How fashion designer Naeem Khan's early days spent learning from Halston and Andy Warhol inspired a standout NYFW collection

• Insider spoke to Naeem Khan ahead of his New York Fashion Week show on February 14.
• Khan started as an apprentice to legendary designer Halston and became friends with Andy Warhol.

Naeem Khan is no stranger to beautiful designs — whether it's in the form of clothing or artwork.

The fashion designer, who has created some of the most standout gowns in Hollywood, celebrated "20 Years of Glamour" at New York Fashion Week on Tuesday. And ahead of his runway show, he sat down with Insider at his studio in New York City to discuss the inspiration behind his new collection and how being immersed in the art world since his early days in fashion has influenced his designs.

Although Khan just hosted his 20th show at Fashion Week, he told Insider that he's really been designing for closer to 40 years.

Khan comes from four generations of embroiderers in India, but his career in luxury American fashion started at 20 years old when he was an apprentice to the legendary designer Halston. While working with Halston, in addition to learning how to create timeless silhouettes, Khan discovered that fashion design is an art form like music or sculpting.

He told Insider that he fully immersed himself in the 1980s New York art scene, eventually becoming friends with Andy Warhol.

"Warhol and I used to have many dialogues of what we should do together," Khan said. However, he added that Halston wouldn't let him work with Warhol while he was apprenticing.

While fashion design has been his main focus, Khan also paints, and he said he recently hosted his first art show. Through this creative outlet, he said he is finally able to have his public "conversations with Warhol."

But Khan's clothing designs are also heavily influenced by the art world, and he knows that his audience collects his pieces in the same way people collect art.

"Sometimes I'm in Houston or I'm wherever and somebody's hosting a dinner for me, and she'll take me to a club and she'll have like 30 [of my] pieces that she's collected for 20 years," he said. "I love people like that."

During his show at Iron23 on Tuesday, hidden among his gold and feathered pieces was a Mondrian-inspired dress that would leave the artist speechless at its beauty.

"I create from scratch," Khan said of his designs. "I'm not only creating the textiles — I'm creating the whole look itself."

Khan sent 48 looks down the runway this season, including gowns, capes, and two-piece sets. Each piece was more intricate than the last, embellished with beading, ostrich feathers, and gold metal. You could hear the elevated quality of the fabric as metal clinked and paillettes swished down the runway, signaling to the audience how dedicated to his craftsmanship Naeem Khan truly is.

The collection was proof that Khan is no different from the people like Warhol who inspired him — he's a true artist.