The CFDA-helmed week is losing one of its biggest designers: Alexander Wang.
As WWD reports, the designer is opting out of the traditional NYFW calendar following the autumn/winter 2018 shows this February. Moving forward, Wang will instead present his collections in June and December.
“Our customer will be better served through the new system. The innovative approach reframes product on the month that it ships, rather than the outdated labels of ‘resort’ or ‘pre-fall’, giving our customers more relevant and consistent merchandise throughout the year,” Lisa Gersh, CEO of Alexander Wang, told WWD.
Under the new format, collections shown in June will hit stores between October and March, while collections shown in December will be available to shop between April and September.
Wang’s departure follows a growing list of designers who have already exited New York Fashion Week, including Proenza Schouler, Altuzarra, Public School, Rodarte, Thom Browne and more. This season’s NYFW calendar will also be missing Tommy Hilfiger who will show in Milan.
With his over-the-top after parties and #WANGFEST, however, Wang brought something especially unique to the usually subdued week of shows. Without his presence, it’s unclear where exactly the future of New York Fashion Week is headed. As a result, the CFDA is considering the addition of a summer and winter season in New York, possibly launching this year in June and December (or July and January).
Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA, told WWD the plan is still very much up in the air, but conversations are in the works, “The idea is, could there be a core group of brands that sat well together and combined their interests to do something during pre-collections?”
“I think for it to have any significance in terms of making a mark, I could see a collective of maybe five or so brands that have the right adjacency and might align to it,” Kolb added.
For now, it seems the future of the traditional NYFW calendar will remain uncertain..
