Philadelphia art collective Most Hated will unveil its newest collection, "Dear Philly," in an unexpected runway location: the long hallway of Suburban Station, between Market Street and JFK Blvd..

The show, staged as part of DesignPhiladelphia, is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, October 2, transforming one of the city's busiest commuter corridors into a catwalk.

Most Hated is the creative partnership of designer Varvara "Bobby" Diakonenkova and collaborator Elias Yahn, who performs and creates under the name Elias Frost. Diakonenkova typically leads the design vision for the collective's pieces, while Frost brings the construction to life — a division of labor that has powered the pair since they founded Most Hated together during Diakonenkova's junior year at Drexel University. The collective's name is a wry nod to the "haters" Diakonenkova encountered earlier in her life, reclaimed as a badge of pride.

An Ode to the City That Raised Her

Diakonenkova moved to West Philadelphia from Moscow in 2021 to study fashion design at Drexel, and "Dear Philly" is, in her words, a love letter to the city that shaped her adolescence. In her artist's statement, she writes:

"This collection is an ode of love to the city. Philadelphia — a place that witnessed my adolescence. My Russian face that by default looks unsatisfied when at rest may still remain misunderstood for America, but Philadelphia is trying to understand it. And that's love."

It's a fitting sentiment for a designer whose journey to the fashion spotlight has been anything but conventional.

A "Project Runway" Contestant, Almost by Accident

As Philly Voice journalist Molly McVety reported, Diakonenkova applied to compete on the newest season of "Project Runway" almost as a joke among friends. Instead, she landed a spot as one of 22 contestants in the show's upcoming season premiere, airing this Thursday. Diakonenkova told McVety that the experience pushed her creatively and emotionally further than she anticipated — and left her with a renewed appreciation for the home she's built in Philadelphia.

Diakonenkova has been designing since childhood, saying she's been drawing and creating garments "since she learned how to hold a pencil." That instinct has translated into real recognition: under the Most Hated banner, she and Frost staged a fashion show that helped earn her a win at the 2025 Supima Design Competition, and this summer, Vogue named her one of 50 young people across the country who best represent modern American style.

Fashion Meets Transit

DesignPhiladelphia approached Diakonenkova about participating in this year's festival after taking note of her distinctive, boundary-pushing work. With the festival's SEPTA partnership already in motion, organizers pitched an unconventional idea: a runway show inside Suburban Station. Diakonenkova said yes.

"Dear Philly" will debut in the long hallway connecting the office buildings along Market Street between 15th and 17th Streets. Attendees can enter Suburban Station at JFK Boulevard and 15th Street for the closest access point, or stop first at DesignPhiladelphia's Festival Hub, located in the former café space at Temple University's Center City Campus (1515 Market Street, on the plaza side near the Uptown Beer Garden).

Event Details:

What: "Dear Philly" runway show by Most Hated

When: Friday, October 2, 7 p.m.

Where: Suburban Station, Market Street hallway between 15th and 17th Streets

Nearest entrance: JFK Boulevard and 15th Street

Festival Hub: 1515 Market Street (plaza side, near Uptown Beer Garden)

For a designer who once looked at her own reflection and saw something the world misread, "Dear Philly" is a homecoming of sorts — proof that a city can learn to understand a face it didn't expect, and love it anyway.