Designer Michael Kors has announced that he will opt out of New York Fashion Week, scheduled this year for the week of Sept. 14, in favor of a Spring 2021 presentation in the mid-October to mid-November time frame.
“I have for a long time thought that the fashion calendar needs to change,” Kors said in a statement. “It’s exciting for me to see the open dialogue within the fashion community about the calendar – from Giorgio Armani to Dries Van Noten to Gucci to YSL to major retailers around the globe – about ways in which we can slow down the process and improve the way we work. We’ve all had time to reflect and analyse things, and I think many agree that it’s time for a new approach for a new era.”
Like many other designers, Kors has been dealing with the affects of coronavirus lockdowns, which kept shoppers out of stores, resulting in much unsold merchandise. The pandemic has also delayed production and deliveries of the Autumn 2020 collections.
“It is imperative that we give the consumer time to absorb the fall deliveries, which will just be arriving in September, and not confuse them with an overabundance of additional ideas, new seasons, products, and images,” said Kors.
Additionally, the release states that Kors will produce two collections per year for the Michael Kors Collection, one for Spring/Summer and one for Autumn/Winter and eliminating Resort and Pre-Fall. “I think it is also important to return to the idea that September and March are key months in launching the beginning of seasonal selling for the consumer,” Kors said. “This is when key editorial and media content hit, when the weather is starting to change, and when people are ready to absorb new collections and product – that they can wear and shop immediately. Keeping all of this in mind, we will also be reassessing when the fall collection is released to the press and the public – most likely sometime between mid-March and mid-April.”
