You probably noticed that Ralph Lauren wasn't on the New York Fashion Week Fall 2024 schedule. Everyone expected the legendary fashion house to present its latest collection during fashion week in the Big Apple, especially since it was big news that the brand returned to the New York calendar for Spring 2024. Which was a huge deal since prior to that the label hadn't shown in New York since September 2019.
Well, you only have to wait a little longer to see what the fashion house has in store. It was just announced that its Fall/Holiday 2024 runway show will take place at a still undisclosed New York location on April 29. Although it apparently will be "small and intimate," which kind of rules out a lot of venues. Regardless, it will no doubt be a stellar presentation and with it also labeled as a holiday collection, we're super curious what types of outfits will be sent down the runway.
Ralph Lauren's break with the traditional fashion week timetable is nothing new. Many brands have opted out of participating in the long-established, four-fashion-capitals system. Take Jacquemus which recently put on its Les Sculptures show at the Fondation Maeght in the village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence. In the past, big brands like Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen have skipped fashion weeks.
It appears like there might be a case to be made for operating fall and spring like the resort season. New York, London, Milan and Paris are heavily congested with all the runway traffic. Attendees sometimes have to decide which show to attend due to conflicting or too close together start times. The resort schedule is more wide open. While most major fashion houses present them around May or June, there's no hard-and-fast rule. Another benefit is the fact that the resort shows are usually held in some far-off destination. Louis Vuitton's Cruise 2025 show is being held in Barcelona. Christian Dior is traveling to Scotland for its showcase.
Now those destination runways also make it hard for possible showgoers to attend since it requires a trip and a bit of an investment. But at least they don't have to worry about two shows being held at the same time in the same place. Plus, resort collections lend themselves to travel because their wares are meant to be worn on, say, a cruise, for example. (This is the place where we remind you that resort and cruise are used interchangeably in the fashion industry.)
We're happy to hear that Ralph Lauren will be introducing its newest collection in New York and have already added the date to our far-less-formal calendar.
