Despite COVID-19, New York Fashion Week advances in a mostly face-to-face format

The increase in cases of COVID-19 that was registered in the United States from the holidays of Christmas and New Year in New York prompted some fashion houses to pull out of Fall/Winter 2022 shows at the New York Fashion Week which will take place this Friday, February 11 to Wednesday, February 16, 2022.

Last month, Tom Ford announced that he was canceling his show due to concerns about the omicron variant. This announcement made showgoers concerned if more brands would begin to follow the lead of this American fashion house. kate spade it also postponed its presentation, which will now be shown at the end of March. They also joined Thomas Brownewhile Monse and Rodarte they do not appear on the schedule published by IMG and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).

However, the list of designers ready to run shows in person is longer. Those who have historically walked during New York Fashion Week return: Michael Kors, Tory Burch, Proenza Schouler, Christian Siriano, Brandon Maxwell, Anna Sui. Others who join the live catwalks are Altuzarra, Carolina Herrera, Coach and Cynthia Rowley.

Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA, told Vogue: ‘The American fashion industry has shown great resilience in these difficult times. As the Omicron variant continues to present challenges on every level, I look forward to seeing the ways in which designers continue to creatively and innovatively present their collections with with an eye on the safety of all fashion week stakeholders.

Other changes that the show schedule is undergoing are a combination of virtual and appointment presentations. Designer brands such as Helmut Lang, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Jonathan Simkhai and Bach Mai show their collections by appointment.

Anne Klein, Tadashi Shoji, Alice + Olivia, Naeem Khan, Nicole Miller, Dennis Basso, Adeam, Cinq à Sept, Et Ochs, Vivienne Hu, Badgley Mischka, Chocheng, Loring, PH5, ABACAXI, Danarys, Nihl, Pamella Roland, and Theophilo show their collections virtually.

For their part, other brands will be conducting their first in-person activationsincluding PatBo, Dauphinette, Interior, Judy Turner, Loring, Luchen, Melke, Saint Sintra, and Zankov.

This season will also see the 17th edition of Men’s Fashion in New York, first sponsored by Perry Ellis, relaunching the Perry Ellis America line.

Of course, the CFDA and IMG promise to monitor covid precautions. Kolb stated, “We will be following the Covid protocols that were put in place in September that call for mandatory vaccinations, wearing masks indoors, and reducing crowd sizes. We remain in contact with state and local health authorities as we monitor the Omicron variant.”