NYFW isn't "dead," but it is too expensive
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Why does Victoria say Fashion Week is getting too expensive?
Hey guys, welcome back to Fashion Founders the podcast. My name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm doing a New York Fashion Week episode. And some of my main takeaways are that Fashion Week is getting too expensive. Point blank, period. You can hear from Rebecca Minkoff on our episode about her experience in this. And I kept seeing people say Fashion Week isn't dead, which, yeah, I agree. I don't think it is, but I think it has definitely changed. That's something that I am noting in this episode, of all the different ways I think it has changed over the past decade. And how this one just felt a little bit different. So, to give this episode a bit of organization, I'm kind of breaking it down into a couple parts.
First, the headlines everyone was talking about from Fashion Week, like the big shows. And then going into fashion tech, a new emerging innovation that I was seeing in a panel I went to. And then two services. That made my Fashion Week experience so much better that are now kind of musts for me. And then how New York Fashion Week really takes over the city and is something that you don't actually have to be on the official show to be a part of. And we'll hear from a publicist that put on a beautiful brand event. And please share any thoughts that you have from this. I kinda wanna make the Substack chat feel like a group chat where people can share inside intel. And there's definitely some things, if you're listening to this, where I'm sharing my speculation and I'd love to hear if anyone has insight.
One big thing I noticed that everyone was talking about is how three big brands showed off schedule for New York Fashion Week. Ralph Lauren kind of unofficially kicked it off. And I think that really shows that the brand is trying to say, like, we don't need you. Like we're independent and we're strong enough that we don't even need the CFDA schedule. Which is interesting. Gigi Hadid walked in their show and I think she was the biggest model that walked for New York Fashion Week. And I think then it was almost like a surprise show for some that that just created even more hype around it. Second, Marc Jacobs also showed off schedule, kind of also unofficially kicking it off. I also loved all the color.
In his show. So much color combo inspo. I saw a lot of ice blue, which I loved. And then Tom Brown showed in San Francisco as like a pre-Super Bowl kickoff because most of the big celebrities were there and they did a GQ bowl. And I think that just really institutionalized this like sports meeting fashion. Because it was done a sort of official, unofficial runway show. I found that one especially interesting because it still had the star power and glamour that comes with a fashion show, but proved that you don't have to be tied to a major fashion city to do that if you have all these other elements.
Which major brands showed off‑schedule and what does that signal?
And so it makes me wonder if in the future to stand out, to get more press, certain brands that know that they can stand on their own will maybe choose. gain more hype and be like the it thing to go to for that city. Otherwise you have a pack schedule in New York and people are having to choose between multiple shows and multiple designers and it very much becomes like kind of like a hype contest. I was also really happy for San Francisco for getting that for fashion. So those three are the ones that I think caught my eye the most. And then the other biggest ones were the American kind of classics. if you will, of coach Michael Kors and Tori Birch. And Tori Birch actually shared that they ranked number one in social engagement during New York Fashion Week.
specifically attributing this to their TikTok strategy. And one, like congrats to them. But two, it made me think of the episode with Rebecca Minkoff in sharing how expensive Fashion Week is. She said that she thinks you need minimum $250,000 to put on like a decent show. And that they would finish these shows and like you hear these kind of vanity metrics of two million engagement or whatever, like press hits. And then she's like, Yeah, but I'm not seeing that directly correlate to sales.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why does Victoria say Fashion Week is getting too expensive?
0:05–3:12
2
Which major brands showed off‑schedule and what does that signal?
3:12–6:07
3
How did Thom Browne’s San Francisco show blur fashion and sport?
6:07–8:36
4
What did the fashion‑tech panel predict for NYFW’s future?
8:36–11:41
5
How are brands using ticket giveaways to make NYFW more inclusive?
11:41–14:24
6
Which services (Rent the Runway, Glam Squad) are changing the runway experience?
14:24–17:00
7
What behind‑the‑scenes logistics power pop‑up events during NYFW?
17:00–20:06
8
Why are designers shifting back to quality materials and storytelling?
20:06–22:59
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Fashion & Founders The Podcast
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