Multi-ethnic New York Fashion Week opens under shadow of tariffs and Chinese retaliation

New York Fashion Week kicks off the international catwalk season this Thursday morning with designers deeply worried about tariffs and the brands threatened by multiple international sanctions.

The season is increasingly denuded of its greatest designers: Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Jacobs (who showed off-calendar), and Proenza Schouler, whose appointment as new creative directors of Loewe is expected to be announced this spring.
 
The most famous brand showing in New York will be Calvin Klein, a runway return after almost a half-decade hiatus with new designer Veronica Leoni. But that same brand has just been put on China’s Unreliability Entity List, along with fellow PVH stablemate, Tommy Hilfiger.

The aggressive moves came after President Donald Trump, a former New York resident, imposed fresh tariffs on China. In response, China’s Commerce Ministry complained that the two fashion brands “violated normal marketing trading principles, interrupted normal transactions with Chinese companies, adopted discriminatory measures against Chinese companies, and seriously damaged the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.” Without, however, providing any exact details.

Being placed on the list means probable fines, and restrictions on sales and investments in China.

 
Still, don’t expect a quiet NYFW season with 47 brands staging runway shows, 16 brands holding presentations, a further 19 labels busy with by-appointment displays, and four brands listed as digital shows in the six days of action that ends Tuesday evening February 11, with Thom Browne’s show. 
 
The New York season comes after multiple designers spoke out in last month’s menswear and haute couture shows in Europe against attacks on the LGBTQI+ community in the wake of Trump’s return to power in Washington. 
 
Which indirectly highlights one of the New York’s season’s greatest strengths. Its remarkable ethnic and gender diversity – certainly compared to continental Europe. According to the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), U.S. fashion’s governing body, designers are almost exactly split between men and women with one listed as non-binary. While 48 brands are designed by a caucasian designer; 17 by an Asian designer; 16 brands by a Black designer; and seven by Latinx designers.
 
Truly the Big Apple remains the melting pot of the world, and of fashion. In this moment of resistance and hope, we spoke with the CFDA’s CEO Steven Kolb, as the fashion games begin. 

 
FashionNetwork: China has just announced retaliatory tariffs. What impact will this have on NYFW?  And on American designers? And on PVH, which includes Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, and has been named on the Unreliability Entity List by China?
 
Steven Kolb: China’s retaliatory tariffs will affect American fashion. Increased manufacturing costs and disruptions in the supply chain may influence designers’ pricing and production. NYFW could also experience these impacts as brands tackle these challenges. PVH’s designation on China’s Unreliable Entity List could restrict market access, disrupt supply chains, and affect consumer demand.
 
FN: Despite these concerns, which new talent are you most excited about in this coming season?

SK: We’re looking forward to the return of Calvin Klein Collection under the creative direction of Veronica Leoni as well as Christopher John Rogers. New to the schedule are such talents as Gabe Gordon, LeBlancStudios by Yamil Arbaje and Angelo Beato, and Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen, Heirlome and Chuks Collins. New York Fashion Week has always been a place of discovery and these talents bring a new voice and perspectives to the American Collections.
 
FN: Fashion weeks in Europe in January – both menswear and couture – saw a lot of expressions of support for the LGBTQI+ community. Do you expect that to also happen in NYFW?
 
SK: The LGBTQI+ community has long been an essential part of New York Fashion Week and American fashion. Given the current political climate, we expect designers to express their support for the community. Fashion reflects culture, and NYFW will continue to be a platform for that.