by Eugene Rabkin
"NEW YORK, United States — Things are not looking good for New York Fashion Week. Recently, Thom Browne, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte and Altuzarra all announced their departure for Paris. These are arguably the most creative American designers that New York really cannot afford to lose, because the city’s fashion week already has a reputation for being something of a creative snooze-fest, heavy on sportswear and cocktail dresses, and light on new ideas. Ask almost any European editor about New York Fashion Week and their eyes glaze over. Few of them actually want to come here of their own volition.
With the exception of Marc Jacobs, there is not much left on the New York Fashion Week calendar that is exciting. To be sure, there are important commercial names on the calendar, like Michael Kors and Tom Ford, who is moving his show to New York this season, but they are not the brands the industry expects to produce fashion with a capital “F.” A couple of former millennial favourites, such as Alexander Wang and Jeremy Scott, are also staying put for now, but their fans have largely moved on to the newly hyped brands like Vetements and Off-White.
Of course, the brightest spot on the New York schedule is Calvin Klein under Raf Simons. But while the designer’s first collection for the brand was praised in public, it left most editors I talked to privately unexcited. His presence was supposed to re-energise New York Fashion Week the way Helmut Lang did in 1997, but the current exodus would suggest otherwise.
Who is to blame? Well, the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) is surely one culprit. Commenting on the recent departures, Steven Kolb, the CFDA’s president, told American Vogue: “Not one of these brands would be able to show in Paris if it weren’t for New York. They’re all winners of the Fashion Fund or participants, and they were able to get their start because of how democratic and open American fashion is.” The statement was made to mitigate the damage, but it made New York sound like a B-grade breeding ground that prepares fashion talent for departure to one of the real fashion capitals of the world. The CFDA clearly prides itself on supporting young designers, yet I know brands that have been knocking on the CFDA’s door for years to no avail.
The CFDA is still by and large a reference system that requires a power broker to crack. The revolving door of nominees for its annual Fashion Awards is also a testament to how little creative star power New York really possesses. Perhaps that’s why some downtown brands, like hipster darlings Eckhaus Latta, seem content to stay away from the CFDA altogether."
Full article on BoF
"NEW YORK, United States — Things are not looking good for New York Fashion Week. Recently, Thom Browne, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte and Altuzarra all announced their departure for Paris. These are arguably the most creative American designers that New York really cannot afford to lose, because the city’s fashion week already has a reputation for being something of a creative snooze-fest, heavy on sportswear and cocktail dresses, and light on new ideas. Ask almost any European editor about New York Fashion Week and their eyes glaze over. Few of them actually want to come here of their own volition.
With the exception of Marc Jacobs, there is not much left on the New York Fashion Week calendar that is exciting. To be sure, there are important commercial names on the calendar, like Michael Kors and Tom Ford, who is moving his show to New York this season, but they are not the brands the industry expects to produce fashion with a capital “F.” A couple of former millennial favourites, such as Alexander Wang and Jeremy Scott, are also staying put for now, but their fans have largely moved on to the newly hyped brands like Vetements and Off-White.
Of course, the brightest spot on the New York schedule is Calvin Klein under Raf Simons. But while the designer’s first collection for the brand was praised in public, it left most editors I talked to privately unexcited. His presence was supposed to re-energise New York Fashion Week the way Helmut Lang did in 1997, but the current exodus would suggest otherwise.
Who is to blame? Well, the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) is surely one culprit. Commenting on the recent departures, Steven Kolb, the CFDA’s president, told American Vogue: “Not one of these brands would be able to show in Paris if it weren’t for New York. They’re all winners of the Fashion Fund or participants, and they were able to get their start because of how democratic and open American fashion is.” The statement was made to mitigate the damage, but it made New York sound like a B-grade breeding ground that prepares fashion talent for departure to one of the real fashion capitals of the world. The CFDA clearly prides itself on supporting young designers, yet I know brands that have been knocking on the CFDA’s door for years to no avail.
The CFDA is still by and large a reference system that requires a power broker to crack. The revolving door of nominees for its annual Fashion Awards is also a testament to how little creative star power New York really possesses. Perhaps that’s why some downtown brands, like hipster darlings Eckhaus Latta, seem content to stay away from the CFDA altogether."
Full article on BoF
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