Since 1993, or since the current Drexel senior class was in the first grade, Bryant Park has been the home of New York Fashion Week. This past fashion week, which wrapped on Thursday February 18th with a show by Tommy Hilfiger, was the last time that New York Fashion Week will be held there.
Mayor Bloomberg and the CFDA have been searching for a new location for the show for the past two years. Fashion Week has grown from 35 shows to about 70 shows per season. Mayor Bloomberg says that the event has long outgrown the space in Bryant Park and Diane von Furstenberg, CFDA President, says that since they are starting fresh next season, they can do it big.
But the designers and fashion insiders don't seem too be happy about the move. Anna Sui says that what worked about Bryant Park was that her team could walk her clothes over to the venue. Bryant Park's proximity to the fashion district and many of the designers' showrooms made the venue easy.
Some of the fashion industry's leading editors are also only a walk away from Bryant Park, which is conveniently located across the street from the Conde Nast Building, which houses Vogue. The entrance of the tents at 41st and 6th Avenue is covered in quotes by designers and fashion insiders about how Bryant Park made New York fashion relevant in the fashion world. The quote above the door is from none other than Anna Wintour: "Bryant Park became the beacon of what New York fashion stands for - an industry that's tireless, fearless and always moving forward."
It's sad to say that now moving forward involves leaving behind the place that made American fashion week famous.
Love live Bryant Park.
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