New York Fashion Week - Pandemic Edition
To fashion lovers, New York Fashion Week has always been a key point in the year. It was never just about the runway shows or presentations, it was a time where fashion professionals from around the world could mingle and exchange information and creative ideas with each other that could further the industry itself. But for years now, the relevancy of New York Fashion Week has been dwindling as critics and industry insiders have questioned its relevancy and target audience. With the pandemic still in full effect, the global shutdown has led to delays for many designers, causing larger brands, such as Marc Jacobs and Diane Furstenberg, to sit out the season entirely. Nonetheless, questions on whether or not NYFW was relevant enough to survive the inevitable effects were answered as minimal participation and required limited invitations made this year seem like the last of the social events in New York.
Image Courtesy: HypeBae
Some of the few designers that participated in this year’s showcase were LaQuan Smith, Zack Posen, and Cynthia Rowley. The noticeably shortened designers list did not come as a surprise to observers as the week was shortened by three days and many designers are still struggling to update their platforms to match the needs of society’s digital world. Jonathan Simkhai was the first of the major brands to completely stream his collection earlier in the week and filmed models on the Spring Place runway with empty audience seats. LaQuan Smith debuted his collection in a film directed by Hype Williams. The collab was highly anticipated as Smith is one of the few designers that is selling out during a pandemic. Smith has been a prominent fashion favorite for years now as the black designer’s collection seems to always encompass the sleekness and sexiness of a woman’s essence.
“Women still have this idea of yearning for a cause for celebration. I think that there is hope there. People are probably saying to themselves, ‘Oh, my God, I love this dress. … I’m going to buy this now because when the pandemic is over, I know exactly what to, you know, break out,” said LaQuan Smith.
Image Courtesy: The Washington Post
Other designers, such as Jason Wu and Christian Siriano, opted for more traditional in-person shows with a limited amount of invitees that consisted of editors, stylists, influencers, and prominent industry figures who, of course, were all required to wear face masks. Siriano produced one of the bolder shows of the season as the showcase took place in his home, where he personally produced masks for guests and handed out goody baskets complete with treats and hand sanitizer.
“I thought....I’m going to do a show. I’m going to transport everybody and take them out of the things that have been bothering them for a while, fantasy for 20 minutes,” said Siriano. The collection featured voluminous red carpet and gala gowns, along with patterned two-piece ensembles that seemed to emphasize a brighter reality than what exists currently.
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Rebecca Minkoff chose a different route completely as the designer altered the four corners of the rooftop terrace at Spring Studios to fit her vision of a completely furnished diorama that replicated New York City’s legendary nightlife, including an after-hours lounge in Tribeca to an underground band performance stage. Minkoff dressed models in the collection and staged them in each scene like mannequins, each wearing a mask specifically made to match their outfit. Along with the showcasing of embellished layers, glitzy sequins, and fun animal prints, the boho-rock sensibility that the brand is known for was highlighted throughout the collection. There was a heartwarming aspect in the showcase that many critics respected and took comfort in, which was the homage paid to a recovering NYC.
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With most of the collections being digital, many people tuned in to stream the shows of designers or the lookbooks of brands like Rodarte and Maisie Wilen. In the future, there will be less and less room for the traditional ways of the fashion industry. Even post-vaccine, we can expect fashion week to consist of limited designers, smaller shows, and more digital releases. The shift to a new era is coming whether the fashion industry is ready for it or not. New York Fashion Week is going to look very different in a year from now and the peculiarity of this season seems to be only the beginning.
Strike Out,
Writer: Faithe Desinor
Boca Raton