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.
nyfw
There’s a Whole New Way to See NYFW
New York Fashion Week, with the help of FTL Moda and Samsung, is transforming the runway into a digital…
Emerging Fashion Designer Wins Infor/FIT Fashion Design Icons Award
Lara Tabak, a young designer, had the opportunity of a lifetime during New York Fashion Week recently.
MintModa Says Seasonless Storytelling Is Trending for Spring 2017
From casual to couture, consumers are on the hunt for clothes that work for their everyday activities—and…
WWD Recommends
More Than a Fifth of NYFW Shows Included “See Now, Buy Now” Looks
When Tommy x Gigi, the debut collaboration between Tommy Hilfiger and Instagirl slash model Gigi Hadid, was…
Designers Used <em>Over</em> 575,000 Swarovski Crystals for NYFW
Brands were showing off some major bling during New York Fashion week, with Swarovski crystals dominating…
ThreeAsFour Unveils 3-D Printed Dress Comprising 30 Individual Parts at NYFW
Avant-garde fashion brand ThreeAsFour just collaborated with 3-D printing company Stratasys for the third…
Ralph Lauren Hops on the See-Now, Buy-Now Bandwagon
Following the trend of other designer labels like Burberry and Tom Ford, Ralph Lauren allowed customers to…
Vibram FiveFingers Make NYFW Appearance
Vibram FiveFingers toed its way into the designer spotlight at New York Fashion Week. The brand’s distinct…
Meet Your Next Raw Material: Carbon Dioxide
What if the air we breathe out could one day become the clothes on our back or the shoes on our feet? It…
Kith Enters the NYFW Scene
Just days of launching a shop-in-shop inside the stately Goodman’s Men’s store on Fifth Avenue, Kith Founder…
<b>Kith</b> Enters the NYFW Scene
Just days of launching a shop-in-shop inside the stately Goodman’s Men’s store on Fifth Avenue, Kith Founder…
Alexander Wang Drops <em>Surprise</em> Adidas Collaboration
Alexander Wang confirmed months of speculation Saturday evening with the surprise launch of his Adidas…
Jimmy Choo <em>Takes Off</em> with Etihad Airways for NYFW
Jimmy Choo partnered with UAE-based airline Etihad Airways for New York Fashion Week. In celebration of the…
Backstage With NYFW’s Emerging Designers
There is something very magical about New York Fashion Week that's not just about celebrities or runways.
Edited: Fancy Footwear to Take Center Stage at NYFW
Footwear is in a stage of opulence. According to Edited, the U.K. trend forecast firm, this spring’s taste…