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by Wali Warsame
Staff Writer
The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Course.
From Milan to Shanghai, Paris to London, and more, many cities across the world celebrate fashion through an eventful week of shows, celebrations, store openings, and more. With so many fashion weeks around the globe, New York remains at the center of it all. This year, New York Fashion Week returns, taking place from September 7th through September 13th.
Fashion Week, originally named Press Week, began in New York in 1943. Although the concept began in Paris, France, journalists were not able to cover shows in Paris following their cancellation during World War II because of the Nazi invasion, leading to its establishment in New York.
Starting off the week
On May 10th, 2023, Helmut Lang announced that Peter Do had taken the position of Creative Director of the brand. "It is my deep honor to be entrusted with ushering in the next chapter of Helmut Lang's legacy," Do mentioned on Instagram. The collection, being presented as the opener of New York Fashion Week, will be the first under its new creative direction. On Friday, September 1st, the brand previewed its Spring/Summer 2024 collection on Instagram.
A lot of pressure rests on Peter Do, as Helmut Lang's show holds great importance to fashion week. After the brand's relocation to Manhattan in 1988, they reshaped the schedule of the fashion year by having their show in September rather than November. Brands like Christian Siriano and Ralph Lauren will be showcasing their collections the same day, following Helmut Lang’s.
Peter Do is also the founder of his own brand, Peter Do, which was established in 2018. After Do’s opening of New York Fashion Week with Helmut Lang, he will be showcasing his own brand at Paris Fashion Week during the same month and launching a collection in collaboration with Banana Republic in October.
Continuing the week
During the center of the week, shows from brands such as Kim Shui, Michael Kors, Brandon Maxwell, and more will take place.
The Vietnamese designer Đỗ Mạnh Cường will be showing his brand, SIXDO, on Sept. 10th. Besides reportedly having a budget in the millions, the show will be at the Spring Studios, where well-known names such as Calvin Klein and Oscar de la Renta have had their shows. The show itself will present itself in a slightly different manner in comparison to the way many other houses have held theirs. SIXDO will be allowing guests to sit in the front row, requesting that the female guests wear red and the male guests wear black, expressing the brand's signature look not only on the runway but within the audience.
Ending the week
If the brand name PH5 sounds like something you might have heard in the classroom, then you’re right. The founder, Wei Lin, believes in the importance of experimentation in creating cutting-edge fashion. Ph, standing for ‘potential of hydrogen’, refers to the concentration of hydronium ions in a substance.
PH5 will be presenting their collection on the closing day of New York Fashion Week, along with other brands such as Frederick Anderson and The Blonds.
What should we expect to see on the runway?
In the fashion calendar, New York Fashion Week marks the beginning of a new year. "September is the January of fashion," Candy Pratts Price famously said. Although this upcoming fashion week symbolizes a fresh start for fashion globally, something that might return from last year is hot pink, or, to better put it, Barbie pink.
Back in 2022, Valentino released its Fall/Winter collection, which almost entirely consisted of hot pink, including the runway itself, later claiming the name Valentino Pink. Soon after, the color began making an appearance on other designer runways and mass-market brands.
This summer, film viewers flourished in pink and headed to theaters as the box office hit Barbie was released. The $150 million marketing budget for the film resulted in the development of the Barbiecore trend. Barbie has launched numerous collaborations with brands such as Vans, Zara, Balmain, Gap, and so much more.
Looking beyond the runway and towards the participants of fashion week, works of lace, pastels, full denim looks, exaggerated shoulders, neckties, and more are expected, according to Vogue France’s ‘18 fashion trends to know for Fall/Winter 2023-2024’.
Preparing for the show
The preparation process for shows can often be hectic. For Alice + Olivia, models, designers, and other staff members were rushed out of their headquarters late in August as the building reportedly began shaking.
"It felt like an earthquake, but with a loud noise, like an explosion, but ongoing. . . The racks started shaking. We were tearing clothes out" designer Stacey Bendet tells Page Six.
Thankfully, the reported "shaking" was only the result of speakers from another rehearsal going on downstairs.
"Very large subwoofer speakers, located directly below the 5th floor, were emitting low-frequency noise as they were being tested for a performance that will be staged next week on the [nearby] High Line," according to Page Six.
Life outside of the shows
Runway shows and other forms of brand presentations aren’t all that go on during fashion week. In New York, parties during fashion week are endless. Celebrations like the Poster Girls NYFW kick-off party hosted by the rap duo City Girls, J.Crew’s concert in honor of its 40th anniversary featuring none other than The Strokes, Victoria’s Secret’s pre-launch party for their Fashion Show Tour, and much more.
This week in New York is also important for newer brands making their way into the industry. Denzel Dion's brand, Noid, will be hosting a sample sale and pop-up featuring in-store exclusives during fashion week.
Linda Evangelista will be busy during the week as her book signing for Linda Evangelista Photographed by Steven Meisel, featuring over 180 images shot over the course of twenty-five years, takes place at the Bookmarc. The acclaimed supermodel will also be co-hosting Phaidon’s 100th party with Thom Browne.
Once New York Fashion Week wraps up, the Vogue World party begins. The annual party will celebrate the end of New York Fashion Week and kick off London Fashion Week. Hosted in London, the appearances of opera singers, supermodels, designers, and performers can be viewed from home on the Vogue World website from 3:00 p.m. EST to 8:00 p.m. EST on September 14th.
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