More and more American designers are turning away from the United States and instead present their collections in large European fashion metropolises-in the hope of strengthening their brand presence, reaching a wider audience and securing higher profits in the long term. But what are the consequences of this development for New York Fashion Week?
Steven Kolb, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), drew an optimistic picture of the future of the New York Fashion Week (NYFW) last Wednesday at an opening event in the Rockefeller Center. He emphasized the boldness and creativity of the American fashion and put his speech in the context of the 400th birthday of New York City. Kolbs Vision was comprehensive and hopeful: fashion as a connecting force that brought people together, creates inspiration, inspires culture, strengthens the economy and, above all, creates creativity.
However, his words and rhetoric seemed a bit out of place against the background of an unusually quiet NYFW SS26. The season that ended last night with the watching of Pamella Roland, Elena Velez and Agbobly presented itself with a significantly reduced program and the growing feeling that the US fashion capital loses attractiveness for its own designers: inside. The fact that the NYFW calendar has become thinner and thinner in recent years is no longer considered a secret.
Optimistic facade of the NYFW: US designer: New York turns back on the inside
More and more American labels-from Carolina Herrera to The Row to Thom Browne and Rick Owens-are now showing their collections abroad, especially in European metropolises. They promise more concentrated media reporting, stronger announcements: internal access and premium positioning that goes beyond the traditional format of the Fashion Week.
The striking absentee of the official NYFW calendar of this season are Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Carolina Herrera. Ralph Lauren presented his women’s collection for spring/summer 2026 on September 10, one day before the start of the NYFW, in his private design studio on the Madison Avenue 650.
Carolina Herrera announced that it will show her SS26 collection on September 18 at the Plaza Mayor in the heart of Madrid. Marc Jacobs, in turn, presented his HW25 collection on June 30th outside the official program with a special catwalking show in the New York public library. Brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Peter do and Helmut Lang were also missing in this year’s SS26 program.
In parallel to this structural fragmentation and the advent of unconventional brand partnerships, the importance and global relevance of the NYFW was discussed again. Although international labels such as COS, off-White and deademes occurred according to schedule, industry experts: Inside, emphasizing that many of the current problems had their origin over two decades ago-when IMG took over the half-year fashion week from the CFDA.
IMG tried to commercialize the event more and sold show packages for up to $ 45,000 (around 38,000 euros) to international brands who wanted to win visibility in New York. This watered down the attractiveness of the format, the calendar inflated and led to coordination conflicts between IMG and the CFDA.
From the central hub to distraction: the event location problem of the NYFW
From 1994 to 2009, Bryant Park was the heart of the NYFW. He housed all important shows and offered the designer: inside a standardized, inexpensive infrastructure. After the global recession of 2008, IMG made the serious decision to give up this consolidated location model. The agency began to move events to various places in Manhattan and Brooklyn and thus moved away from the centralized approach, which had provided both logistical efficiency and a concentrated industry presence.
The diversification of the venues enabled more personalized show formats, but also led to an increase in production costs and to logistical challenges for the participants: inside. Buyers have been complaining for years: inside, press representative: inside and influencers: Inside the stress of having to travel through the city during the week in order to visit various presentations and shows. These operational problems also fell together with escalating financial demands.
The current basic budgets for shows often exceed six -digit amounts. According to Vogue Business, a fashion show at New York Fashion Week costs an average of between $ 125,000 and over $ 300,000 (between around 105,000 and over 253,000 euros), depending on the venue, the complexity of production, models, staging and other factors. In view of these figures, it is not surprising that more and more brands are steering their resources into other forms of presence, such as digital marketing campaigns, events abroad and influencers: internal partnerships that offer immediate public commitment at lower costs.
The cracks in the NYFW continued to deepen between 2015 and 2020 when the central hub was laid over several venues, including the Spring Studios in Tribeca, Clarkson Square and the Skylight in the Moynihan Station. Leading designers: Inside and brands, external, independent show locations continued. After the interruptions of the pandeme, the brands increasingly tended to unconventional presentation rooms, from cultural facilities to industrial plants.
Increasing costs for fashion week shows and the effects of the financing gap on the NYFW
Further factors have further weakened the strong brand identity associated with the NYFW. This includes the changed participation of celebrities and influencers: inside, whereby brand ambassadors: in the inside by contractual restrictions are prevented from visiting competitors shows. In addition, there is limited urban support compared to the European fashion weeks, in which the local authorities provide financial support for the event organization.
The current urban civil servants: Inside, limited interest in reviving the institutional importance of the event. This happens, although according to statistics, the fashion industry deals with around 180,000 New Yorkers: every one: R twentieth residents: in. This limited support is particularly striking if you consider the considerable economic effects of the event: According to Economic Review, NYFW generates almost $ 900 million annually (around 759 million euros) for the city, but in return receives a proportionally few public investments.
The funding gap clearly disadvantages New York compared to the European fashion capacity, where the local authorities actively work with the organizers of fashion weeks. This is done through direct financial support and investments in the infrastructure. Without government support, the New York fashion world is to a great extent to private funds, from the costs for the venues to funding programs for aspiring designers: inside. This makes participation more and more expensive and the exclusivity to maintain more difficult.
CFDA starts reform measures for the NYFW
In response to these structural challenges, the CFDA initiated joint reform measures as part of a strategic partnership with KFN, a newly founded fashion platform. The first initiative of KFN that started this season focused on the development of physical and digital experiences that expand the reach and effect of the NYFW. The CFDA retains its basic role in organizing the official designer calendar.
The most important intervention of the partnership is to set up a decentralized infrastructure model with ten complementary event locations, the Venue Collection, all of which are in the immediate vicinity below the 34th Street. The initiative aimed to offer the participants designers: more cost -effective alternatives for various presentation formats, including traditional fashion shows, static presentations and private dates. KFN ensured that these venues were available to the designer: in the inside in September free of charge. This was a direct reaction to the escalating production costs, which may have detach participation.
In addition, discussions about a fundamental restructuring of the semi -annual format of the NYFW were conducted in the industry. The proposed change would summarize the current presentations in February and September for a single annual event in September, although the official confirmation by the CFDA is still pending. This potential transformation, a major change, reflects the more comprehensive discussions about calendar efficiency and resource allocation. However, the implementation encounters the expected resistance of established brands that have integrated the current structure into its operational framework with two seasons.
While the NYFW is still looking for a firmer soil, these potential changes develop in a sector that is already faced with considerable headwind. The fashion industry as a whole has to deal with declining consumption expenses and leadership changes in the large fashion houses, in addition to geopolitical tensions and interrupted supply chains. In view of this meeting of challenges, the current identity crisis of the NYFW is probably both inevitable and symptomatic for a more comprehensive change in the industry.
The question now is whether these reform initiatives can contribute to restoring the event of the event, or whether the New York Fashion Week has to fundamentally redefine its role in an increasingly fragmented global model landscape.
This article was used with digital tools translated.
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