The New & Improved New York Fashion Week

The New & Improved New York Fashion Week 

By:  Hope Wilkos, Writer

It is a new day and the curtain rises on a much more contemporary New York Fashion Week  in September. Gone are the long lines leading into the designer fashion shows and the daily scene outside Lincoln Center of all those fashion fanatics eager to make their fashion statement for the paparazzi.

As part of a ‘style and concept revamping’, IMG, the event organizer for so many years, announced shortly after Fashion Week ended this past February, that the new and larger venue for the September shows would be downtown in a more centralized location at Skylight @ Moynihan Station and Skylight Clarkson Square. Spring/Summer 2016 begins on September 10, 2015 and continues through September 17, 2015, with top design legends, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, culminating a week of trend-setting fashion collections.

City officials were also involved in the selection process of determining the best choice for the new venue, able to hold large audiences and conducive to showing luxurious collections. “As IMG prepares to evolve New York Fashion Week, we are focused on creating the best possible experiences that extend beyond a physical location and moment in time,” said Mark Shapiro, Chief Content Officer, IMG. “We’re looking forward to reintroducing the industry to a showcase of creative talent, style and innovation that made the New York runways famous. Part of this showcase involves staying close to inspirational hubs for fashion, art and music, and we’ve found great new homes for that in Skylight at Moynihan Station and Skylight Clarkson Sq.”

“From the hundreds of thousands of jobs it creates to the billions of dollars of economic impact generated each year, the fashion industry contributes so much to New York City, and I’m thrilled that New York Fashion Week will bring so much excitement and energy to its new homes at Skylight Clarkson Sq and Skylight at Moynihan Station,” said Mayor de Blasio. “My administration will continue efforts to ensure that New York City’s working designers and manufacturers—and those aspiring to join that community—have the support they need to make it here, and continue to grow NYC as the fashion capital of the world. Today’s announcement is an important step in that direction.”

“Moynihan Station is an iconic and historic venue that will provide a unique backdrop for the evolution of New York Fashion Week,” said Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky. “While ESD continues its work in transforming the expansive facility into a world-class transportation hub, hosting this global event in the Skylight space will support both the fashion and tourism industries and contribute greatly to the New York City economy.”

Many of the familiar designer names will have their collections grace the runway once again as in past seasons, but, now the fashion week will be reintroduced as a new platform that will focus on content, catering to the needs of the industry and creating the ultimate cultural experience for its guests. Names such as Rebecca Minkoff, Son Jung Wan, Zang Toi, Dennis Basso, Michael Kors, Prabal Gurung, Project Runway, DKNY, Naeen Khan, Lela Rose, Rachel Zoe and Anna Sui are in designer mode, preparing for shows that will amaze and create a sense of awe and inspiration very soon.

Partnering with IMG as sponsors are Lexus, TRESemme’, Maybelline New York, E Pop of Culture, Intel, DHL, Pandora, Papyrus and media giant, the New York Times.

Just like some of the major media outlets and style-conscious celebrities who sit front row and center at the various fashion shows, you too will have that opportunity to get up close and personal to the fashions with the new NYFW Mobile App which is currently in the works getting ready for the big day when New York Fashion Week begins.

In collaboration with IMG, MADE which is another revolutionary fashion group, will be showcasing an entirely unique set of designers in the Chelsea/Meat Packing Area during the same time frame, September 10 – September 17, 2015.

Fashion has been moving forward at a strong pace and this September as the Spring/Summer 2016 Collections light up the city, a new age is dawning in a language that takes us back centuries.