With the ever-changing rules regarding public gatherings, the runway has been thrown for a loop. As designers have worked tirelessly to adapt to the constant changes, the seasonal calendar has become anything but predictable. That being said, the fashion industry is far from calling it a year, instead opting to take Fashion Week and transform it into Digital Fashion Week.
The Show Must Go On
The current climate has created a rift between designers, with many choosing to wait out the global pandemic and just as many rescheduling to September with shows adapted to either reduce audience size or drop audiences completely in favor of a digital display.
New York is a prime example of this, with all Council of Fashion Designers of America-supported shows now showing over a period of only three days (September 14-16) and all online.
Catching the Catwalk
While the adapting has been a bit messy, it does come with some perks, especially for those that can’t afford the fee to make it to New York for a full week. Released back in July, the CFDA announced the platform the Fashion Week will be held on—Runway360—a platform designed by them for the benefit of the fashion world. The best part is, you don’t have to be a CFDA member to participate. This new portal with support a slew of new tech, such as AR/VR, consumer shopping, and 360-degree capabilities. It will be fully open to everyone with shows and events being limited based on the profile one has with the platform. While it’s still being restricted in terms of access, the plan is to open it up fully for New York’s Digital Fashion Week and keep it open going forward as an answer to both the worldwide pandemic and the future of fashion.
