New York Fashion Week came back stronger than ever on September 8th, 2021 after two years of the bi-annual event’s cancellation.

The spring-summer New York Fashion Week is the opening event for the upcoming 6 months of the fashion season where designers can present their new and upcoming collections to the press and buyers. 

“I want to watch Prabal Gurung, Tom Ford, Moschino, threeASFOUR, and Christian Cowan. My favorite past look was from Georges Hobeika’s show in spring-summer 2018,” said Samaira Mehta (‘24).

The event runs for four days, and ends with the iconic closing show on September 12th by American designer, Tom Ford. Each designer can make their own themes for their shows, making every brand unique.

“Minju Kim from the show ‘Next in Fashion’ is a huge inspiration to me because she shows that you can sew anything. She also created beautiful cultural designs that made me feel proud of my heritage,” said Natalie Kong (‘24).

Hundreds of models walked the runway, including Gigi Hadid for Moschino and plus-size model, Precious Lee, for Christian Siriano. This year included the most diversity in the 78 years of the show’s history by including people of different sizes, ethnicities, and disabilities. A notable model from this year’s event was disabled model and activist, Aaron Rose Philip, who made her debut on the runway during the Moschino show.

“I think they [brands] should focus on showing their pieces, but also making sure that everyone feels included by seeing models that have their body type and look like them,” said Prakriti Patnaik (‘23).

Until the spring-summer season ends, “fashion centered cities” hold their own fashion weeks, including London, Milan, and Paris. There are currently no plans to cancel future in person fashion weeks, but even if COVID-19 cases rise, brands are already skilled in digital runway shows which will keep the industry running.

“As we see clothes on mannequins, we lose the story that goes behind the clothes themselves and the pain that the designer took to get them to that perfection. I think fashion week really gives a moment for them [designers] to share their story and give meaning behind their clothes. It brings the entire fashion and creative community together to appreciate something,” said Mehta.