New York Fashion Week | USA, North America
History
New York’s fashion week began in 1943, when Eleanor Lambert created “Press Week” to showcase American designers. At the time, Paris was inaccessible to buyers and press because of World War II.
Lambert went on to found the CFDA itself, though the event she started ran independently for decades afterward, staged across various New York venues under different producers. In 1993, the CFDA formally took over, consolidating the citywide shows under the trademark “7th on Sixth.” Throughout the ’90s and 2000s, shows moved to tents in Bryant Park.
The event was cancelled entirely in September 2001, in the aftermath of 9/11. It later moved to Lincoln Center in 2011. In January 2015, Mercedes-Benz departed as title sponsor, and the event was simply renamed “New York Fashion Week.” Producer IMG relocated the shows to Spring Studios later that year.
Today, the CFDA owns the official Fashion Calendar and organizes the schedule, while show production has grown more decentralized. IMG stepped back from running a single centralized venue in 2023, and newer platforms like KFN have since emerged to support designers during fashion week.
Latest News
- Tommy Hilfiger confirms a Plaza Hotel return for September 2026. The designer returns to the official CFDA schedule, staging a runway show at The Plaza Hotel on September 10. Read more →
- 2026 CFDA Fashion Awards set for November 2. The ceremony returns to the American Museum of Natural History for a fourth consecutive year, presented by Amazon Fashion. Read more →
- CFDA and Vogue reveal 2026 Fashion Fund finalists. Ten emerging designers will compete for $300,000, with the winner announced October 20. The program has supported over 200 designers since launching after 9/11. Read more →
Next Event
New York Fashion Week’s September 2026 edition runs during the first half of the month, with Tommy Hilfiger’s September 10 Plaza Hotel show among the confirmed highlights. Check the CFDA’s official schedule for the full designer lineup as it’s announced.
Economic and Industry Impact
New York Fashion Week remains a major economic driver for the city. It draws more than 80,000 guests and over 2,500 registered media members across roughly 80 designer shows each season, generating substantial hotel, retail, and hospitality spending throughout Manhattan.
The event’s influence extends beyond the runway, too. The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund alone has distributed more than $8.2 million to emerging designers since its founding, with 41% of supported brands fully or partially women-owned, and 40% fully or partially minority-owned. Read more →
A Story Worth Telling
New York Fashion Week exists because Paris didn’t, for a few critical wartime years. Eleanor Lambert built “Press Week” in 1943 specifically to fill the gap left by an inaccessible European fashion capital, giving American designers a stage they’d never really had before.
Eight decades later, the roles have some overlap. Paris remains the season’s final, most prestigious stop, but New York opens the global calendar each season, not because Europe is unreachable anymore, but because Lambert’s improvised solution became a permanent institution. Few “temporary” fixes have lasted quite that long.
New York Fashion Week
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