8 Fashion People Reflect on How New York Fashion Week Has Changed
“When people complain about NYFW being dead or boring, or over, I’m not sure they’re looking hard enough.” - Emilia Petrarca.
In today’s issue:
The top three complaints about New York Fashion Week
My experience attending Tory Burch shows
Fashion creatives Emilia Petrarca, Alyssa Coscarelli, India Jade, Candace Marie, Hunter Shires, Alexandra Hildreth, Ana Escalante and Kelly Augustine reflect on their NYFW experience
No one is mad that celebrities (who rarely demonstrate any deep fashion knowledge) have dominated the front rows since the 1990s, but in independent creators fashion sees strivers, and fashion hates a striver.
Let’s address a few of the common complaints about New York Fashion Week:
1) “Influencers have taken over”
This has been happening for the better part of a decade, and the industry’s still mad about it. Once the playground of the press and buyers (as conceived by Eleanor Lambert in 1953), New York Fashion Week has changed to selectively welcome people from non-traditional backgrounds (i.e. independent fashion creators/influencers, podcasters, writers, entrepreneurs etc). This has allowed minorities in particular to gain a foothold in the industry, giving them controlled access to networks, opportunities and primary source materials. Everyone sees this as a good thing until said newcomer takes their seat at a show, or replaces them entirely.
Why does the industry love to hate on influencers? It’s funny because that sentiment is popular among journalists at top publications, who need not worry about securing their invites. I’ve always found the influencer hate to lack nuance as it’s pretty easy to spot the people who are just there for a check or because of their following, and those who actually have something to say. No one is mad that celebrities (who rarely demonstrate any deep fashion knowledge) have dominated the front rows since the 1990s, but in independent creators fashion sees strivers, and fashion hates a striver. Moreover, this viewpoint generally ignores the intentionality and normalized visibility most creators of color bring to these spaces. Many of us wouldn’t have gotten our start in fashion otherwise.
In reality, the industry should revolt against the shift to clickbait celebrity and shallow influencer-driven content (as that’s what is the root cause of the perceived extinction of editors and value-add guests). It should also speak out against the practice of blacklisting or restricting access from critics, which is what makes the Fashion Week content of legacy outlets feel so stale. As thought-provoking journalism is left to fend for itself, it raises the specter of cultural regression.
2) “The clothes are too commercial”
This may be true, but the American fashion industry has stayed alive all these decades precisely because it knows how to balance creative whimsy with commercial practicality. What started as a quest to duplicate Paris couture in the 1950s transformed into a veritable Seventh Avenue industry that birthed design legends such as Claire McCardell, Bill Blass, Donna Karan, Willi Smith, Halston, Stephen Burrows, Marc Jacobs, and the list goes on.
American fashion designers typically lean into a modernist philosophy that does away with elaborate ornaments in favor of uncomplicated, wearable clothes. The ‘80s and ‘90s bore witness to sparks of pure fantasy, but in the 21st century, the collections tend to be a rehash of past commercial hits. As Valerie Steele points out in her 1992 essay “Calvinism Unclothed,” American designers don’t so much innovate as they refine every season. In fact, one can argue that some of today’s biggest names (Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Proenza Schouler, Calvin Klein etc.) are strong marketers rather than design luminaries.
Note: a new generation of NYFW designers is actively breaking away from the norm. This list is by no means comprehensive, but it includes: Christopher John Rogers, Elena Velez, Rachel Scott (Diotima), Tia Adeola, Laquan Smith, Edvin Thompson (Theophilio), Raul Lopez (Luar), Henry Zankov, Piotrek Panszczyk and Beckett Fogg (AREA), Everard Best (Who Decides War).
3) “There’s no support for young talent”
New York could learn from Paris, which has been intentional about incubating homegrown design talent. Or from the Belgium government in the ‘80s, which helped finance shows and educational institutions, fostering talents such as Martin Margiela, Dries Van Notes and Ann Demeulemeester.
Outside of a few prizes like The CFDA Fashion Awards, young American designers crucially need large-scale structural support—from high levels of mentorship to funding programs—to sustain their businesses. Initiatives like Harlem’s Fashion Row, RAISE Fashion or The Narrativ House are a recourse, but they too struggle to secure the kind of capital that would help them reach more people.
The absence of meaningful support in New York has fostered a competitive landscape where innovation can thrive, but it’s also inherently flawed as the younger names consistently get eclipsed. Although the show calendar has changed to accommodate more diverse voices in recent years, most young designers are unable to capitalize on the NYFW opportunity. For context, it costs a fashion brand $300,000 on average to stage a runway show.
Seven years ago, when my sister and I set out to attend New York Fashion Week, we were clueless about the politics of it. That naiveté led us to cold pitching the biggest names in the industry, hoping a well-written email would be the key to entering the privileged circuit. Needless to say, 95% of them rejected us but undeterred, we began our slow march toward building a portfolio worthy of high-caliber invites.
Our first win came in February 2018, when the former head of VIP relations at Tory Burch (hi Esther if you’re reading this!) invited us to the show. This was early in the gradual welcoming of creators onto the Fashion Week scene, and to say the invite was a shock is an understatement. With 3,000 followers, a couple of community events and some self-directed editorials to our name, we wondered what drew such an iconic name to us.
We of course said yes, and in the five years that followed, we did not miss a single Tory Burch show (even when it coincided with my birthday weekend). It was the highlight of every season, a well-executed production at state-of-the-art venues with high-profile guests to match (we rubbed shoulders with Anna Wintour, Eva Chen and Alina Cho). We were on a journey with Tory Burch, watching it evolve from a conservative brand into a purveyor of smart, sensual, humorous clothes women want to wear. I vividly remember the moment that ushered in the new era; the Claire McCardell-inspired SS 2022 collection—such a breath of fresh air!—remains a favorite to date. When The New York Times published “That’s Tory Burch?” in 2023, I thought, where have you been?