Alexander Wang to pull out of New York Fashion Week in calendar reshuffle

By

Robin Driver

Published
Jan 17, 2018

Alexander Wang has joined a growing list of labels mixing up the fashion calendar, announcing that the Spring 2019 collection will show in June 2018, not September, the first presentation in a revised schedule that hails a new rhythm for the brand. 

The label’s new schedule indicates that it will show in June and December, with product from the June show arriving in store between October and March, while product shown in December will arrive between April and September.
 
In an effort to streamline the brand’s business and refocus its energies on design, the collection will only go to market at these two times of year, rather than four. This new biannual rhythm will, however, be supplemented by more frequent product drops strategically placed throughout the season.

Alexander Wang, the label’s Creative Director and Chairman of the Board, stated in a release, “I am very much looking forward to showing in June in New York,” adding, “I am grateful for the support of the CFDA who have helped guide us to explore different market ideas so we can more effectively address our business needs.”
 
“Our shows will reinforce our brand’s DNA to our global customers and fans while we continue to be focused in our product offering. This new cadence will allow us to speak to our global customer in different conversations that are not limited to just fashion week twice a year,” he concluded.
 
The brand’s CEO Lisa Gersh also commented on the move, explaining “The innovative approach reframes product on the month that it ships, rather than the outdated labels of ‘resort’ or ‘pre-fall,’ giving our customers more relevant and consistent merchandise throughout the year.”
 
Alexander Wang founded his eponymous label in 2005, and the brand currently operates 25 stores worldwide, as well as an e-commerce site that ships to over 50 countries.
 
The announcement places the label as the latest in a string of designers who have stepped away from the traditional fashion calendar over the past months, with new solutions such as the “see-now-buy-now” show model gaining popularity with labels such as Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors and Kate Spade. Coed shows are also disrupting the traditional calendar, with brands including Coach and Calvin Klein opting for a single runway instead of separate menswear and womenswear events.
 
Womenswear Fashion Week takes place in New York, Paris, London and Milan from February through March, and from September through October. However, in response to changing demands from the market and from designers themselves, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has recently announced that it is considering altering the structure of New York Fashion Week in order to accommodate a more flexible approach to season presentations, fielding a proposal based on working around two different fashion seasons.
 
T by Alexander Wang, as well as handbags and accessories will continue to be shown on the current season schedule. Alexander Wang’s Fall 2018 collection will be shown in New York on February 10.