NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: FOR THOSE WHO WEREN’T THERE AND THOSE WHO MISSED IT

Perhaps not everyone knows that New York Fashion Week depends a lot on the CFDA, the Council of Fashion Designers of America. This association that brings together more than 450 US designers has changed when last June Tom Fordre placed Diane von Furstenberg and became a head of the association. As a consequence the fashion week has become shorter, more compact this year.  A more concise calendar that makes it more difficult for emerging brands to secure a slot. Precisely for this reason, three young brands – Vaquera, CDLM / Creatures of The Wind and Section 8 presented the collections together in one big event with a collection that was perhaps a bit too conceptual. A change that comes at a time of great upheaval in US fashion where some of the most important brands are changing their skin. An example is Marchesa, famous red carpet brand that has just lost one of its founders (Keren Creig) who remained in a strained relations with the second co-founder Georgina Chapman (ex-wife of Harvey Weinstein). The first Marchesa collection will be presented on Wednesday 11th only by appointment.

We could see the rebirth of Tommy Hilfigher which found a new life in collaboration with young singer Zendaya after a slack season. For the presentation of this collection after years spent in a world tour Hilfigher returned to New York parading at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, symbol of the counterculture. A young and sparkling collection focused on such a relevant and trendy theme as diversity. There are also many birthdays like that of Prabal Gurung who celebrated ten years in fashion. Vera Wang, returns to NYFW after a two-year absence with a fashion show celebrating her 30th year in fashion. Donna Karran New York also blew thirty candles and celebrated her anniversary with a party, obviously armored, with a live concert in the Dumbo neighborhood in Brooklyn.

This year’s New York Fashion Week had brought some other some big news. During the Badgley Mischka S/S 2020 Fashion Show, scheduled tomorrow, the brand will give buyers the opportunity to order or pre-order the clothes during the catwalk. Last season American brand had already provided a special app thanks to which guests could receive in real time more information on the clothes on the catwalk. Starting this season the Runway by Sap app will also include the ‘order’ and ‘pre-order’ functions. New frontier of fast fashion! Another innovator is Savage x Fenty by Rihanna which has limited the use of telephones and photographers during the fashion show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. In fact, the show will be streamed exclusively on Amazon Prime in over 200 countries and territories starting from September 20th.

As seasonal trends we should mention two: mannish and prints. All the colors are trendy right now, and large or psychedelic prints reign supreme. Yes also to the whole “masculine” world perfectly integrated by the brands that are more and more presented on catwalks. We have to wait for the next three weeks (London, Milan and Paris) to find out what are the definitive trends for next summer. But New York has already expressed itself: diversity is a trend! From curvy to eccentric prints, from mannish to bright colors, everything is allowed – you just need to let yourself go!