CFDA revamps fashion calendar

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) calendar is about to look a whole lot different. With more American designers showing abroad in Paris and other cities, the CFDA has said they will be renaming the New York Fashion Week schedule the “American Collections Calendar,” listing designers regardless of what date or city they are showing in.

CFDA Chairman Tom Ford made it clear the organization will continue to encourage American designers to show in New York during New York Fashion Week, but they also recognize the need to broaden global visibility. With more American designers showing in key markets, such as Europe and Asia, and even off-calendar in many cases, the CFDA has taken a more democratized approach to the fashion calendar.

The CFDA bought the Fashion Calendar from its founder Ruth Finley in 2014. Finley originally began publishing a schedule for the New York fashion industry back in the 1940s. IMG, which acquired New York Fashion Week in 2013, also publishes its own schedule for NYFW: The Shows.

Last year, the CFDA launched Runway360, a digital platform for designers to showcase their collections virtually in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic. Runway360 will be integrated into the American Collections Calendar.

photo: courtesy of the CFDA