New York Fashion Week kicks off Thursday with an ever-increasing environmental emphasis in a season debuted by Mayor Eric Adams in his official residence Gracie Mansion.
All told, the week will feature 71 shows and presentations on the Official New York Fashion Week Schedule, which the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) organizes.
“This season, we have one show per hour,” notes CFDA CEO Steven Kolb, testifying to the vibrancy of the season.
Scores of other marques will present collections in showrooms, art galleries and even Airbnb apartments throughout the city.
“The impact of NYFW on the industry is significant. It’s one of the most watched events, attracting thousands of people and generating in excess of $900 million yearly. It also brings in wages of over $10 million and roughly $2 billion in tax revenue,” stresses Kolb.
The six-day season will also welcome back Ralph Lauren, Phillip Lim, and the Helmut Lang – where the first collection by Peter Do will be the big debut of NYFW. Demand for invitations will be intense for Coach, where Stuart Vevers will celebrate his 10th anniversary at the helm of this all-American behemoth. While Victoria’s Secret – in a surprise comeback – will stage the first major live event on Wednesday night.
Once essentially confined to the island of Manhattan, the season ranges over the whole city. Ralph, for instance, will stage a show and dinner in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, surely the hottest ticket in American fashion. NYFW first-timers include Advisry, Chan Chit Lo, FFORME, Grace Ling, and Sho Konishi. While competition will be intense to win this year’s edition, the 16th, of the Supima Design Competition for young designers. The cashmere of cotton, Supima’s finale will be staged Thursday in the Prince George Ballroom in mid-town and broadcast live on Instagram.
With so much activity, the CFDA has determinedly reminded all stakeholders — fashion brands, production houses, event planners, PR agencies, and others—to approach the week with a more conscious awareness of the environment.
“We encouraged them to recycle and reduce waste, reuse materials, and conserve energy where possible to allow us to move towards a more sustainable fashion week,” the CFDA director notes.
Working with Boston Consulting Group, the CFDA issued a comprehensive Executive Summary and Report on the environmental impact of NYFW as well as a Playbook for Positive Change.
Back in February, several heavy hitter European brands – like Marni, Isabel Marant – showed in NYC. This month, CIFF (Copenhagen International Fashion Fair) x Revolver, Scandinavia’s largest fashion trade event, is coming to New York in collaboration with the CFDA.
“Bringing together 10 Danish and six U.S. brands committed to sustainability and fostering responsible trade and growth,” underlines Kolb.
The American brands curated by the CFDA are M. Patmos, Charles Harbison, Melissa Joy Manning, Julia Jentzsch, Jahnkoy, and Hope For Flowers.
CFDA also partnered with Spotify on an official NYFW playlist and will have NYFW billboards in Times Square. But insiders will first gather at Gracie Mansion when ‘Hizzoner’ – as New Yorkers call him – Eric Adams will welcome the industry with CFDA President Thom Browne as his co-host.
“In attendance will be a mix of emerging and established designers who are all inspired by the culture and energy of New York City. The city is the ultimate, constant inspiration,” chimes Kolb.
Looking ahead, Kolb sees energetic designers who have received plaudits in recent seasons such as Christopher John Rogers and LaQuan Smith as defining American style.
September is also when the city highlights the current CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund finalists. Next year is the program’s 20th anniversary and judging from previous alumni like Altuzarra, Collina Strada, Proenza Schouler, and Alejandra Alonso Rojas it’s been a significant success.
The 2023 finalists seem a rich addition to the roster. They are Colin LoCascio; Everard Best and Téla D’Amore of Who Decides War; Kozaburo’s Kozaburo Akasaka; Melitta Baumeister, Kim Shui; Tanner Fletcher founders Fletcher Kasell and Tanner Richie; Zankov’s Henry Zankov; 4S Design’s Angelo Fabricio Urrutía; Sami Miró Vintage, and Diotima’s Rachel Scott.
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