Did you know that New York Fashion Week consists of both men’s and women’s runway shows? If you didn’t, you’re not alone—most men seem to ignore NYFW entirely, dismissing it as an event that caters exclusively to women. There are men’s shows sprinkled throughout the week, but now NYFW, recently acquired by the CFDA, is looking to start a men’s week. The other three major fashion weeks—Milan, London and Paris—each have separate men’s weeks dedicated to designers of menswear, accessories and shoes, but American designers, who often go abroad to show, are now clamoring for a week of their own. Beginning in October, American menswear designers began receiving emails from the CFDA to gauge interest in participating in a separate event tentatively scheduled for mid-July. So far reactions seem to be positive.
One of the biggest issues in showing during September’s NYFW is that men’s spring collection buying happens in the summer, just after the men’s shows in Europe. “One of the biggest puzzles in the industry is why we’re showing men’s wear on the runway three months after we’ve bought it,” Kevin Harter, the men’s fashion director at Bloomingdale’s, told the New York Times. This forces many American designers to either go abroad to show or somehow bring buyers to their showrooms, which can be especially difficult for smaller brands trying to build their name. By the time September shows roll around, men’s spring collections “almost become an afterthought, because your budgets have already been spent by then,” added Harter.
In addition to designers agreeing to show at a stateside fashion week, the CFDA needs sponsors, and while three have committed so far, at least one more is needed to try to meet the $2 million budgetary goal. Yes, we would love to see a men’s fashion week just so we can spend seven days watching male models do their little turns on the catwalk, but the event would actually be a historic move and potentially launch American menswear into a league on par with European designers. Men’s Fashion Week in London when first suggested was an immediate success in turnout, media and sales—the CDFA is hoping for the same result. However if the $2 million budget is still not met by the end of the year the idea will need to be placed on hold until 2016.
