Headed to New York Fashion Week? Prepare to be greeted by freezing temperatures and piles of grimy snow and slush crowding the sidewalks. It’s no wonder February’s shows are often overshadowed by September’s.
“September is kind of the spotlight. People are in a good mood, it has a back-to-school energy. February is more about hibernation; it’s not as bright,” says Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) CEO Steven Kolb. “But there will be great designers and some great moments.”
The first thing you’ll notice looking at this week’s schedule is that typical time slots have shifted. The week runs officially from February 11 to 16 (though, in typical fashion, Marc Jacobs kicked things off off-schedule with a runway show on Monday night, and Ralph Lauren is hosting another off-calendar runway on Tuesday). Plowing through Valentine’s Day and ending on a public holiday (Presidents Day), the week is unusually front-loaded, opening with Rachel Scott’s official debut at Proenza Schouler at noon on Wednesday. From then, we’ll see some of the season’s biggest brands in quick succession: Coach (Wednesday at 3pm), Tory Burch (Wednesday at 7pm), Carolina Herrera (Thursday at 10am), Michael Kors (Thursday at 5:30pm), and Calvin Klein (Friday at noon).
Kolb says the Fall/Winter 2026 schedule changed to lighten the load on the Monday holiday, without such a long break between the New York and London shows, which organizers trialled last year. The nine-day gap “did feel a little removed from the international schedule” in hindsight, says Kolb. That New York’s February edition has to dance around a public holiday, usually contending with the Super Bowl (which, this past weekend, poached CFDA chair Thom Browne, who usually closes the February season), has raised questions. Is the future of New York Fashion Week’s February edition in jeopardy?
“We have had that conversation, yes. People have recommended it to me, yes. Where we sit, it’s not going to happen,” says Kolb. “New York needs February. The thing is, if the CFDA said we won’t do February fashion week, designers would still do shows and people would still come in. Designers depend on it, it’s important to them. It would be irresponsible for us to move away from February shows.” So put on your snow boots and get ready — here’s what’s in store.
What to watch
For the FW26 season, there are 52 runway shows and 46 presentations, totaling 98 events (compared to 101 in September, which is typically larger). There are 15 new brands on the schedule, including Andrew Curwen, Pipenco, Menyelek, Mel Usine, and Contessa Mills.
Scott’s aforementioned Proenza Schouler debut (she showed a small presentation in September co-designed with the studio) is among the most-anticipated moments, as well as her second runway show for her eponymous brand, Diotima. Nicholas Aburn will host his sophomore show at Area on Friday. Public School is returning with a runway show after a six-year hiatus, while 7 For All Mankind and Cult Gaia are making surprise appearances on the schedule. Rising stars to watch for are Lii, who debuted on the official schedule last season with a standout show; Ashlyn, who will show off the back of her Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund and Emerging Designer Award wins; and Daniella Kallmeyer, who was nominated for the CFDA’s American Womenswear Designer of the Year.
There are some missing names and moments this season, too. New York is again without an out-of-town guest (though it’s worth noting brands like Chanel, Moncler, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci have recently hosted shows in the States, or will later this year). Thom Browne was at the Super Bowl. Willy Chavarria returned to Paris Fashion Week Men’s. Luar isn’t hosting a show, either.
“This season [may seem] quieter, but when it’s done, I think we will all feel full enough,” says fashion consultant Julie Gilhart, who has a long list of brands she’s looking forward to seeing: Collina Strada, Eckhaus Latta, Zankov, Campillo, Colleen Allen, Lii, Ashlyn, Fforme, Meruert Tolegen, Rùadh, Advisry, Gabe Gordon, Tanner Fletcher, Khaite, Tory Burch, Ulla Johnson, Attersee, Heirlome, Kallmeyer, Maria McManus, and TWP.
The designer spent the last 10 years quietly changing the way she runs her business. It’s made all the difference.
“Perhaps this is an opportunity for New York Fashion Week to slowly shift the emphasis a little bit away from the big shows, toward more opportunities for the next generation of talent. It gets a bit dull when things are always the same,” Gilhart says.
A difficult backdrop
The FW26 shows take place amid rising political tension in the US, the rippling effects of tariffs, and the aftermath of the Saks Global bankruptcy. Still, buyers will be out in force and fashion will once again be tasked with offering a reprieve from the darkness. Or, they’ll get political again. “I think we’re going to see across the season how the unrest is affecting that emotional output. But underneath it all, this is a business, and the economy of it needs to move forward. So it’s about how you do that while holding space for what’s going on in this country,” KCD CEO Rachna Shah told Elektra Kotsoni for her latest newsletter, The Scoop.
“[I want to] encourage designers not to lose their creative voices, especially when there’s such challenges like the Saks bankruptcy, tariffs, inflation, geopolitical tension. There’s a lot of heavy stuff that can be a distraction. And it’s important for creativity to shine through this,” says Kolb.
The CFDA offers resources for brands navigating the Saks debacle. On Monday, it hosted a session for its members with lawyers to discuss options around shipping inventory and receiving late payments. A past session focused on bankruptcy 101. “The general consensus I hear is everyone wants Saks to succeed. It’s so important to the industry and the designers,” Kolb says. “Having said that, we’re going to lose some brands. There’s going to be some fallout, that’s just business. We’re doing the best we can to soften it and keep brands going.” It’s not all doom and gloom for retail: Nordstrom is hosting an event at its Manhattan store on Tuesday night to celebrate its 125th anniversary, co-hosted by Thom Browne, which serves as the week’s unofficial launch party.
While New York fashion lacks government support, other funds aim to help small designers. Genesis House and the CFDA awarded Terrence Zhou of Bad Binch TongTong the 2026 AAPI Design and Innovation Grant, created in 2023 for Asian American and Pacific Islander designers. This year marked the start of the Veronica Beard x CFDA Creative Futures Scholarship, which awards four undergraduate designers $50,000 each, plus a paid internship at Veronica Beard.
The CFDA is also partnering with OpenAI on a new designer initiative, announced Monday. Called the Innovation Hub, the partnership was created to teach designers how they might use AI for their businesses, while centering creative leadership. In its first year, the Innovation Hub will pair six fashion brands with six AI tool builders to collaborate and develop pilot projects that unite AI and fashion design.
Then, the CFDA’s New York Fashion Week Fund is back, which raises money from partners to provide a stipend for international buyers and editors to travel in. Right now, it’s enough to fund approximately 10 trips. “My hope is we can grow that even more. Declining budgets have had an impact in terms of people traveling, and our main effort is to offset that. We need more people here,” says Kolb.
A new infrastructure — again
Last year, a partnership between the CFDA and newly formed organization KFN promised to revamp New York Fashion Week with a multi-phase plan. It officially launched last September, starting with the Venue Collective, a group of event spaces where on-schedule designers could show for free. Other future initiatives laid out by KFN last year included consumer-centered events, generating city and state support, and a digital platform for attendees.
The newly-formed KFN has stepped in to improve the experience for September’s New York Fashion Week, with support from the CFDA. Is it what the industry has been waiting for?
Since then, KFN has disbanded. N4XT Experiences (previously part of KFN) is now carrying the torch to keep a version of the initial plan going under the new moniker NYFW Collections. The platform is again offering designers the ability to present their collections at partnering venues at no cost; N4XT takes care of the back-of-house and production expenses. This season, designers working with NYFW Collections to stage runway shows include Altuzarra, Kallmeyer, Fforme, and Area.
“What we’re doing at the basic level is lowering the barrier for designers to be able to show,” says Imad Izemrane, CEO and co-founder of N4XT Experiences. “You don’t need to be an LVMH Group-level designer to show under our umbrella.”
N4XT is also bringing on SAP as its technology partner to provide backend infrastructure and support for business software, e-commerce sales, in-store retail tech and more through its platform. Public School is the first to partner with N4XT and SAP on a pop-up, open February 12 to 14, which is powered by the partnership’s technology. Coming up in future seasons are plans for a consumer-facing app, called .FW, which will bring events in one place and allow customers to shop shows in-season for pre-order. Altuzarra is participating as an early designer partner.
“We’re not doing what we’re doing as a replacement for retail, but it’s about reducing dependency on a single model that’s very fragile right now,” says Izemrane. “Through the partnership, we’re helping the designers show, and then creating a hybrid model where they can connect with consumers all over the world.”
The relaunch of the now-abandoned KFN initiative reveals both the difficulties NYFW designers face in terms of support, as well as the dedication to make the most of the week and provide a better structure for all those involved.
“Despite the cold, despite tariffs, despite bankruptcy, people are going to show up with their best creative ideas like we always have,” says Kolb.
