When 9/11 brought the last New York Fashion Week screaming to a halt, many in the industry began to question the relevance of showing clothes with such extravagance and hoopla.
“It took us all a while to catch our breath,” says Fern Mallis, executive director of Fashion Week. “The fashion industry, like many others, became very introspective and very concerned about its place in the greater scheme of things. There were many weeks when if you weren’t saving lives, you felt like what you did hardly mattered.”
But fashion marched on.
“It has a set cycle that needs to be maintained,” Mallis says. “The clothes have to be seen by a certain date, then bought, then marketed, then photographed, advertised, shipped to stores, etc. . . .”
In the weeks after the terrorist attacks, she and her crew scrambled to accommodate those designers whose shows had been abruptly canceled. Most of the collections were viewed in smaller showroom settings, often without music or even extra lighting. By then, international press and buyers had left town, leaving large orders unfilled and forcing newer, younger designers to scale back or shut down.
Fewer tents, fewer designers
Looking ahead to the fall 2002 collections, which begin Friday with menswear and end on Feb. 15 with women’s ready-to-wear, Mallis decided to scale back to two tents from the usual four, which loom over New York’s Bryant Park, and trim the list of designers shown.
There will also be fewer people fighting to get a much-coveted seat — 500 fewer. And there will be no room for standing room.
“We’re trying to get tighter and eliminate the hype,” Mallis says. “Given the nature of fashion, we’ll see about the hype.”
In previous seasons, big designers such as Michael Kors, Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Anna Sui showed their collections in large tents that sat 1,200 people. This year, they will be forced to edit their lists down to 700.
“Many designers wanted to show in their showrooms, so we designed one of the tents, the Gallery, to look and feel like a showroom, with hard walls, benches, very clean and minimal,” Mallis says. “We think of it as a little gem.” The Gallery seats 425 to 530 people and costs $40,000 for a show.
“Focusing on the quality of the shows has helped us put together one of the best schedules we’ve ever had,” Mallis says. Still there will be only four or so shows a day in Bryant Park. The rest will be presented at the Puck Building in Soho, a cheaper venue ideal for up-and-coming designers with the barest of budgets. All together there will be 70 shows, which is roughly 20 less than in previous seasons. But that doesn’t mean the buzz has been totally stripped. Next week marks the New York debut of collections such as Balenciaga (designed by the hyped French designer Nicolas Ghesquiere), Jeremy Scott (an American who became the toast of Paris and has since relocated to the States) and newcomers Alicia Bell, Language and Ruffo Research, among others.
Clear direction from designers
What can we expect to see overall?
“There will be a clear direction [among designers] for clothes that delineate them from the rest of the pack,” says Marshal Cohen, vice president of NPDFashionworld at the NPD Group from Port Washington, N.Y., that tracks retail trends. “High-end designer brands like Versace and Armani are doing well despite the economy and 9/11 because they’re different. Designers are relevant if they distinguish themselves from everybody else.”
Despite a 3 percent dip in the apparel industry from the last year, January is already showing signs of a pickup, Cohen says. “People are responding to this need to return to normalcy. Even the cold weather has finally arrived.”
After a sluggish fall, sales have all but returned to normal at Blake, an upscale Chicago boutique that carries edgy collections by European and American designers. “Our customers feel more than ever that if something’s really special, it’s worth it,” says Blake co-owner Marilyn Blaszka. “They’re not looking for basics or items that have been well represented in their wardrobes. It’s those special pieces that have been driving sales lately.”
With spring collections barely in the store, unique garments such as Viktor & Rolf’s white blouse covered in bows is already attracting pre-sell orders. “The appeal there is the prettiness,” Blaszka says. “It works for what we’re going through right now. If something is very challenging and takes a lot of thought and the appeal is all in the brain, it’s not the moment for that. Martin Margiela, who often can be cerebral, has a very pretty feeling, soft and feminine for spring, and it will probably sell well. That’s an example of someone who is often opposing, but he’s presenting something inviting now.”
Marni is another label that Blaszka expects will have strong sales. “It’s playful and has a richness of fabrication,” she says. “It’s a good collection that’s also soothing.” Designers that are on the top of Blaszka’s list for next week include Helmut Lang, Balenciaga and American up-and-comer Rick Owens.
“We were buying with a bit more caution before 9/11, so we were careful not to overbuy for fall,” she says. “We’re sticking to a tighter budget for next fall but nothing too drastic.”
While some may say that this climate is ideal for eclectic boutiques such as Blake, the NPD Group’s Cohen says department stores, too, can fare well.
“There will be a segment that will revert to classics,” he says. “And that’s where the big brands with strong images, like Ralph Lauren, who appeal to a wide age range, will do well.”
A nod to loyalty
And at New York’s Henri Bendel, customers who stick loyally by their brands will not be ignored. “I’ll be looking at updated classics,” says Ed Burstell, vice president of Henri Bendel. “A wonderful sweater will still be a good commodity, but the quality has to be impeccable. You are going to see the big focus on the smaller, finer details.”
Patriotism is also at play.
“It’s important to focus on American designers,” Burstell says. “That doesn’t mean it has to be only the established designers. We’re very interested in the newer guard, like Rick Owens, Alice Roi, Zac Posen and Stephen Burrows, a designer who was big in the ’70s and is experiencing a resurgence. The spirit of his original collections is so right for now. It’s very confident, fluid, bordering on sexy, with bright optimistic colors. It’s clothes like that that elicit a strong emotional reaction that will sell well.”
