New York Fashion Week becomes again more attractive for designers
IMG running the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, but most people still call New York Fashion Week is announcing a number of changes due to complaints by a growing array of designers
The event takes place twice a year and the next is scheduled in February 2014 to present designers’ Fall 2014 lines. It is held at New York’s Lincoln Centre, but in the past it became too cluttered with people not being involved in fashion, and showcased outdated venues and show formats at more and more exorbitant costs.
The changes now made will result into two redesigned venues at Lincoln Centre, two new venues and alternate, off-site show venues, accessible by shuttle services and giving the same marketing benefit of those at Lincoln Centre. Shows at the alternate spaces will be programmed to minimise the risk of scheduling conflicts at other venues.
Designer will be able to present their collections online and have the show streamed on Mercedes- Benz Fashion Week’s broadcast, and this will certainly excite emerging designers to participate.
One of the redesigned spaces, called the Theatre will have state-of-the art lighting and sound, as well as increased backstage space for media interviews and VIP guests. The Salon venue, formerly called the Stage has undergone an upgrading in view to lighting and production and now seats 500 for a more intimate show.
The new venues, such as the Pavilion, a new contemporary and flexible show space at Lincoln Centre, aims for a modern, industrial feeling and the ability to accommodate multiple seating configurations. The Hub at Hudson, a new flexible space located at the Hudson Hotel, a few blocks from Lincoln Centre, is destined for up- and coming designers.
The reduction of cost of renting venues and for shows running about 10 minutes: At the Hudson it will be earmarked at USD 15000, as to compare with USD 18000 at the former Box venue it replaces. Renting the Salon will cost USD 45000 (USD 47000 for the old Stage venue). Small presentations during the fashion week will be around USD 20000, but bigger shows will cost up to USD one million, and beyond for big brands.
There will be also more tents to conduct business as well as more backstage place. On the other hand the media guest list will be cut by 20 %, primarily through tougher accreditation rules, to ensure that the invited are “of value to the designers”.
All of the suggested alterations are the result of the complaints by designer and a survey conducted anonymously among them and meetings with a few PR firms and production companies representing designers. In addition, a close collaboration with the Council of Fashion designers of America took place.