverage: Vogue Runway, Hypebeast.
FAQs
Who provides AV production for New York Fashion Week shows?
Ashley Systems produces runway show audio, lighting, and power for NYFW — including LUAR’s SS24 finale, built around our freestanding 28-box d&b KSL arch. Fashion production is about precision on a one-take schedule: soundtrack playback with redundancy, show-call discipline, and rigs that photograph as well as they perform. We work with set designers rather than around them.
Can a sound system be part of the set design?
Yes — loudspeakers are industrial objects with real sculptural presence, and with proper rigging engineering they can be built into arches, columns, walls, and suspended arrays that serve as scenic elements while doing their acoustic job. The LUAR ARCH curved a 28-element d&b KSL array from the ground, over the runway, and back to the ground — and carried the entire show’s music. The constraint is engineering: structure, safety margins, and coverage all have to be re-solved for the shape. That intersection is exactly what Ashley Systems does.
How far in advance should a designer book NYFW production?
Book as soon as your venue and date hold — NYFW compresses the entire city’s production resources into one week, and custom builds like scenic sound structures need fabrication and engineering time on top of standard show advance. For February and September shows, start the conversation 6–8 weeks out minimum; custom fabrication earlier. Call (718) 218-5941 or email [email protected].