Netflix cancels 'Next in Fashion' after a single season

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jun 5, 2020

Hosted by British designer Tan France and it-girl Alexa Chung, Netflix’s ‘Next in Fashion’ competition series will not be returning for a second season, despite it being one of the more interesting fashion shows on TV. 

The reality TV show, backed by luxe e-tailer Net-A-Porter, has been cancelled by Netflix shortly after making its debut at the end of January.

The story was confirmed by Tan France, telling Variety that “we’re not doing a second a season”. It remains unclear why Netflix has scrapped the series after just one season, although the internet entertainment giant is known to act quickly when shows don’t perform well or become too expensive. And of course, there's always the chance that the Covid-19 crisis could have had a part to play in its demise.

‘Next in Fashion’ featured a strong line-up of industry experts as guest judges, including catwalk star designers such as Christopher Kane, Prabal Gurung, and Phillip Lim, plus major influencers like Instagram’s Eva Chen and Elizabeth von der Goltz, global buying director for Net-A-Porter.

The format began with 18 designers competing for a chance to become the next big name in fashion, win a not-insubstantial $250,000 prize and the opportunity to debut their collection with Net-A-Porter, a dream opportunity that most younger designers would leap at.

This competition wasn't about rank beginners though. All contestants had a solid fashion background, with several graduates from Central Saint Martins in London, celebrity clients like Beyoncé, Usher, Jay Z and Rihanna, and experience at established fashion brands including Stella McCartney and Alexander Wang.

Contestants also had various prestigious accolades among their achievements. Claire Davis won the Asos Fashion Discovery Award in 2016, Hayley Scanlan was named Scottish Young Designer of the Year at the Scottish Fashion Awards in both 2012 and 2014, and Korean designer Minju Kim was shortlisted for the illustrious LVMH prize in 2014.

Kim was ultimately crowned the show’s winner, and her designs launched on Net-A-Porter in February.

‘Next in Fashion’ was created and produced by theoldschool and executive produced by Robin Ashbrook and Yasmin Shackleton with co-executive producer Adam Cooper.