In the old days of New York Fashion Week, the shows were consolidated into centralized locations. First, it was Bryant Park; later, Lincoln Center. Most recently, for years, Spring Studios in SoHo was home to a wide variety of shows that would take place one after the other, or sometimes simultaneously.
That’s changed for good. Now, New York Fashion Week is increasingly a loose, spread-out affair. Brands are showing in their own disparate venues all over the city, from the Upper West Side of Manhattan all the way to Bushwick in Brooklyn. The change has been met with a mixed reception from both fashion designers and other professionals who work or cover the event. For some, the freedom to show wherever, and whenever, they want has meant a flourishing of individuality. For others, it’s added to the already expensive cost burden of putting on a show.
Cole Durkee, founder of the 2-year-old brand Destroyer of Worlds, is holding his NYFW debut on Sunday night at the Clemente, a Puerto Rican and Latin-American cultural space on the lower east side of Manhattan. Destroyer of Worlds is an unabashedly idiosyncratic brand, born out of Durkee’s work studio, managing Brooklyn designer Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen, and his background in sculptural art. Durkee said he relishes the fact that NYFW designers are no longer restricted to a few venues, or even to a specific timeframe.
“It’s a double-edge sword, but I do like it,” Durkee said. “The bigger brands will show whenever they want, which could deter people from coming to town for Fashion Week. People always talk about New York not having the stars that it used to, and it is nice when everyone’s in town for smaller designers to take advantage. At the same time, I like the diffusion. I like the idea of showing off-calendar wherever you want in the city. It’s freeing.”
Designer Allina LIu, founder of her namesake brand, echoed the sentiment to Glossy on Saturday. Her presentation was held in the back of The Standard, a hotel in the East Village, with Liu on hand to guide guests through the collection and answer questions.
“I think it’s great,” she said. “The old rules – don’t go above 14th Street, stay on the West Side – that’s over, and you can explore all the amazing architecture of the city. There are all these incredible bars, restaurants and galleries all over the city. And when you choose a cool place, half the work is done for you. I would never show in a blank, white-box kind of place.”
At the same time, she acknowledged the cost can be prohibitive. Liu said her brand has never done a show for more than $50,000, which limits its venue options. She noted that many venues in the city can’t be rented for even a few hours for less than $100,000.
The move away from centralized locations like Spring Studios has also had the added benefit of allowing NYFW to spill out of Manhattan and into the outer boroughs — most notably, Brooklyn.
On Saturday night, the CFDA award-winning Brooklyn-based brand L’Enchanteur held a presentation-style event in Bushwick. The event showcased both L’Enchanteur’s continuously expanding categories – it has recently added footwear and furniture, on top of its existing jewelry and apparel – and its home. The event was held at SAA, a cultural center in Brooklyn that’s only a few minutes’ walk from L’Enchanteur’s studio where twin designers Soull and Dynasty Ogun work.
“Dynasty lives here, we work here,” Soull Ogun said. “I started out making jewelry in Bushwick, so it’s very dear to our hearts.”
Dynasty Ogun added that the brand prefers to show on-calendar, especially now that it has recognition from the CFDA, but the Brooklyn venue and the presentation style let the team experiment.
Late on Sunday, Nigerian designer Tia Adeola also showed in Bushwick, just down the road from where L’Enchanteur’s event was held. And while showing outside of the usual haunts has its benefits, the added commute for attendees can be daunting.
“I’m really lucky to have a community who is willing to commute to wherever I’m having a show,” Adeola said.
Soull Ogun felt much the same way.
“It shows who really wants to be here, that they’re willing to come out to Brooklyn to see us,” she said.
