Maybe it was the snowstorm, maybe it was the American political situation, or maybe it was the absence of some of the city’s most popular names, but New York Fashion Week came in for some sharp critiques this season. It “limped” along. It was plagued by “sameyness.” It was “mostly ho-hum.” But was it, really? Michael Kors, for his part, has had enough of the city’s inferiority complex. “This is New York,” he said. “Why would you chase Europe? I don’t even mean the runways. I mean the streets. Everywhere you go in the world, people want a sense of ease.” We thought it was time for a temperature check, so we asked designers, buyers, and our fellow editors and critics how they think the New York season went, why it’s so hard to compete with Paris, and what a perfect spring 2026 New York Fashion Week in September would look like. Here are their answers.
Stuart Vevers, creative director, Coach
Being in the city, living in the city, it does change how you create because you are reacting to the things around you. We also have a strong sense of individuality and self-expression; that all feels very New York to me. When I see other brands showing here or returning to the schedule, I feel really positive about that, because I think it’s the community that we create that makes our city a compelling place to come and visit during the shows. I’m encouraged by it, it’s good–in fact, I wish we had more of it. It’s a little hard to talk about us taking a leadership position, but I do feel a responsibility. I’ve made a real point of connecting with other designers in the city, and I have found it to be a genuinely friendly and supportive environment. I always send flowers before fashion week to designers as a message of support to say good luck—even people who would be considered in competition with us [laughs]. Some time ago I met Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte because we were messaging each other about sharing models, and they said, let’s meet for a drink, and we did, and we got to know each other, and ended up working together.
Going forward, we need to keep celebrating who we are; to enjoy our differences, and what makes us different from Europe. I have read some things that were negative about the season in New York, and I have to say I thought it was a great week, that there was so much good work. There’s always a lot of pressure to kick off the whole season, especially a season that’s complex and that we’re all trying to understand and navigate — but we did it!
