Why won’t anyone sponsor a NYFW bus?

Welcome to The American Thread, a recurring column on the fate and future of fashion in the US, written by Vogue Business editor-at-large Christina Binkley. To receive the Vogue Business newsletter, sign up here. Steven Kolb, the long-time chief executive of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), last week posted an Instagram story seeking a marketing sponsor for New York Fashion Week. It’s an indication of the struggles facing American fashion. Kolb’s post, which he also placed on his LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Threads, asked his followers for ideas to enlist a sponsor for a bus that could ferry NYFW press and buyers between the Spring/Summer 2025 shows. It would be similar to the buses that operate across Paris and Milan fashion weeks. “DM me,” he pleaded. I texted him. How much money was the CFDA seeking? Roughly $75,000 to $100,000, he replied — enough to cover the lease, operations, and some extras or overhead. Had he pitched to beauty and fashion companies, or sought support outside of the fashion industry — banks, pharmaceuticals, media, Amazon? “All of it,” Kolb replied. Kolb represents an industry group whose annual awards show for fashion excellence rivals the Oscars for its red carpet. Last year’s CFDA Awards were sponsored by Amazon Fashion, hosted by actress Anne Hathaway, and honoured Serena Williams as Fashion Icon. The $360 billion US apparel industry is expected to grow by 2.1 per cent annually over the next several years. American fashion is a high-profile, sexy, desirable industry that draws close attention from millennial and Gen Z shoppers alike Now, this influential organisation is offering a premier marketing opportunity — a mobile wrap-around billboard that could place its sponsor in front of a young and fashion-hungry public — for what is a paltry amount of money when it comes to corporate marketing budgets. If it comes to be, the bus would criss-cross New York City, pulling into the throngs that wait outside even the most minor of the 71 shows on the official NYFW calendar (which was released on Monday). It could be an instant backdrop for the celebrity arrivals, influencers, selfie-takers, street-style photographers and looky-loos who gather outside shows. Back in the ’90s and noughties, an era viewed by old-timers with rose-coloured glasses, NYFW’s tents at Bryant Park were inundated with sponsors who sought to get in front of the week’s attendees. Evian handed out bottles of its mineral water, while Mercedes-Benz inserted its name, dubbing the event ‘Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week’, and placed a glitzy new car inside the tents’ entrance. Beauty brands set up mini salons and manicure booths. Later, Lexus ferried VIPs from show to show. NYFW today has morphed into something smaller, more independent and disparate, with brands holding shows all over Manhattan and Brooklyn. There are fewer centralised branding opportunities for marketers other than banner ads on New York taxi cabs. Many of New York’s major fashion brands, with little to gain from sharing the limelight, have either abandoned the calendar or dip in and out as they please. Marc Jacobs shows when he wants. Oscar de la Renta does private showings for clients only. The Row moved its shows to Paris. Even Thom Browne, chairman of the CFDA, isn’t on this season’s NYFW calendar. Joseph Altuzarra is taking a break in September (though I’m told he may show later this autumn). And Helmut Lang, too, is not on the schedule. NYFW has seen attendance dwindle since the pandemic, and European press and buyers have slashed budgets for their teams to cover the week. This season, the Ralph Lauren show is being held two days ahead of the official calendar to accommodate the brand’s chosen location in the Hamptons, requiring several hours of travel for attendees. The CFDA lacks the dictatorial clout and government support of its European siblings, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode in France and the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana in Italy, each of which have the backing to bring in funding. This is a critical moment for NYFW, and the CFDA is trying to meet the moment. Last season, I wrote that NYFW needs a mom — someone to cajole and reward cooperation among disparate brands who are competing for time slots, stylists, models and other resources. Kolb, who is often at the centre of the maelstrom, didn’t disagree, but no one is more aware than he that today isn’t yesterday, and no one is going back to Bryant Park. The bus Kolb is proposing would be a partial solution to reduce the budget pressures and traffic disruptions of navigating a fashion week with shows scheduled in Manhattan and the outer boroughs, where the cost of Ubers can be prohibitive for tight budgets, and where using public transportation requires a native’s grasp of the subway system. When I touched base with Kolb on Tuesday, his social media outreach had elicited some responses. “We’ve had some conversations that left me feeling very optimistic,” he said. He noted that he’s planning to ride the NYFW bus, if it happens, himself. “Right now,” Kolb said, “I’m just trying to hook the fish.” Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com. More from this author: Does fashion hate women in power? Show me the ingredients: The story behind fashion’s first nutrition label Retail needs to enter its less-is-more era

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