Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images
Regardless of the Covid-19 tension that’s still roaming around, the Spring 2021 New York Fashion Week will still take place in September. This also extends to the rest of the fashion capitals including London, Milan, and Paris fashion week. Confirming the new development, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York said that the event will move forward in NY but with a strick Covid-19 health and safety compliance.
“New York City is the fashion capital of the world and New York Fashion Week celebrates the ingenuity of this city, and our unmatched creative talent,” Cuomo said in a statement. “The pandemic is far from over, but we’re proud to support event organizer IMG in moving forward with NYFW, in adherence with strict state public health guidance.”
In line with the state public health guidance, The Council of Fashion Designers of America has launched what is termed Runway360, a digital platform for designers to showcase their collections to the general public. This was also followed by the official lineup of the event.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the global fashion industry and hit New York particularly hard,” said Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA, in a statement. “Fashion week is a critical time when brands are able to connect with press, retailers and consumers, and I’m proud of how quickly the CFDA pivoted to support the needs of the industry by creating Runway360.”
Although the shows will not be like the previous ones as many aspects are scraped out due to social distancing, Runway360 will host virtual showcases from September 13 to 16, with each brand awarded 30-minute time slots to connect with audiences. Fashion week regulars including Tom Ford, Jason Wu, Carolina Herrera, Eckhaus Latta, Jonathan Simkhai, LaQuan Smith, Naeem Khan, Nicole Miller, Veronica Beard, and Zero + Maria Cornejo has been scheduled to showcase while brands like Michael Kors, Proenza Schouler, Brandon Maxwell, Tory Burch, and Prabal Gurung postponed their shows.
And just in case you really want to see what names like Marc Jacobs have in store for Spring 2021, sadly, the brand has gone solo and will not be part of this fashion week. But of course, there are newcomers that are set to take up any available space.
“We are excited to see 15 new American brands on the schedule—many for the first time—who might not have had the opportunity to share their collections to a global audience without access to Runway360,” Kolb added. “We’re also excited to highlight the incredible talent coming out of Harlem’s Fashion Row, and announce the return of New York Men’s Day.”
