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New York Fashion Week (NYFW), as the world now knows it, has been an international fashion week since the ‘90s. Although what is now NYFW was originally known as Press Week, founded by Eleanor Lambert in 1943. Lambert founded Press Week to showcase American designers during World War II when travel to Paris for fashion shows was challenging.
In 1993, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), led by Executive Director Fern Mallis and President Stan Herman, created a centralized fashion week known as 7th on Sixth in New York City’s Bryant Park, essentially birthing NYFW as we know it today. The Tents at Bryant Park became synonymous with an entire generation of fashionistas, particularly those of the ‘90s and ‘2000s, who lived through what many considered the golden era of NYFW.
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In the ‘2010s, the Bryant Park era ended, and NYFW moved to Lincoln Center for several years. After several years at Lincoln Center, NYFW was divided between Skylight Clarkson and Skylight Moynihan. Moynihan was eventually lost due to the construction of the Moynihan Station for Amtrak, and soon after, the days of Skylight Clarkson came to an end.
After that, NYFW moved to Spring Studios, where many attendees complained about the difficulty and time consumption of getting up to the studios in the small elevators. When the contract at Spring Studios ended, NYFW moved to the Starrett Lehigh building for one season, as guests complained about how it’s too far on the Westside of Manhattan with very few conveniences nearby.
Now, with no central venue, longtime attendees of NYFW have been left disgruntled, and for those who aren’t new to NYFW, the consensus is the event no longer has the luster it once had. Lack of a central location, perks editors once saw as a thing of the past, and far fewer sponsors are among the many things people have said caused NYFW to pale.
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Fashion writer Jewel Elizabeth told Fashion Reverie, “They need to bring back Spring Studios. It was perfect for making connections and capturing the energy. Everyone in that building had the same dream of finding success in fashion. Also, you could run downstairs to the Tresemmé Salon and get your hair done, see a designer presentation on the fourth floor, and then go to a runway show on the sixth floor. Even the people you met in the hallway were magical. I made so many friends and connections at Spring Studios.”
Despite Spring Studios being criticized for its elevator accommodation situation, it was surely missed as a central hub. Elizabeth even enjoyed the one season at Starrett Lehigh, saying, “There was Wi-Fi and a food hall.”
Her sentiments on needing to bring back a central location were echoed by longtime fashion columnist Catherine Salfino, who has been attending NYFW for nearly 30 years. “Running around to all points of Manhattan is ridiculous,” she said. “Knowing show locations when we request show invitations would also be nice. Members of the media should have press registration again, along with a PR contact list. All shows showing during NYFW should be on one calendar. Nowadays, I only attend two days of shows because it’s such a drag. There is no glamour, fun, or interest in the industry to create a cohesive event. The industry wants NYFW to be the Super Bowl of fashion, but the NFL would never have such an incohesive mess.”
As it currently stands, there is the CFDA calendar, considered the official calendar by many, and also the IMG calendar, which are both shows affiliated with the producers of NYFW. This can be very confusing for editors, attendees, and those trying to attend as much as possible.
Beyond NYFW attendees, models are feeling the brunt of how NYFW has changed. Those models who have been in the industry for many years think that the past few seasons have seen less body diversity, and the clothes don’t seem as new.
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Model Dhanu Prathap told Fashion Reverie, “I would have loved to see different body types on the runway. Also, the clothes themselves feel like remixes of things I’ve already seen. The past season of NYFW was underwhelming on many fronts.”
Model Laura Arumugam expanded on that, saying, “[Fashion Week] needs more discussion around sustainable fashion as fashion is one of the world’s largest polluters.” She also added that “there needs to be more inclusion and diversity of models. Beyond just more plus and curve girls, there should be more models of various heights, ages, and ethnic backgrounds.”
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Some models have also said that the rise in the number of social media influencers is also taking away from the models, who should be the focus on the runway, and inviting influencers just for social media reach is taking away from the exclusivity of NYFW. In addition to the frustrations models are facing, emerging designers are also finding there is a lack of support for fresh talent.
Braedy Luxenburg, a New York-based fashion designer who launched his brand after graduating from Kent State in 2022, has been slowly growing his brand. He had the honor of being featured on CFDA’s online platform, Runway 360, where designers could showcase their new season collections digitally.
Over the past two years, he’s been working on direct-to-consumer sales and finding retailers. However, as a new designer, he hasn’t even attempted to navigate the NYFW landscape, as it is both costly and overwhelming.
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“There should be better ways that NYFW uplifts emerging designers,” Luxenburg said. “Rather than encouraging people to jump into the never-ending financial burden of participating via fashion shows, there should be other ways to grab attention that [the CFDA] took the lead on.”
Some suggestions that have been made to support emerging designers include giving them their own showcase during NYFW and creating pop-up shops dedicated to emerging brands. Other suggestions have included putting emerging designers on more panels and featuring them on the official fashion calendar.
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Needless to say, NYFW isn’t what it once was, but all hope isn’t lost. Starting with something as simple as one central location could help create some spark and joy for the event. Hopefully, the CFDA will find a central venue, and invest in more new talent.
Kristopher Fraser
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