It’s no secret that New York Fashion Week has become a behemoth over the last couple years. More and more people flock to the tents at Lincoln Center, turning the bi-annual event into a huge spectacle. But that may soon change. IMG, who handles the event, announced it will introduce two new venues in February to "control and reduce audience capacities." There will be one for major shows, and a smaller location for brands on the rise.
According to the Wall Street Journal, IMG wants to weed out those with a "tenous connection to the fashion industry." This comes after numerous complaints from fashion designers about the crowds, or as Catherine Bennett, IMG's senior vice president and managing director, calls it the "zoo" at Lincoln Center. "What used to be a platform for established designers to debut their collections to select media and buyers has developed into a cluttered, often cost-prohibitive and exhausting period for our industry to effectively do business," she said.
This change means fewer fashion bloggers and street-style photographers at NYFW.
We can’t really blame IMG for this decision, though. What used to be something only fashion insiders would go to has become a place where people with no involvement with the fashion industry can just simply show up to. Even Jimmy Kimmel proved that when he famously trolled NYFW and asked people around about designers that don’t exist.
Plus, the crowds can be disruptions. How would you feel if hoards if people came to look at you do your job? Sometimes taking millions of pictures. But if there is anything to blame for the “democratization of fashion”, we all know it’s the Internet.
[via NYmag]
