New York Fashion Week is an event where designers showcase their looks for the upcoming season over the course of a week. It’s viewed as exclusive, which makes people eager to attend to feel part of the exclusivity. Celebrities, journalists, influencers, and more attend this exclusive event. However, some people have been saying that NYFW is dying or losing the hype it once had a few years ago.
Image Courtesy of Instagram/@katee.barlett
Social media has been one of the reasons why NYFW is losing its hype. Apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook have become important tools for brands to promote and showcase new products, as well as share what’s happening with the brand. With more influencers attending the shows and posting about the collections sometimes even sharing backstage moments, it makes the event feel less exclusive. Plus, younger generations like Gen Z are more socially aware of societal issues and high prices. Seeing people flaunting their money and expensive clothing is very out of touch. It doesn’t feel genuine or authentic.
Another reason for the loss of hype around the exclusive events is that the fashion industry is losing a ton of jobs. Brooke Kate stated in her article Has NYC Lost Its Fashion Luster… “that more than 50,000 jobs were lost, which is a 30% decrease”. With the elimination of all these jobs that help with production, there’s a potential reduction in diversity and quality of the shows.
Fewer big brands and a lack of support for small businesses are also contributing to the decline in hype. It’s tough for new designers to make a name for themselves in the industry, especially with so little support for small businesses. Students from Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology are struggling to keep up with high costs, making it hard to break into the fashion scene. Greg David noted that “students receiving a degree from F.I.T, the Pratt Institute, and Parsons have dropped by almost a third, from 3,826 in 2016 to 2,668 in 2022.” With the pressure to compete against more well-known brands during New York Fashion Week, many upcoming designers are feeling like skipping the event altogether due to costs and lack of acceptance.
New York Fashion Week, once a highly exclusive event where designers showcased their upcoming season’s looks, is slowly fading. I wonder if NYFW will ever have the same aura it once had.
