New York Fashion Week

Origin

The first New York Fashion Week was created in 1943 by Eleanor Lambert, press director of the American fashion industry’s first promotional organization, the New York Dress Institute.

The event, the world's first organized fashion week, was called "Press Week", and was created to attract attention away from French fashion during World War II, when fashion industry insiders were unable to travel to Paris to see French fashion shows. It was also meant to showcase American designers for fashion journalists, who had neglected U.S. fashion innovations.

Press Week was a success, and fashion magazines like Vogue, which were normally filled with French designs, increasingly featured American fashion.

By the mid-1950s, the event was known as "Press Week of New York". Spring 1951 (held February 1951) was the 16th Annual Press Week of New York.

Consolidation as "7th on Sixth"

In 1993, the CFDA, led by president Stan Herman and executive director Fern Mallis, consolidated the citywide events known as "New York Fashion Week" by staging them in a cluster of white tents in Bryant Park. The event was branded with the trademark "7th on Sixth."

21st century

In 2001, "7th on Sixth" was sold to IMG.

In 2004, the camera company Olympus became sponsor of IMG's events, which were then renamed "Olympus Fashion Week."

In 2007, Mercedes-Benz became title sponsor of the IMG-produced events, adding New York to its roster of international "Mercedes-Benz fashion weeks," and dubbing it "MB Fashion Week New York."

In 2010, IMG/Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York left the Bryant Park tents, relocating to the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

In September 2011, New York designers began live-streaming runway shows, following London, who began in February 2010. Streams were originally offered on YouTube, and later on other sites.

In 2013, IMG and its New York Fashion Week events were sold to William Morris Endeavor (WME) and Silver Lake Partners for $2.3 billion.

In 2014, the CFDA acquired FashionCalendar.com from Ruth Finley, who had managed it (originally in paper, then digital format) for more than 60 years.

In January 2015, Mercedes-Benz announced its departure as title sponsor from WME/IMG's events.

In March 2015, WME/IMG accounced that it had acquired MADE Fashion Week, which takes place during WME/IMG's events.

In 2015, IMG's events were moved from Lincoln Center to Spring Studios.

2014

In February 2014, Dr. Danielle Sheypuk became the first wheelchair-using model to appear in a show for New York Fashion Week; she modeled for designer Carrie Hammer.

In September 2014, Karen Crespo became the first quadruple-amputee to walk at New York Fashion Week, also for Carrie Hammer.

On December 12, 2014, a New York state court approved a settlement in a lawsuit by community activists over whether allowing the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week tents in Damrosch Park was a violation of the public trust doctrine. In accordance with the settlement, the City of New York, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts agreed not to renew their contract with IMG. As a result, the February 2015 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week was the last one staged in Damrosch Park.

2015

The fall/winter 2015 shows took place from February 12–19. In that week, actress Jamie Brewer became the first woman with Down syndrome to walk the red carpet at New York Fashion Week, which she did for designer Carrie Hammer.

The spring/summer 2016 shows took place from September 10–17, 2015 at two new locations, Skylight at Moynihan Station in Midtown and Skylight Clarkson Square in SoHo. The economic impact of these shows was estimated to be $900 million and attendance was approximately 125,000 people.

In December 2015, the CFDA announced that it had hired the Boston Consulting Group to study revising the format of New York Fashion Week to adapt to changes brought about by social media. One option being explored is to bifurcate the event, with private showroom appointments of next season's designs for buyers and public fashion shows displaying in-season merchandise for consumers.

The first New York Fashion Week dedicated menswear shows, called "New York Fashion Week: Men's," were produced by the CFDA in 2015.

2016

Fall/winter 2016 events took place February 11–18, 2016 at a variety of locations around New York City, including Skylight Moynihan, Skylight Clarkson, Chelsea Piers, MADE Studios, and showrooms around town.

The season ended with a number of designers either experimenting with, or planning to adopt, a "see now, buy now model," with items available from the runway immediately after (or even during) the show, rather than six months later. The charge was led by brands such as Burberry, although experiments in the format can be traced back to earlier shows by designers such as Diane von Furstenberg.

Spring/summer 2017 events will be held September 8–15, 2016. (Fashion weeks are traditionally named for the season the clothes will appear at retail, six months after the events, although the trend may be changing due to fundamental shifts in the retail cycle.)

The advent of "see now, buy now" shopping is expected to further transform fashion week, as collections become "in season" and select items are offered from the runway in real time.

Attendance

Admission to shows at New York Fashion Week is typically in the form of accreditation, with specific events by invitation only.

Trademark litigation

In 2013 Fashion Week Inc., founded by Trisha Paravas, registered the trademarks “New York Fashion Week,” “NYFW”, and “NYFW The Runway Shows” to use in conjunction with the production of its consumer-based fashion shows. On June 28, 2016 Fashion Week Inc. filed a lawsuit for $10 million against CFDA and WME-IMG for trademark counterfeiting, trademark infringement, false designation of origin, dilution, and unfair competition.

On August 12, 2016, the court denied Fashion Week Inc.'s motion for a preliminary injunction. Judge Koeltl held that CFDA and WME-IMG made "a persuasive argument that the terms 'New York Fashion Week' and NYFW have been associated with them and not with [Fashion Week Inc.] who has attempted to cash in on the decades of publicity for New York Fashion Week that [Fashion Week Inc.] had nothing to do with." The court also noted that "the evidence shows that [Fashion Week Inc.] produced at most two shows while using the trademark 'New York Fashion Week', and has produced no shows since registering NYFW in December 2015. "