Huda Mustafa returned to the Runway7 Fashion stage at Sony Hall during New York Fashion Week in February 2026, walking for RR22, the luxury bag line from Rick Ross. It was her second walk for the brand. It was also her most meaningful one yet.
The Look: Clean, Confident, and Camera-Ready
On the RR22 runway, Huda walked out in a sharp pinstripe corset top paired with wide-leg trousers in the same fabric. The tonal grey set was sleek and intentional. She moved in strappy heels, which gave the look an elevated, runway-ready finish that felt polished without being overdone.
She carried a structured yellow RR22 bag, a compact, textured piece that popped against the cool tones of her outfit. The contrast was deliberate. The bag commanded attention. So did she.
Her long dark hair fell straight down her back, uninterrupted. The glam was subtle. The presence was not. Cameras tracked her from the moment she stepped out. Phones went up on both sides of the runway, and the energy in the room climbed with every step she took forward.
RR22 as a brand leans into travel-ready silhouettes with textured finishes and a clean athletic polish. Per our own fall 2025 coverage, that first walk had Huda anchoring the look with a moss green weekender from the line. This season, the yellow structured bag served as the centerpiece. Both times, the pairing worked. Both times, she delivered.
“The set design, the energy, and the phones in the air told the story.”
A Return With Real Weight Behind It
This was not just a fashion moment. It was a statement.
Between Huda’s first RR22 walk in fall 2025 and this February 2026 appearance, a lot happened. In late October 2025, a caller on an Instagram Live stream hosted by Huda and her boyfriend, Louis Russell, directed a racial slur at fellow Love Island USA Season 7 castmate Olandria Carthen. Huda and Louis laughed in the moment before ending the call. The clip went viral fast.
The fallout was immediate. According to CNN, Huda Beauty, the cosmetics brand founded by Huda Kattan, ended its partnership with Mustafa within days. The brand cited a lack of seriousness around the incident and said her behavior did not align with their values. It had been one of her most visible brand deals, tied to the launch of a new powder product that had already been featured in Sephora stores.
Huda issued two apologies. The first was widely criticized as deflective. The second, posted on October 29, 2025, was more direct. “Olandria, it is now clear that this comment was targeted at you, and I apologize for my immediate reaction,” she wrote. She also pledged a personal donation to the NAACP and encouraged her followers to do the same.
Olandria responded with clarity and grace. The E! News fall 2025 piece captured her response: “That kind of language is never acceptable. Not in anger, not as a joke, not ever.”
Gratitude on the Ground at Sony Hall
By the time February 2026 arrived, Huda was back at Sony Hall. This time, the energy around her had shifted.
TMZ caught up with her at the Runway7 show on February 13, 2026. The TMZ February 2026 report noted she was openly thanking fans for standing by her through the controversy. She made it clear she had not forgotten the support she received during some of the hardest public weeks of her career.
That moment of gratitude, expressed publicly and on camera at a fashion event, said something. It showed self-awareness. It showed that she understood the gravity of what happened. And it showed she was not pretending the last few months did not exist.
Walking back onto the same runway, for the same brand, in front of the same flashing cameras, was its own kind of answer. Runway7 kept the door open. RR22 kept the invite standing. And Huda walked through it.
RR22 and the Runway7 Stage
RR22 made its Runway7 debut in fall 2025 alongside a stacked lineup. Per Runway7’s official fall 2025 recap, the show ran September 10 to 14 at Sony Hall, featuring over 140 designers from more than 25 countries in front of 10,000 guests. The RR22 debut was billed as Rick Ross’s official entry into New York Fashion Week.
For February 2026, the brand returned as a highlight of opening night. According to Grazia Slovenia’s February 2026 NYFW coverage, Runway7 ran its shows from February 12 to 15 at Sony Hall and drew over 230,000 visitors to New York across the full Fashion Week period. RR22 was again among the returning headliners, joined by designers like Ren Haixi, whose work has dressed Kylie Jenner, Billie Eilish, and Cardi B.
Huda walked alongside other notable names. The same Grazia coverage noted fellow faces on the RR22 runway included Anya Labonville, a Grazia and GLAMOUR cover model, and Alexander Wang, an Elle and GLAMOUR feature. The production, as always, was full. The crowd was sold out. The energy buzzed and crackled and hummed through the room.
What the Second Walk Means
Huda Mustafa built her following as the first Palestinian American woman to appear on Love Island USA. GQ Middle East’s fall 2025 profile captured her pre-NYFW mindset well, describing her as someone who moves between fittings, afterparties, and advocacy with the same focused energy. She uses her platform to amplify Palestinian relief efforts and links the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund directly in her bio.
The controversy of October 2025 did not erase that. Nor does this article suggest it should be minimized. What it does suggest is that the runway appearance in February 2026 represents something real. She showed up, dressed the part. She thanked the people who stayed. Then she walked.
Sometimes that is what accountability looks like in real time. Not perfect. Not without history. But present, intentional, and moving forward.
The RR22 bag swung in her hand. The cameras clicked. The crowd watched. And Huda Mustafa kept walking.
Follow Huda Mustafa on Instagram: @hudabubbaaa
Learn more about RR22 at @realedition22 and Runway7 Fashion at runway7fashion.com
