New York Fashion Week puts a live foot forward for first time in 18 months

With live catwalk shows, star-studded front rows and parties, New York Fashion Week returned on Wednesday with its first in-person edition in 18 months.

Michael Kors, Carolina Herrera and Tom Ford are among the top designers presenting their spring-summer 2022 collections to a live audience at the event, which runs until Sunday and is made up of 91 shows and presentations.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced brands to turn to digital means to present their lines in the past two seasons, with only a handful hosting live events under strict conditions.

“There is a real sense ... of community, of coming together, of really wanting to put the best foot forward for American fashion, New York Fashion Week,” Steven Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, said.

Designers are being forced to think about how they can create businesses for themselves, direct to consumer, and also kind of beef up their online channels and figure out how to reach people directly.

—  Editor Booth Moore

“We’re not out of it, but we are approaching the business differently: an investment in direct to consumer, looking at production, looking at local production made in New York, made in America, looking at a more sustainable industry.”

The pandemic hit the fashion and luxury goods industry hard, with demand shrinking due to store closures and travel restrictions.

“The US fashion industry saw a decline of 20% in 2020. It really took a tumble because of the coronavirus pandemic and it was more than a $100bn (about R1,4-trillion) loss,” said Booth Moore, executive editor, West Coast, of industry magazine Women’s Wear Daily.

“So this is high stakes for the industry and New York Fashion Week as part of generating excitement. And retail sales have been on the uptick,” Moore said.

One of the challenges designers have been adapting to is the pandemic-driven rush to online shopping.

“Designers are being forced to think about how they can create businesses for themselves, direct to consumer, and also kind of beef up their online channels and figure out how to reach people directly,” Moore said.

— Reuters