The fashion industry turned to New York this week as it geared up for a full schedule of events during the six-day New York Fashion Week (NYFW).
Running from February 11-16, the fashion week begins with a live runway show by luxury label Snow Xue Gao and ends with a runway show by The Blonds. Alongside the physical and digital presentations, this edition of NYFW will also feature empowerments for emerging designers, industry talks and immersive exhibitions.
FashionUnited has highlighted some of the week’s key events, as well as names to watch, program changes and special events.
Emerging and returning talent
Despite a number of safety precautions, many established designers will be seen on the catwalk, including Michael Kors and Private Policy, who will each accompany their fashion shows with a live stream. Regular attendees such as Coach, Gabriela Heart and Carolina Herrera have opted not to only show their fashion shows on the catwalk.
Also on the schedule is the return of Area and Dion Lee from Australia, both of whom have been on brief hiatus from NYFW due to the pandemic. While the latter returns to the physical catwalk, Area will have a digital presentation.
An exciting new feature this season is the many emerging designers who will be showcasing, including knitwear specialist Judy Turner, Parsons graduate Luchen, fluid fashion label Melke and contemporary design house Saint Sintra.
The Blk, a collective that champions diversity in the industry, is planning to showcase emerging black designers. Together with the shipping service provider UPS, the organization will introduce three designers by launching a clothing and merchandising collection on February 13th. Proceeds from sales go to In the Blk to support their efforts to promote black-owned fashion brands.
Cancellations and No-Shows
Despite the packed schedule, like the rest of the industry, NYFW has had its fair share of cancellations, most notably from one of the event’s regulars, Tom Ford. The New York-based designer announced the cancellation of his physical show in January and opted instead for a digital presentation and expressed concern about the Omicron variant. Ford’s cancellation was followed by Thom Brownes, who announced he would be postponing his show to April 29 due to pandemic-related logistical challenges and his current involvement in the Met Museum exhibit.
Other well-known names missing from the physical program included fashion week regular Monse, who was not on the program at all, and design duo Rodarte.
Instead, the California fashion label will be at the heart of the activities of tech company and longtime partner of NYFW: The Shows, Afterpay. The Rodarte Experience, an immersive exhibition, will be on view at Spring Studios throughout fashion week, bringing to life the work of brand founders Kate and Laura Mulleavy. The two will also be present at the presentation The Art of Rodarte and will talk about the label and their personal experiences.
Digital world stays
As expected, digital will continue to play an important role at NYFW and the events surrounding it. While a large number of physical fashion shows will take place, digital activations, live streams and presentations will be an important part of the upcoming event. Alongside the up-and-coming designers who are at the forefront of purely digital projects, a selection of returning creatives will take the innovations one step further.
Another afterpay enablement involves NYFW regulars 11 Honoré, celebrating their fifth anniversary, and Sergio Hudson, who are incorporating the company’s “See Now, Buy Now” feature into their live fashion shows. Consumers can shop the collections directly from the catwalks, with each show available to stream on Afterpay’s NFYW hub.
special events
The program will be expanded with additional events throughout the week. Building on its multi-year partnership, the Black in Fashion Council has announced the return of its Discovery Showroom, the fourth edition of the event, which will provide a platform for emerging Black designers including Ashya, Keama and Ndigo Studio.
In addition to the runway shows, NYFW The Talks will host a series of industry-focused roundtable discussions at Spring Studios, the fashion week venue. Topics range from the future of fashion retail, to fashion in the metaverse, to Second Life style, which sheds light on the future of resale.
Covid stays
As with previous editions of NYFW, the pandemic continues to impact the possibility of “normal” operations, with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) following requirements under New York State health guidelines. At physical events and fashion shows, participants must therefore provide proof of a Covid 19 vaccination upon entry and wear a mask in closed rooms. In addition, the number of guests will be reduced and additional space will be made available to ensure social distancing is maintained.
The CFDA’s recent announcement underscores the importance of safety regulations during the event. She strongly recommends participants to also take regular rapid tests to keep everyone safe.
Experiences from coast to coast
As part of another afterpay project, NYFW will expand its reach across the coast and offer a series of similar experiences at Westfield Century City Mall in Los Angeles. The ShopsLA activation will be open to the public and will feature live entertainment, interactive shopping experiences and more. The event will take place during NYFW on February 12th and will bring even more fashionistas access to the runway shows.
“With events in key markets like LA and NYC, Afterpay brings great brands together with engaged shoppers – democratizing fashion and celebrating the future of retail,” commented Nick Molnar, the tech company’s co-founder and co-CEO, in a statement.
New York Men’s Day returns
The biannual New York Men’s Day (NYMD) also returns this season and will be held parallel to NYFW at Canoe Studios. The event, which will feature emerging designers and gender-neutral collections, will be sponsored by Perry Ellis for the first time. The American brand is preparing to relaunch its Perry Ellis America line. Other brands showcased at NYMD include A. Potts, Cillian, Clara Son, Stan and The Academy New York. The event takes place during the first day of NYFW.
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk. Translated and revised by Simone Preuss.