When Tom Ford’s first model stepped out, guests at the former Four Seasons restaurant – and those watching online ready to splurge on Ford’s sequined dresses, camouflage jackets and pencil skirts – knew that this New York season would be like no other in fashion week history.
Since CFDA’s study with The Boston Consulting Group earlier this year, designers of all stripes have reimagined the traditional fashion system with a shared goal: to course-correct and stimulate business by catering to consumers’ See-Now, Buy-Now shopping impulses.
Ford’s collection, for example, was immediately available on his site, in his boutiques and at Bergdorf Goodman. Also available right away were Tommy Hilfiger’s youthful Tommy x Gigi collection replete with a public audience element; Ralph Lauren’s elegant looks, unveiled in front of his limestone 888 Madison Avenue store, its doors opening at the end of the show for guests to shop, and many others, included Rebecca Minkoff, who had already embraced See-Now, Buy-Now in February.
Others incorporated designs that were immediately available for sale, among them Thakoon, who amped up his show coverage on social channels and started selling about one-third of the collection post-show. Michael Kors, too, made a selection of runway pieces immediately available through his site, and two stores in Manhattan.
New CFDA Member Brandon Maxwell, meanwhile, made a personal appearance at Bergdorf Goodman three days after the show, allowing customers to pre- and special-orders of to be made from the Spring lineup.
A conclusion of the BCG study was that brands need to evaluate what makes strategic sense for them. As CFDA Chairwoman put it, “The responsibility of the CFDA is to provide information to help designers decide what is right for them, alleviate the pressure and give them the freedom to allocate their resources in a way that is best for them.”
To that end, many designers took a new approach to presenting their collections. Lela Rose showed her designs during a seated lunch at Café Altro; Misha Nonoo unveiled hers in-season show via Snapchat; Jason Wu and J.Mendel reduced the number of guests for a more intimate experience, and Diane von Furstenberg and Derek Lam chose private appointments over the runway show. And those are just some examples.
Vivienne Tam’s show possibly demonstrated change in the most effective way. She had NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson kick the show off via the International Space Station’s Mission Control.
New York Fashion Week’s future has landed.
