According to a recent story by Glossy, New York Fashion Week is the latest on an ever-expanding list of Capital-F-Fashion institutions that appear to be buckling under the pressure of Modern Times.
Citing a recent string of high-profile designer attrition — culminating with Alexander Wang’s decision to not show at this year’s event and instead show in June and December — the story argues that NYFW’s future is bleak, and only getting bleaker.
Wang, it’s noted, is just the “latest to join the many designers and brands that have fled the traditional New York fashion calendar in favor of business strategies that better suit a changing industry.”
And that “many” is an impressive bunch. “Rodarte, Proenza Schouler and Altuzarra all fled to show during Paris Fashion Week, rather than New York,” the story says, while “Rachel Zoe, Tommy Hilfiger and Tom Ford tried out Los Angeles, Thakoon went direct-to-consumer, and Rag & Bone and Mara Hoffman ditched the runway altogether.”
The diffusion of talent seems to be emblematic of the systemic (and self-inflicted) issues facing the once-paramount event. Designers now have the ability to reach customers in far more direct ways than through the pages of stodgy old print publications, and without the aid of NYFW.
“As designers look to make a more lasting impression on the runway with potential and existing customers, the confines, and the noise, of New York Fashion Week feel counterintuitive,” the story says, arguing that the invested capital — both creative and actual — rarely supports the benefits.
You can read more about it at Glossy.
