New York – NYFW: Men’s has been the talk of the town for several months now. It’s the
first standalone men’s week in the history of the CFDA, and they’ve managed
to land some big names for the schedule, including Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy
Hilfiger, Public School, and Thom Browne. The event is less than three
weeks away, and more than 500 retailers and editors have registered.
The event, which will run from July 13 to the 16, has proven to the CFDA
that the interest for men’s wear is there. The journey to creating NYFW:
Men’s was no easy task, however. For over two years, the CFDA was in talks
with sponsors and major fashion personnel to try and make it a reality.
Amazon and its fashion sites (Amazon Fashion, East Dane, and My Habit), in
addition to Shinola and Dreamworks, were recently joined by Cadillac and
Loews Regency Hotel, to help provide the financial support and hotel rooms
for the European editors that will be attending the event. For years, it
has been discussed that men’s wear deserves its own standalone fashion
week, but, for a while the idea was just a dream. While there are men’s
wear brands that show at NYFW in February and September, designers whose
primary focus is men’s wear have often complained that their shows are
overshadowed by the women’s shows.
The other issue with showing the men’s collections was the timing. While
the timing is not a problem during February, the September shows coming six
weeks after the buying cycle for men’s, so, the shows essentially become
more of a pr presentation and the business aspect is lost. While men’s
fashion week has provided a beautiful solution to this problem, they were
initially met with some pushback.
First ever NYFW: Men’s the talk of the fashion industry
Editors and retailers were reluctant to give up their summer vacations
after spending three weeks attending a full calendar of shows which went
from June 12 to June 28 this year. There was also criticism because a lot
of major U.S. retailers, including Ralph Lauren, Thom Browne, and John
Varvatos have usually elected to show in Europe in the past, and if they
had only shown in Europe this year that would leave NYFW: Men’s lacking in
some of the biggest names in American men’s fashion.
Once John Varvatos decided to leave Milan and show his collection at NYFW:
Men’s it really helped the event come full circle. Almost every major
American men’s wear designer is on board, and while designers like Calvin
Klein will be showing the same collections they are showing at the European
shows, the event is still expected to bring in a whole new crowd. Every
editor and retailer doesn’t always have it in their budget to attend the
European shows, so, this will finally give them a chance to see the glory
of a men’s wear show.
Half of the events will be runway shows, and the other half will be
presentations at the events official venue, the Skylight Clarkson Square.
Thom Browne will open the shows on July 14 and John Varvatos will close the
event on July 16. 28 shows will be at the Skylight Clarkson Square, with an
additional 13 shows off-site. Because CFDA owns the Fashion Calendar it has
helped avoid any shows conflicting with each other.
While every designer showing at NYFW incurred some costs, CFDA set up a
fund to help subsidize the cost for some designers who were in need of
financial assistance. They also kick stared a travel fund to help
international editors from pulications like G.Q. France and Esquire U.K.
attend the first ever NYFW: Men’s. Dockers is also creating a platform for
new designers, Axe Premium White will be serving as official beauty label,
and Loews Regency will be providing hotel room gratis to the international
editors.
Fashion GPS will be the events technology provider. All of the sponsors
will be American companies, which is something the CFDA was aiming for to
help set them apart from Europe. CFDA has also selected several ambassadors
to attend the shows, including Dwyane Wade, Victor Cruz, Joe Jonas, Darren
Criss, Marcus Samuelsson, Andy Cohen, Casey Neistat and Tyson Beckford.
NYFW: Men’s has proven to be so popular already that they already have
plans for round two to take place in winter from January 28 – 31, 2016.
This will align with the tradeshows which will be the following Monday
through Wednesday after that week. Steven Kolb, the president of the CFDA,
said to WWD if there was one thing he would have done differently for this
upcoming NYFW: Men’s he would “have more trade show participation in the
beginning.” The City of New York is also doing their part for NYFW: Men’s,
with 100 light posts, bus shelters, and kiosks bolstering the NYFW: Men’s
promotional materials.
While it might have taken years to see it come to fruition, NYFW: Men’s is
certainly shaping up to be everything everyone in the fashion industry ever
dreamed of. It’s been a long time coming, but, it has certainly been worth
the wait. “It’s part of our mission to support American designers. This is
a very historic moment for American fashion,” Kolb said.
photo1:mensfashionpost.com
photo2:whatweadore.com
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