Having succumbed to a digital hiatus for the past two seasons, New York Fashion Week is now making a September return. Although, this is no mere comeback, but a complete rebirth. It would seem the CFDA and IMG, New York Fashion Week’s overlapping governing bodies, have used the time off to come to an allegiance – rejigging the format of NYFW in a bid to secure the city’s global fashion reputation.
Part of this new strategy includes the provision of cash grants to attract US talent back to their capital. Dubbed the IMG Alliance, these include Telfar, Proenza Schouler, Brandon Maxwell, Prabal Gurung, and LaQuan Smith. Other designers making a return include Thom Browne, who has shown in Paris since 2017, Rodarte, and Moschino, who will both be swapping out Los Angeles for the Big Apple. Peter Do and Dundas will be making their New York debut, while Eckhaus Latta, Theophilio, Batsheva, Michael Kors, and Coach are also due back on the schedule. Then, closing the five day event will be Tom Ford, who’s taking over Marc Jacobs’ usual spot, on September 12.
The finale of this year’s bolstered New York Fashion Week will deliberately coincide with the twice-postponed Met Gala – the night’s theme being “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” – and will be hosted by CFDA chairman Tom Ford. Ford, who has had his tenure extended for another year, has already made stark changes to NYFW, renaming the New York Fashion Week Calendar, the American Collections Calendar, including all the American designers who show off-schedule and abroad within one cohesive digital hub.
“New York Fashion Week is back with a diverse lineup representative of the future of American fashion,” said Steven Kolb, the CEO of CFDA. “Our fashion industry has come together as we continue to emerge from the pandemic, and a collaborative spirit is paramount to the success of our creative talents.”