Celebrities are flocking to New York for fashion week

New York City Fashion Week kicks off this weekend with shows featuring the designs of iconic brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Tory Burch, and Michael Kors.

But after more than 80 years of showcasing the best that fashion has to offer, some are concerned that the Big Apple is no longer the incubator of style that it once was.

Between 2014 and 2024, the number of New Yorkers working in the fashion industry has declined by nearly 30% – while the number of students receiving degrees from the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Pratt Institute, and the Parsons School of Design has dropped by a third since 2016, The City reported.

A recent report from the Partnership for New York City flagged a number of concerning developments that could be responsible for the declining fashion economy in New York.

In many respects, they are the same concerns that plague all New Yorkers: too-high rents, fewer available jobs, immigration restrictions, and power players failing to give young, up-and-comers a seat at the table.

“New York produces great fashion design talent. But there is still a gap within the business side of fashion,” said Ben Barry, Dean, School of Fashion, Parsons School of Design, in the report. “We need to provide business professionals with opportunities to collaborate with fashion designers. The connections between designers and businesspeople are where we are lacking.”

There are also industry-specific trends that have stymied the New York fashion world – namely the emergence of fast fashion. Despite the myriad reasons why people object to fast fashion – worker exploitation, disastrous environmental implications, poor quality products, and “shockingly high levels of lead” in garments – the textile manufacturing industry has largely been exported to fast fashion manufacturers in East Asia.

“New York City is not going to be able to fix the fact the fashion industry writ large has been completely disrupted over the past decade, especially by the low cost of labor in the Far East and the emergence of fast fashion,” said Alicia Glen, deputy mayor for economic development under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, according to The City.

Still, some are optimistic that New York could regain its place in the world of fashion, including overhauling New York City Fashion Week. The report recommends reducing costs for new designers, creating a central location for key events instead of dispersing them through the city, and discounting hotel rates to attract foreign media and guests.

Continue reading to see all the celebrities in town to kick off New York City Fashion Week.