CFDA to Launch New York Fashion Week: Men’s in July

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) will launch a separate Fashion Week dedicated to menswear, starting July 13-16 this year. The shows will take place at Skylight Clarkson Sq in West SoHo. New York Fashion Week: Men’s, as it will be called, is sponsored by Amazon’s fashion sites (Amazon Fashion, East Dane and MyHabit) and Shinola.

So far, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein Collection, Michael Kors, Rag & Bone, Public School, Billy Reid, Todd Snyder, Michael Bastian, Ovadia & Sons, Robert Geller, Duckie Brown, Patrik Ervell, Timo Weiland and Kent and Curwen have signed on.

“American menswear has never been stronger or more creative,” said CFDA chief executive Steven Kolb. “There are many reasons the CFDA is launching New York Fashion Week: Men’s. It gives the designers a business platform to show during their market dates and is an opportunity to demonstrate the collective talent of an important segment of our industry. The effort to create standalone men’s shows is not just backed by CFDA and participating designers, but also by the American editors and retailers who have contributed as we have built this, and they will continue to be involved in our planning. We are so appreciative to have, from early on, Amazon’s fashion group as our presenting sponsor, and we are thankful to have Shinola involved as well.”

The menswear business has pressed for a separate Fashion Week schedule for years, one that would correspond better with the menswear industry’s calendar, but CFDA chief Steven Kolb’s campaign gained traction late last year. A similar shift toward men’s events happened in the U.K. with London Collections: Men. Paris and Milan already had separate men’s schedules.