What is the Future of Fashion Week?

Fashion Week is facing an uncertain future right now. In light of COVID-19, traditional Fashion Weeks, brands and designers will be adapting or completely changing their September show formats from past seasons. This fall will see the largest change to the Fashion Week schedules across New York, London, Milan and Paris ever—at least, since the first NYFW tents were pitched in Bryant Park! New York Fashion Week’s plan for a shortened, online-only Week is set in stone.

Speculation that Spring 2021 NYFW shows would be postponed or canceled entirely has been rampant since we began quarantining. However, it’s been recently announced that, at least for September, the CFDA will shorten Fashion Week to three days of digital shows. Soon, an online platform will also be launched to aid designers that typically show their collections on live runways. However, as uncertain as the pandemic has become, this could potentially change—but remains to be seen. Global fashion weeks have experienced major shifts, too. Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks are currently continuing with physical shows, which will be enhanced by digital platforms.

However, the course of Fashion Month is ultimately left to the brands and their designers. Gucci will not be presenting at MFW, nor Saint Laurent at PFW. Michael Kors will be showing in October instead of September. Even though the British Fashion Council hasn’t announced final plans for London Fashion Week, Burberry will be staging an outdoor presentation to be shown online. Brands like Fendi have announced they will present in-person shows with a smaller, select audience pertaining to social-distancing guidelines as well.

For this season, a focus on digital shows is obviously the priority. Most designers haven’t been able to consistently access their ateliers, in-person fit models or work with their teams in groups to analyze a collection’s details. This means that collections will likely be smaller, and —though they wouldn’t show in-person due to COVID-19— not warrant an in-person show. Brands are also understandably focusing more on virus relief efforts, like producing masks, than creating multiple future collections. This also means that the fashion calendar could have less designers presenting, if they circumstantially haven’t worked on collections on their standard timelines.

This season, at least, New York Fashion Week’s plan to move forward with a shortened week of digital shows is unfortunate but necessary. After all, fashion is incredible, but potentially risking your life by attending a show in the middle of a pandemic isn’t worth it. Whether designers have adapted to this format, chosen to show at different times or have yet to determine their plans, they’re certainly moving forward despite these challenging circumstances.

If any brands do host in-person Fashion Week shows or parties, it’s essential that everyone maintain social distancing guidelines and stay safe. This means consistently washing and sanitizing your hands, staying six feet apart, and —even if it doesn’t look great with your outfit, we know—wearing a mask! Wearing masks is the easiest way that all of us can prevent the spread of the disease now and in the future. If anything, wearing masks now will decrease the virus’ spread and give us more opportunities to not have to wear them later. Also, if you aren’t wearing masks in these types of circumstances, you’re not only risking your life but the lives of those around you. So, be considerate and safe by wearing a mask! If we follow these types of precautions, it’s all but certain that Fashion Week, and the world as we know it, will be in a more peaceful state in no time.