Tom Ford abandons 'see-now-buy-now' after one season

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Mar 16, 2017

It’s ‘one and done’ for Tom Ford. The American designer is once again joining the fashion week schedule, but this time in New York City.

 
Ford announced on Thursday that he will rejoin the New York Fashion Week schedule for spring 2018 after hosting a see-now-buy-now presentation in New York City in September. In February 2016, the American designer decided to move away from the traditional fashion week schedule in favor of a see-now-buy-now show, joining a number of designers and brands that switched to the format, including Burberry and Tommy Hilfiger.
 
According to Vogue UK, Ford “lost a month of selling” due to the see-now-buy-now format, because "the store shipping schedule doesn’t align with the fashion show schedule." The designer did not launch his collections in stores when it was ready in mid-summer, but instead after the show in September. Also, the buzz he received after the see-now-buy-now show could not make up for the long-lead press he would’ve received if he had shown his collection on the fashion week calendar.

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Tom Ford typically shows collections in London, but he is moving his shows to New York City for “consistency.” The addition of Ford should do wonders for NYFW, which has seen a number of designers and brands leave the schedule, including recent departures from Rodarte and Proenza Schouler. Raf Simons joined the men’s and women’s schedules for his namesake label and Calvin Klein, respectively, which added a dose of star power to the fashion week.
 
In addition to joining the NYFW schedule, Ford will relocate most of his women’s design staff to Los Angeles, while his men’s design studio will stay in London.