As September begins, so does the trail of trend-defining ‘The Big 4’ fashion shows beginning with New York Fashion Week today. The runway that in the past has seen participation from the biggest names including both American and international talent, such as Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Jacobs, and Carolina Herrera, amongst others, this time will have some misses.
Some of the most established names in the fashion industry opt for off-calender showcases outside the official schedule of NYFW, as reported by Reuters first. From Ralph Lauren which showcased its Spring 2026 women’s collection at the brand’s private design studio at 650 Madison Avenue in New York, a day before NYFW’s September edition, to Marc Jacobs, presenting his Fall 2025 line in July at the New York Public Library, it has sparked questions on the event’s cohesion and global influence. “When those anchor brands step away, the ripple effect is fewer out-of-town visitors making the trip,” Nicole Phelps, global director of Vogue Runway and Vogue Business said in an interview.
A fragmented fashion show?
Critics argue that New York Fashion Week’s challenges arise largely from its decentralised structure. For a time, there was a sense of cohesion—between 1994 and 2009, Bryant Park served as the central hub where most shows were staged. However, this changed in 2010, when the event shifted to Lincoln Center. While it offered a primary venue, off-site shows led to fragmentation in the schedule.
From 2015 to 2020, the fragmentation deepened with multiple venues such as Spring Studios in Tribeca, Clarkson Square, and Skylight at Moynihan Station serving as main locations, while major fashion houses still chose to present blockbuster shows at off-calendar locations. After the pandemic, many high-profile designers continued to favour distinctive settings ranging from libraries and museums to Brooklyn warehouses and private studios.This lack of a unified location has pushed production costs of participating brands to high levels. It has also diminished the prestige of the runway in contrast to the tightly orchestrated, and centrally anchored fashion weeks of Europe.
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Reforms are underway
To address this, fashion platform KFN, in collaboration with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), organiser of the fashion week, is making efforts to re-invigorate the event both physically and digitally, while widening access for participating designers. Among the biggest initiatives for this year’s NYFW is the creation of a network of 10 ‘free-to-use’ venues within a short radius. It will give participating labels flexible alternatives for runway shows, presentations, appointments and more.
Another reform that’s under consideration is to convert NYFW into one single annual event in September rather than hosting it twice a year in February and September. However, CFDA is yet to confirm any changes on this. “There’s definitely momentum behind the idea of one New York Fashion Week a year, and September is an ideal moment for it,” Phelps shared, while acknowledging that notable labels such as Michael Kors and Tory Burch may resist such a shift.
All this comes on the heels of the luxury sector already facing restrained consumer spending and leadership changes across important luxury fashion houses, stirring the global fashion industry.
Despite all shake-ups, NYFW is set to run from September 11-16 with over 60 brands debuting their collections. Visitors can catch physical and digital shows of NYFW 2025 at Rockefeller Center along with screenings at the Rink and Channel Gardens, Manhattan, New York City.
