New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week in its modern iteration was started by Fern Mallis and Stan Herman in 1993.
New York Fashion Week kicks off fashion month, and is followed by fashion weeks in London, Milan and Paris in February and September. Spring collections are historically shown in September, while fall collections are historically shown in February.
New York Fashion Week evolved from Press Week, which began in the '40s. Eleanor Lambert founded Press Week to showcase American fashion during World War II when editors couldn't travel to Europe. The event helped promote American fashion when many major European fashion houses were on hiatus during the war.
Press Week went on for decades. Then in 1993, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) took over the event, and then-president Stan Herman and executive director Fern Mallis consolidated the citywide events into what became known as New York Fashion Week. It was initially rebranded with the trademark "7th on Sixth."
Throughout the '90s and 2000s, New York Fashion Week was held at Bryant Park in pop-up tents. In 2011, New York Fashion Week left Bryant Park and migrated to Lincoln Center. In 2015, after New York Fashion Week's organizer WME/IMG's contract with Lincoln Center ended, the event was split between Skylight Moynihan and Skylight Clarkson. After Moynihan underwent construction for Penn Station to expand in 2017, Clarkson was the primary venue until 2018. From 2019 until the present, Spring Studios has been the main venue for New York Fashion Week, though a large percentage of designers choose to show off site.
Major American designers have made their runway debuts at New York Fashion Week, including Michael Kors, Christian Siriano, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Prabal Gurung and Anna Sui.
The event has seen some historic fashion moments, such as Ralph Lauren's 50th anniversary show in 2018, when he transformed Central Park's Bethesda Terrace into a runway, drawing everyone from Hillary Clinton to Oprah to watch. There was Marc Jacobs' show for Perry Ellis in 1993, which many saw as the birth of '90s grunge. The show ultimately got Jacobs fired, but the pieces were so popular he reissued them in 2019. In 2000, Alexander McQueen hopped Stateside for a collection he showed on the West Side of Manhattan, famously dropping his jeans at the end of the show to reveal American flag boxer shorts.
New York Fashion Week: Men’s
Tommy Hilfiger Men’s RTW Fall 2016
Hilfiger proved his men's wear mettle by injecting a well-chosen amount of detailing.
Engineered for Motion Men’s RTW Fall 2016
Known for its technical outerwear, Engineered for Motion continues to push the envelope in R&D to achieve…
Zachary Prell Men’s RTW Fall 2016
Zachary Prell is defined by understated looks and comfortable fabrics with a focus on fit.
WWD Recommends
John Varvatos Men’s RTW Fall 2016
John Varvatos dismantled his Bowery CBGB's store and turned it into a fun house complete with corpses in…
Collections Survival Kit: New York Fashion Week: Men’s
Some cool, new things to check out in the off-hours during the men's shows.
M Agenda: Tommy’s in Town
Tommy Hilfiger will hold the official presentation of his fall men's collection in New York this season…
Nautica Men’s RTW Fall 2016
Designer Steve McSween said he sought to "make an elegant mark with nautical references fused throughout."
Carlos Campos Men’s RTW Fall 2016
The coffee farms of Honduras played an important role in designer Carlos Campos's debut runway collection.
Robert Geller Men’s RTW Fall 2016
The designer looked back to a story that resonated with him from his childhood in Germany for the backdrop of…
Simon Miller Men’s RTW Fall 2016
Easy is the word that best describes the Simon Miller collection, which continues to evolve from a denim…
General Idea Men’s RTW Fall 2016
Designer Bumsuk Choi presented a lineup that managed to remain playful while still maintaining the minimal…
Duckie Brown Men’s RTW Fall 2016
In a world full of sensory overdrive, Duckie Brown took the opposite tact, presenting the most edited…
Joseph Abboud Men’s RTW Fall 2016
Joseph Abboud paid homage to his vision of America with a tailored clothing-driven show.
Public School Men’s RTW Fall 2016
Fashion belongs to the people. And Public School is getting ever closer to its fans.
New York Fashion Week: Men’s Kicks Off With Dockers 30th-Anniversary Party
New York Jets' Eric Decker, New York Mets' Matt Harvey and New York Giants' Victor Cruz helped Dockers turn…