New York Fashion Week forced to limit audiences significantly

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Aug 27, 2020

New York Fashion Week will be taking place after all, from September 13 through 17, but with strict sanitation regulations. As the U.S. continues to struggle with the Covid-19 pandemic, governor of New York Andrew Cuomo has announced a series of strict guidelines concerning the running of the upcoming fashion week, dedicated to women's ready-to-wear collections for Spring/Summer 2021.

The presentations of these collections will be subject to a number of security measures seeking to prevent the spread of the virus. Only 50 spectators will be permitted at open-air runways, while indoor shows will essentially be closed events, as spaces will be limited to 50% of their capacity, including models and production teams. Spectators will not be permitted.

New York Fashion Week will be supported by digital platform Runway360, launched by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in July, and will feature a mixture of both physical and virtual runway shows, presentations and exclusive content provided by designers, as well as a cultural program. The calendar includes more than 40 brands, with some big names, such as Michael Kors and Proenza Schouler, having chosen to present their collections off-calendar in October instead.

"The pandemic is far from over, but we're proud to support event organizer IMG in moving forward with NYFW, in adherence with strict state public health guidance. Safety, as always, is our top priority and we commend the hosts, and all participating designers, for their innovative, New York Smart solutions to bring this event to life," said Cuomo in a release.

New York Fashion Week will have to apply the standards imposed by the state department of health to combat the ongoing health crisis linked to the spread of Covid-19. These include the obligatory wearing of masks, the observance of social distancing, measuring the temperature of anyone entering venues, the limitation of personnel to a strict minimum and screening tests, among other measures.

"The past six months have been exceedingly difficult for the fashion industry, and we are proud to offer an avenue for designers, models, stylists, hair and makeup artists, photographers, production teams — and the innumerable other professionals who work in, or adjacent to, the fashion industry during New York Fashion Week — to safely get back to work this September," concluded Leslie Russo, executive vice president of IMG's fashion events group.