EFE.- New York Fashion Week (NYFW) kicks off its most atypical event this Sunday due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with five days of mostly digital presentations that have led veteran firms to skip the appointment while other emerging companies take advantage of the opportunity of this international showcase.
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The inauguration is in charge of the designer Jason Wu, one of the few who decided to do a show in person under the strict sanitary regulations of the New York authorities: outdoors, only a maximum of 50 people can attend, while indoors, normal capacity is reduced to 50% or spectators are not allowed.
According to the Taiwanese-born couturier told E! News, in its parade there will only be 36 people with a mask and distanced, a huge difference compared to the half thousand who usually observe their motley creations among the public and longing for the first row, where the Vogue editor, Anna Wintour, nor the celebrities.
“Some key retailers and publishers will be there; and some of my closest friends, who will only be there to support me, ”explained Wu, who recalled that the event, which will take place at 9:00 p.m. GMT on the roof of Spring studios, venue of Fashion Week, will be held will broadcast live on the internet.
And it is that this is how almost all the brands of this NYFW will show their creations: through parades broadcast live, previously recorded videos, photographs of the garments (“lookbook”) or other types of “digital activations”, in words of one of the organizations that is in charge of the “Fashion Week”, the company IMG.
The Japanese designer Tadashi Shoji, another of the protagonists of this first day, precisely launches his spring-summer 2021 proposal through the digital platform created by IMG, “NYFW: The Shows”, but he will not do a live catwalk, but rather will post images and a pre-recorded video, according to a spokesperson.
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Another key tool of this edition will be the RUNWAY360 platform of the Council of Fashion Designers of the United States (CFDA), a kind of “Netflix of fashion” that will allow firms to negotiate among themselves and offer “different experiences” to the general public, he explained. one of its developers, Stephen Martell, in a “webinar” with journalists.
“We are excited to see 10 new US brands on the calendar, many for the first time, who may not have had the opportunity to share their collections with a global audience without access to RUNWAY360,” CFDA Chief Executive Officer said in a note. , Steven Kolb, who recalled that the pandemic has “disrupted the fashion sector and hit New York particularly hard.”
Emerging and diverse brands
Only added to this Sunday’s short schedule are the “streaming” presentations of the Canadian haute couture brand RVNG, which debuts with a virtual catwalk in which the actress Laura Vandervoort will parade; the Australian firms Macgraw and the American Markarian.
However, two initiatives focused on black designers are relevant: a “showroom” promoted by the “Black In Fashion Council” -a group of brands and professionals who seek to promote citizens of color in the sector- and the event “ Harlem’s Fashion Row, ”consisting of an awards gala and a dressmaker’s show.
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This NYFW, which will last until next Thursday, accuses the absence of veteran and acclaimed fashion houses such as Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta, Prabal Gurung, Brandon Maxwell, Gabriela Hearst and Tory Burch, who have decided to cancel or postpone their presentations.
Proenza Schouler will also not hold its show because it launches a creative project in mid-October, according to a spokesperson, but will be present on Monday through a pre-recorded talk with its two designers, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez.
Carolina Herrera will also broadcast on Monday a documentary starring the Venezuelan designer and her creative replacement for two years, Wes Gordon, since she has decided to postpone the presentation of her summer collection.
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According to the calendar published this Sunday by IMG, among several dozen firms there will only be six in-person presentations and they will be held on the roof of the New York fashion headquarters: those of Jason Wu; Monse; Bronx and Bank; Rebecca Minkoff; Studio 189 and Laquan Smith.
The rest of the brands have only digital plans, among them well-known names like Tom Ford, Anna Sui, Badgley Mischka, Naeem Khan, Marchesa and Collina Strada, or emerging, like Imitation of Christ and Who Decides War.
Out of the norm is couturier Christian Siriano, a red carpet favorite, who has a parade planned in neighboring Connecticut next Thursday afternoon, which closes the event.
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