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
Matiere Men’s RTW Fall 2016
This season, Matiere presented a collection inspired by the modern traveler.
Lucio Castro Men’s RTW Fall 2016
Lucio Castro's fall collection made the eye wander.
Feit to Show ‘Man Vs. Machine’ Film During New York Fashion Week: Men’s
The shoe brand will present its fall 2016 footwear collection alongside an audio-visual installation at the…
WWD Recommends
Uri Minkoff Men’s RTW Fall 2016
Minkoff clearly wants to add something different to the men's wear category, which is an admirable pursuit…
Hvrminn Men’s RTW Fall 2016
While the military references may have been a bit overstated, the fine tailoring was unmistakable.
Plac Men’s RTW Fall 2016
Designer Jae Wan Park continued to show his dark side for fall.
Edmund Ooi Men’s RTW Fall 2016
The collection was inspired by the class of 2525.
David Hart Men’s RTW Fall 2016
While the collection was referential to the past the overall effect felt modern and palatable.
Garciavelez Men’s RTW Fall 2016
This season, Carlos Garciavelez took a turn to a more relaxed and youthful look.
Richard Chai to Produce Virtual Reality Documentary
The film will be released in July but teaser clips will be offered beginning next month.
New York Fashion Week: Men’s Praised by Retailers
New York Fashion Week: Men's was generally considered by retailers, buyers and designers to be a success…
Light Layers, Cropped Silos Dominate Capsule Collections at NYFW
Design cues from the athletic world and retro styling were on display at the Capsule Collections Spring ’16…
Where to Eat on the Last Day of New York Fashion Week: Men’s
Houseman restaurant, from Prune alums Ned Baldwin and Adam Baumgart, opens around the corner from fashion…
John Varvatos: Marching to His Own Beat
A night out with John Varvatos at a Paul Weller concert in New York shows off the designer's musical…
Ones to Watch at New York Fashion Week: Men’s
Some key brands to check out at the upcoming New York trade shows.