Written by The Strategy
Life has been looking a lot different since COVID. With changes happening near constantly, we’ve been unsure of what life will look like from one month to the next. New York Fashion Week (or the entire fashion industry, for that matter) hasn’t been unscathed by the pandemic, and the Spring 2021 runway shows are going to be looking a little different from what we’re used to.
February’s shows in New York had a total of 177 designers and labels; according to the CFDA’s schedule for September, a mere 60 will be showing Spring 21 collections. Those who are on the schedule include Jason Wu, Marchesa, Anna Sui and Tom Ford. Notably missing from the calendar: Michael Kors, Proenza Schouler, Prabal Gurung, and Marc Jacobs. Many have decided to postpone their presentations tentatively until after October, and Marc Jacobs has decided to forgo the collection altogether.
When one thinks about New York Fashion week, they think of the crazy traffic jams, the rush to get to each show, overcrowded venues, photographers on every street corner, and of course, after-parties at the cities hottest venues. In response to the pandemic, most designers have decided to go virtual, and the CFDA has created Runway360. Runway360 is a digitial initiative that will have designers show their presentations virtually to both the industry professionals and the general public, within a 30 minute time slot. The shows are scheduled to run from September 13th to 16th.
Jason Wu is one of the few presenting who has opted for a live show at Spring Studios. While New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, gave the go-ahead to proceed with fashion week, new guidance must be followed for the shows taking place IRL. Guest lists must be smaller, elevators have a capacity of 3 people, masks and temperature checks are mandatory.
While we feel we’ve really upped our mask/outfit coordination skills, we’re ready to experience this new efficient fashion week that requires no travel (either domestically or internationally), no outfit planning, and no traffic jams.
