What Does a COVID-19 NYFW Look Like?
Image Courtesy: Stylelista Confessions
Fashion month has officially begun and, as expected, the events to transpire may look a little different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Designers based in New York, London, Milan, and Paris have been faced with the challenge of creating a unique experience that displays their collection while also adhering to CDC safety guidelines. This Sunday marked the start of New York Fashion Week, which Governor Cuomo approved for September 13th – 17th under the premises that all events are “in strict compliance with New York State health and safety guidelines, including outdoor events capped at 50 persons and indoor events at 50 percent capacity and no spectators.”
Jason Wu kicked off NYFW on Sunday evening with a rooftop runway show and a socially distanced audience. Likewise, very few designers held physical events this week, including Rebecca Minkoff and Christian Siriano. The majority of designers created digital experiences such as live streams, films, and presentations in the absence of a physical show. A small number of well-known designers in the industry who chose to debut digital content this week include Caroline Herrera, Tom Ford, and Anna Sui. These digital experiences have been made available on a variation of platforms, primarily IMG’s NYFW.com and CFDA’s Runway360.
According to Vogue Magazine, IMG’s NYFW platform is based on “a hybrid model, mixing in-person events with virtual ones made on the premises in its content hub.” Throughout the week, they included countdowns and a direct link to each of their hosted events, which consisted of videos and live-streams of “runway shows, panels, tutorials, behind-the-scenes content, and more.” Runway360, on the other hand, is 100% digital and is much more focused on the business side of Fashion Week than the editorial side, leaving the tutorials and behind-the-scenes content to IMG. Before its premiere on Sunday, CFDA explained that “the portal will support AR/VR, 360-degree capabilities, live video streams, e-commerce extensions, consumer shopping features, and social media integrations.” The benefit of these innovative digital platforms is that they are easily accessible. This year, people across the world had the opportunity to participate in New York Fashion Week, an event known for its exclusivity.
Since NYFW was closed by Tom Ford’s virtual Runway360 show last night, London Fashion Week has officially begun. It will be very interesting to see what the designers in all four locations have come up with – and to see how they compare to one another. Each city will be taking a different approach regarding physical and virtual events due to their varying levels of COVID-19 risk. According to The New York Times, there are “far more IRL interactions in London than are on the New York schedule, but far fewer than are planned for the heavyweight fashion weeks in Milan and Paris.” Who will stand out the most this season, those who take a more traditional, in-person approach, or those who dare to tackle the digital challenge? If one thing is for sure, it’s that this fashion month will be the ultimate showcase of creativity.
Strike Out,
Writer: Rachel Phillis
Editor: Joey Flanagan
Tallahassee