New York and New York Fashion Week

“The fact that transportation, including the air travel required by many attendees to get to the city, makes up the largest percentage of NYFW's overall footprint. The new report estimates that air travel is responsible for between 37,830 and 44,520 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent each season” (Bauck, 2020).Additionally, accommodating the guests and producing the products itself cause enormous harm to the environment. “This far outweighs the next largest source of greenhouse gas emissions for NYFW, which come from either accommodation for guests (between 850 to 1,480 metric tons) or production of the collection itself (between 710 to 900)” (Bauck, 2020).There are multiples levels to both of those problems, it is not just about the harm caused during the production, but it is also the waste accumulated from producing and accommodating. This goes to all of fashion industry and not just New York fashion Week. “Interestingly, brands rate almost every single sustainability priority much lower than consumers do. The highest priority for brands is use of recycled/waste/scrap materials at 35%, with fair/ethical labor practices following at 27%” (Bauck, 2020). It is frustrating that even though the customers value sustainability and ethics in their brands, brands themselves do not. Recommended Course of ActionsTurning Negatives into PositivesWhat can possibly be done to tackle the issues that New York Fashion Week and the fashion industry in general is facing? CFDA has provided a plan for resurrecting the social and economic interest of the New York Fashion Week. The main agenda is that it is time for changes.“In-season relevancy emerged as a recurring idea: although brands still have to show their upcoming collections to press and buyers in the most inspiring way several months before deliveries, there is an opportunity to alleviate the pressure to have large-scale presentations / shows and potentially re-allocate resources and budget to activate sales when collections are delivered to stores and available online. Multiple formats, locations and timing could be considered for these in-season activations” (CFDA, 2019).In a way pandemic actually did a favor and forced New York Fashion Week into accepting a new digital format that has to follow the hype of social media and deliver collection that will be available for purchase after the show, versus six months later. Online format actually is a platform that could activate in-season clothing and provide promotion necessary to drive full price sales. In-season relevancy model emerged another possible solution called a hybrid model. In its essence it is an idea that designers on New York fashion week will do a split collection. Majority of their collections will still be available for sales in later months, but they will also feature an instant activation products available right away. “This model is not the only way to think about the in-season relevancy idea: a hybrid model also emerged, that maintains the current timing but includes ‘capsule collections’ available immediately for increased shoppability” (CFDA, 2019).Expected Outcomes, Benefits and ShortcomingsNow, the most difficult decisions are surrounding the question of sustainability. Pandemic has sent Fashion Month on a digital path and greatly reduced carbon emission rates, but at the same time social and economic aspects took a hit. It is possible for the second two to recover on its own as the world opens up after pandemic, but going back to in-person format will definitely bring back the emission rates. While New York Fashion Week could recover by embracing in-season products, it is a step towards fast-fashion model which is a giant contributor to environmental disasters through waste, production and delivery of products. Does that mean that it impossible to solve the environmental issue without sacrificing economic prominence? There are designers who pride themselves in using sustainable, eco-friendly material and procedures in making of their products. “The exhibition featured eight trailblazing fashion designers whose missions are to conserve the earth’s resources by using sustainable, eco-friendly materials and/or use sustainable processes in creating their fashion wear and accessories. Each designer spoke about their fashions and how they were made in engaging panel discussions moderated by Evans, held before each show” (Planet fashion, 2020). Sustainable designers use multiple material and techniques to produces top products. Some deconstruct and redesign vintage apparel and fabric, others create jewelry from recycled and reclaimed materials. There are designers who use bamboo to make durable underwear and some use special machinery to turn recycled plastic into fabric. There are multiple ways to embrace the value of preserving the environment and act on it. It is important for New York Fashion Week to search for the individuals who are already doing that and encourage their own designers to engage in such practices. Essentially, searching for ecofriendly designers and encouraging such practices will put New York Fashion Week on top of multiple environmental issues. They are: “reducing the amount of pesticides released into the environment through use of something other than cotton, reduces toxic waste, supportsfair trade, supportsanimal rights, quality is higher, clothes will be unique, maintenance is greener since special treatment is not required, clothes won’t harm you with allergic reactions” (Montgomery).In conclusion, there are many issues surrounding New York Fashion Week and clothing industry in general. The pandemic has caused a lot of social and economic hard, while actually managed to boost environmental protection by forcing shows to go digital. The question is, whether or not the organizer and designers will see that as a sign that this is a new direction that is so needed for the events and fashion industry in general. Reference List: 6spft Publishing. (2021) NYC opening guide: Dates and details for events, museums, dining, travel, and more/ 6SQFT Publishinghttps://www.6sqft.com/nyc-covid-opening-guide-2021-dates-and-details/Mustain J., Collins J. (2020) New York quiets as it becomes next virus hot spot. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/new-york-religion-travel-health-virus-outbreak-86ca5e1f6032314115176190c380818dFashion United. (2020) New York fashion Week. Fashion United https://fashionunited.com/landing/new-york-fashion-week/Noveck J. (2020) NY Fashion Week 2020: Pared down, and virtually all virtual. AP News.https://apnews.com/article/ny-state-wire-new-york-fashion-week-new-york-lifestyle-entertainment-308c3193e4d408c4cc1a97dce59d557bIlchi L. (2021) What to Expect at New York Fashion Week Fall 2021. WWD Journal.https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/new-york-fashion-week-fall-2021-what-to-know-1234728701/NEWSPAPER (2020) How Impactful Were the Digital Fashion Week Shows, Really? NEWSPAPERhttps://www.24x7news.live/how-impactful-were-the-digital-fashion-week-shows-really/Guilbault L. (2020) Paris Fashion Week tries an all digital format, just this once. Vogue Business.https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/paris-fashion-week-tries-a-digital-format-just-this-onceSPP Blog (2020) What is a good public policy? SPP Blog.https://publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu/blog/posts/what-is-good-public-policy.htmPatel R. (2020) common policy problems and what researchers can do about them. LSE Blogshttps://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2020/10/29/common-policy-challenges-and-what-researchers-can-do-about-them/Moore B. (2021) New York Fashion Week Fall 2021 Chaos: ‘How Do We Get People Excited About Clothes Again?’https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/new-york-fashion-week-fall-2021-chaos-1234728450/TestaJ.(2021) New York fashion Week Will be a thing again. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/12/style/fashion-week-ny.htmlBauck W. (2020) JUST HOW BAD IS NYFW FOR THE ENVIRONMENT? A NEW CFDA REPORT TRIES TO FIND OUT. Fashionista.https://fashionista.com/2020/10/nyfw-sustainability-report-cfda-boston-consulting-groupPlanet fashion (-) Creating a Better Lyfestile industry… but still being chic. Planet Fashion. https://www.planetfashiontv.com/sustainable-new-york-fashion-week/CFDA Report (2019) Examining the Future of NYFW. CFDA/ https://cfda.imgix.net/2016/10/CFDA-Main-Article-VF.pdfMontgomery J. (-) 10 benefits of eco-friendly clothing. BizCatalyst360.https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/10-benefits-of-eco-friendly-clothing/#:~:text=By%20wearing%20clothes%20that%20are,lowering%20the%20demand%20for%20clothing.&text=Clothes%20dyes%20are%20massively%20harmful,chemicals%20for%20a%20single%20shirt