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First NYC men’s fashion week

Today was the last day of the NYC menswear fashion week, and the past few days have been trailblazing in New York City fashion for numerous reasons. From July 13 to 16, New York City at last showcased its first fashion week dedicated to men.

For some time, New York City was the only out of the four fashion capitals—the others being Milan, Paris and London—not to have its own men’s fashion week. The decision by CFDA, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, to launch the inaugural menswear week was thus a vanguard move. Finally, men’s wear can mature its market and deviate from hackneyed tradition of Ralph Lauren polos and Tommy Hilfiger tees.

Additionally, the American market will be able to compete with its European counterparts. Economically, menswear designers will have a much greater opportunity to showcase their work; they no longer have it as extension to women’s fashion week. Buyers who spend their all their money on women’s fashion investment will have more to spend when July rolls and will spend on menswear.

Shimon Ovadia, ascending new designer from Ovadia & Sons, describes, “Before, most buyers would have seen all of the collections in the showroom and spent most of their budget, if not all, by the time NYFW rolled around.”

European men’s design has been able to flourish through showcases, but now domestic fashion finally has a chance.

Simon Chilvers, a director at matchesfashion.com, says, “New York has a strong emerging scene of designers – Public School, Tim Coppens, Long Journey, Simon Miller, Orley, Baja East, CWST and so on.”

These labels will be able to flaunt American talent and evolve American men’s fashion at last.

However, it is imperative not to forget the wearers and consumers of fashion. The visitors to the men’s week have set trends tantamount to the showcase itself. See our pedestrian perspective of the week in the slider above.

Photographs by : M.C. O’Connor

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