New York Fashion Week has been the pinnacle event in the US fashion industry for more than seven decades. Originally started back in 1943 by Eleanor Lambert, the press director of the New York Dress Institute (the industry's first promotional organization), the event was created to attract attention away from the French fashion industry during World War ll. At the time, Paris was the fashion capital of the world, so American journalists and industry insiders would travel there to see the latest trends... and buyers from all of the major department stores would place their orders with designers in time for the busy sales seasons back in the USA. But when the war broke out, people in the industry were unable to travel abroad to cover the French fashion shows and buy clothes, so they turned their efforts instead to the growing US fashion industry and New York Fashion Week was born.
Over the years, the week long event grew and grew... and soon it became a bi-annual event. In 1993, The Council of Fashion Designers of America revamped the format of the event and created the modern rendition of a centralized, official "New York Fashion Week." The event was moved to a dedicated location in New York's Bryant Park and consisted of several large white show tents set up all over the park. The event was branded with the trademark "7th on Sixth" and would grow into one of the largest trade events in the city. Thousands of people would descend on New York from every corner of the world. To get a sense of how enormous New York Fashion Week had become, the twice a year event generated in excess of $900 million for the city, making it the biggest revenue generating entity in the country. The economic impact of NYFW was greater than the U.S. Open (which brought in $700 million), the Super Bowl ($500 million), and the New York City Marathon ($340 million). From an economic standpoint, NYFW was a force to be reckoned with.
But all good things they say never last.
Over the past decade, the once mighty NYFW has suffered its own series of Lemony Snicket's-styled unfortunate events. Major sponsors have pulled their funding, it has fallen victim to bad publicity and political activism in this new era of flash mob political correctness, big name designers have quietly exited and now put on their own separate shows and events, and social media has changed the entire landscape and direction of the industry. All of which has caused the once mighty premiere fashion extravaganza to splinter into a microcosm of unorganized, unaffiliated, and pay-to-play-events that are scattered throughout the city. . Any Tom, Dick, or Harry (or Suzy or Samantha for our female politically correct readers) can seek out and rent a space, put up some folding chairs facing each other in a row, bring in some lights and a DJ, and sell it to (many times naive or unsuspecting) aspiring models or designers as an"Official" New York Fashion Week show or catwalk stage. These would-be show promoters sell these designers and models the dream of walking in NYFW and being covered by the International fashion media... journalists, major fashion media... journalists, major fashion (Continued)
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