New York Fashion Week (NYFW) will go ahead in September albeit with extra safety measures, governor Andrew Cuomo has confirmed.
The event will take place between 13 – 17 September in “strict compliance” with New York State health and safety guidelines. This includes capping the number of people at outdoor events at 50 and indoor events at 50 percent capacity with no spectators.
“New York City is the fashion capital of the world and New York Fashion Week celebrates the ingenuity of this city, and our unmatched creative talent,” Cuomo said in a statement. “When Covid-19 hit New York, so many of our cherished events were forced to cancel or be postponed.”
New York City was the epicentre of the US’ Covid-19 pandemic back in April, at one point accounting for around one-third of all cases reported in the country.
Cuomo continued: “The pandemic is far from over, but we’re proud to support event organizer IMG in moving forward with NYFW, in adherence with strict state public health guidance. Safety, as always, is our top priority and we commend the hosts, and all participating designers, for their innovative, New York Smart solutions to bring this event to life.”
New York Fashion Weeks gets green light
It comes following the mass cancellation of physical fashion weeks and trade shows in recent months due to the pandemic, with organisers instead scrambling to launch digital iterations of the events. This upcoming NYFW, like other leading fashion weeks, will feature a mix of live and virtual fashion shows, presentations, and other content.
Leslie Russo, executive vice president of IMG’s Fashion Events Group, which runs NYFW, said: “We are grateful to governor Cuomo and his leadership for their swift, successful response in fighting the spread of the coronavirus, which has now set the standard of excellence for our nation.
“The past six months have been exceedingly difficult for the fashion industry, and we are proud to offer an avenue for designers, models, stylists, hair and makeup artists, photographers, production teams – and the innumerable other professionals who work in, or adjacent to, the fashion industry during New York Fashion Week – to safely get back to work this September.”
