NYFW: A Fashion Circus With More Pizzazz Than Purpose?

Models or Influencers? As fashion pros step aside for influencers, NYFW seems more about going viral than showcasing couture.

Runway or Reality Show? When models hit the runway caked in mismatched foundation and bizarre costumes, you start to wonder: has NYFW lost its edge?

Talent on the Sidelines: Bold, Bronx-based designers like Mugzy Mcfly face an uphill battle for recognition while influencers steal the spotlight.

If New York Fashion Week is the “Olympics of fashion,” then we’re in the era where every sport now has a clowning event. In recent years, NYFW has swung from classic style reverie to something out of a surreal fever dream. Imagine influencers—those who should stay as spectators—stumbling their way down the runway, some looking more like they’re skipping to brunch than showcasing designer masterpieces. And that’s just the warm-up act!

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Gone are the days when high fashion meant setting a sartorial tone. Now, NYFW looks more like a collection of shock-value stunts, leaving me wondering if anyone still knows what fashion is supposed to be about. Remember that one show where, I kid you not, someone rocked up in a shower curtain? The message, I suppose, was to keep things fresh and squeaky clean. Or was it an attempt at a deep fashion metaphor? I’ll leave that to the philosophers.

Here’s the real gripe: in their desperation to go viral, designers are opting for “influencer models” with questionable experience over seasoned runway pros. Walking down the runway is supposed to be a skill, yet we now have anyone with a following taking on that challenge—often in ridiculous, conceptually “groundbreaking” designs that fall flat. It’s less about fashion and more about fueling social media spectacle. The result? Models caked in mismatched foundation and clothes that have all the subtlety of a Halloween costume—NYFW’s own transformation into a hot mess.

What stings is that truly innovative designers, the ones pushing boundaries with creativity rather than cringeworthy stunts, are pushed aside. Lacking influencer-driven sponsorships, they’re shut out of this prestigious event while those with backing, regardless of talent, dominate. Should we applaud the sheer audacity? Or maybe bring back the “fashion” in Fashion Week?

For more on the evolving spectacle of NYFW, see the full article on Daily Dot.