NYFW shortened to three-day schedule

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Jul 5, 2020

The Council of Fashion Designers of America has announced that New York Fashion Week has been shortened to just three days. 

The spring 2021 schedule will now run from September 14 to 16, with the possibility of an extension to September 17 if demand is high enough, according to industry reports. For now, the shortened calendar will only apply to the upcoming September shows. 

Similar to the British Fashion Council's digital fashion week in June, as well as the upcoming Paris haute couture Fashion Week and Milano Fashion Week Digital scheduled this month, the online shift is meant to prioritize health and safety during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. 

In an interview with WWD, Mark Beckham, vice president of marketing and events for the CFDA, said the digital format allows for shows to be fit comfortably into the shorter calendar. 

"We can fit the same amount of shows into three days because of no need for travel time in between the shows," Beckham told the publication, further pointing out that some designers may skip the season due to the financial impact the pandemic has had on the fashion industry. 

To date, Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors have both announced that they will not be showing on the September schedule, with Kors planning to hold an event for his spring 2021 collection in October.

According to industry reports, the CFDA plans to provide any brands that choose to participate with "digital resources" to show their collections and "maximize exposure." 

"The CFDA remains respectful of everyone’s priorities during this time," the organization said on its 'important dates' page.

"First and foremost protecting the health and well-being of our teams and ourselves, and stabilizing business operations. With that in mind, the CFDA is currently reviewing all upcoming important dates including New York Fashion Week and market dates." 

An updated NYFW calendar has yet to be added to the CFDA's website.