New York Fashion Week kicks off this week, but this year there are some notable names missing from the schedule after several top designers decided to show in other locations. Tom Ford, Jeremy Scott, Tommy Hilfiger and up-and-coming labels Pyer Moss and Telfar have all decided to skip New York.
By far the biggest blow is Tom Ford, who has opted instead to show in Los Angeles, citing the Academy Awards event date move as a factor in his decision.
“The decision to show in February in Los Angeles feels very natural to me,” Ford to Women’s Wear Daily. “It is my home and has a strong impact on the way that I live and work within both the fashion and film worlds,” Ford said. “This year, the New York Fashion Week calendar exactly overlaps Oscar weekend, and the last time that happened I showed in L.A. and it worked quite well. There is an excitement in L.A. on that particular weekend and the relationship between film and fashion is a strong one.”
Ford took the helm at the Council of Fashion Designers of America back in June. He says that in his role as chairman, “my main intent and priority is to globalize and bring attention to American fashion. There is truly no bigger or more prominent stage in the world at any given time than Los Angeles during the Academy Awards.”
Jeremy Scott, a longstanding crowd-pleaser, is also skipping New York in favor of Paris, the city that launched his career. In a statement, his label said “Jeremy Scott will no longer be showing his fall-winter 2020 collection during New York Fashion Week. In a move to pay homage to the city that launched his design career, Jeremy Scott will show his upcoming collection in Paris in July.”
Tommy Hilfiger has announced that it will present its Spring 2020 collection at London Fashion Week this year. The PVH-owned fashion brand will present both its Spring 2020 co-ed Hilfiger collection, as well as its upcoming Tommy x Lewis collaboration created with Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton.
New York Fashion Week events begin on Thursday, with the official launch on Friday.