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
Nicopanda RTW Spring 2016
Nicola Formichetti presented a spring line with a "Japanese avatar, Hello Kitty street-punk concept" — and…
Thakoon RTW Spring 2016
In a decisive shift in strategy, Thakoon Panichgul's collection reflected the fusion of his contemporary and…
Diane von Furstenberg RTW Spring 2016
Diane von Furstenberg's diaphanous spring collection was inspired by an early-20th-century painting of the…
Hood by Air RTW Spring 2016
Deconstructed school uniforms provided the vision for Shayne Oliver's genderless collection.
Tracy Reese RTW Spring 2016
Color, sparkle and a shoe collaboration with Sarah Jessica Parker gave Tracy Reese's spring collection a fun…
Elie Tahari RTW Spring 2016
Elie Tahari explored the concept of "a futuristic nomad crossing the desert" for spring 2016 — without…
Rachel Zoe RTW Spring 2016
Rachel Zoe melded the saturated hues of Morocco and the gypsy-inspired silhouettes of the Seventies and early…
Monique Lhuillier RTW Spring 2016
Monique Lhuillier showed her best evening collection in years — spirited, sophisticated and full of…
Sandy Liang RTW Spring 2016
Skater girls in the Nineties inspired Sandy Liang, who took a more feminine direction for spring.
Brooks Brothers RTW Spring 2016
For his spring 2016 debut as creative director for women's wear at Brooks Brothers, Zac Posen offered updated…
Osklen RTW Spring 2016
The Amazon rainforest and the Asháninka tribe inspired Oskar Metsavaht's bold, artisanal effort for…
Christian Siriano RTW Spring 2016
Inspired by Morocco, Christian Siriano filled his spring collection with texture, fringe and embroidery — and…
Babyghost RTW Spring 2016
Qiaoran Huang and Joshua Hupper wove together a trio of disparate elements — vintage Halston, classic…
Banana Republic RTW Spring 2016
Marissa Webb referenced the vibrancy of Morocco to infuse her spring collection for Banana Republic with a…
Baja East RTW Spring 2016
Scott Studenberg and John Targon created a psychedelic world of their own in a collection fit for a traveling…