New York Fashion Week’s Identity Crisis

NEW YORK — Following a deep freeze that lasted two weeks, the dreary sludge covering Manhattan’s sidewalks may have thawed just in time for New York Fashion Week, but so far, the vibe remains stubbornly downbeat.

Again, this season is defined as much by who is missing from the schedule as who is still choosing to show in New York. Thom Browne staged his show in San Francisco ahead of the Super Bowl last weekend, and independent designers like Rachel Comey and Brandon Maxwell sat out this circuit. Labels that have decamped to Paris (Willy Chavarria, Vaquera and The Row) show no sign of returning. There were some stalwarts — Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Coach and Tory Burch — but for the most part, Manhattan’s runways are feeling a bit sparse.

Even with some notable absences, CFDA chief executive Steven Kolb cautioned against framing the moment as an exodus. Roughly 125 brands are participating this season, he said, making New York one of the most diverse fashion weeks globally. “Focusing solely on who is not showing overlooks the extraordinary talent that is,” he said in an email statement.

The post-Covid narrative has been that New York, and London too, have now been relegated to incubation grounds, places for emerging talent to find their footing before moving onto the major leagues of Paris or Milan. But in New York, a growing slate of smaller designers are finding that fashion shows are no longer worth the ROI. When a single production can easily run north of $200,000, the math simply doesn’t add up. Meanwhile, bigger brands can command their own audience through off-calendar events and don’t need the institutional backing of NYFW.

Kolb attributes some pullback to broader macroeconomic pressures: inflation, tariffs, tighter budgets and the bankruptcy of Saks among them. “Fashion Week has weathered significant challenges before,” he said, pointing to the 2008 recession and the pandemic. “Each time, the industry adapted in how collections are presented and brought to market and it prevails.”

Maria Cornejo told BoF before the Proenza Schouler show that she stepped away from showing because the traditional timeline doesn’t line up with when seasonal products hit the sales floor. She has found more success releasing lookbooks around the time when a collection drops in stores, meeting the consumer exactly when they are ready and willing to purchase.

A savvy digital launch can be just as resonant as a physical activation.

Consider, as well, the case of J.Crew’s buzzy collaboration with not one but five New York indie labels this week, making a splash during fashion week without having to compete for attention on calendar. In its Jenna Lyons era, the American retailer staged a few presentations during NYFW in the 2010s.

To be sure, fashion shows remain uniquely effective marketing tools that are fairly low stakes: content creation, brand buzz and a practical means to launching a collection.

“The engagement is just undeniable,” said Area creative director Nicholas Aburn ahead of its show Friday. “It’s a huge source of attention, engagement [and] the sales really benefit the time after the show on our direct channel especially.”

For many, the format still packs a punch, especially if they can make it their own. Jeweler Alexis Bittar staged a brief performance art piece that unfolded on a loop for three hours in a theatre in the East Village on Thursday afternoon, allowing hundreds of people to circulate through a living brand story — and post it online for their followers.

Other brand executives say shows are still justified because they act as a forcing mechanism to push a designer’s creativity, all the more important in the age of AI. And not everything has to be for show: Whereas some designers used to favour fantasies on the runway, today brands like Coach and even artier labels like Collina Strada are challenging themselves to commercialise as much of what they show as possible, from dresses and marquee bags down to bag charms, though the balance between aesthetic imagination and commercial appeal is tenuous but crucial.

Ultimately, the ho hum energy of New York Fashion Week signals an industry evolution rather than decline. Fashion week used to be a convener of brands, media and buyers to form one high impact moment. But today, major labels can draw crowds on their own, while smaller ones may see little return if the platform no longer attracts global press or buyers.

If anything, it’s a net positive for the industry that being part of fashion week is no longer a professional prerequisite. In other words, the runway is no longer the sole way to market their wares — and it’s healthy that brands don’t feel compelled to stage a show just for the sake of having a presence during fashion week.