Man-hattan: Will New York's first stand-alone menswear show for almost 20 years be a one-off or a new must-see on the fashion calendar?

Could the support of America’s heavy-hitters will be the deciding factor?

Calvin Klein Men - Neil Rasmus (Neil Rasmus/BFA.com)

It began with a queue, to get into Thom Browne’s presentation, the first slot on the first full day of the first ever New York Fashion Week: Men’s. Clunky title. But with a home market worth $62.7bn (£40bn) according to market-research figures from the NPD Group, it’s a trade event that many stateside felt was long overdue.

That queue was a fitting metaphor for America’s eagerness to climb on to the menswear bandwagon, a fashion market whose growth has been outstripping its female equivalent for more than five years.

In Browne’s case, the queue was to see The Officeman, a collection of grey suits, hand-tailored in New York. It was good, but not new. The suits are Browne staples. He’d already shown his new stuff – a well-received collection for spring/summer 2016 – in Paris, as usual.

That proved a portent of presentations to come. The true American giants were called upon to anchor the event: Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren; to a lesser extent Coach, Perry Ellis and John Varvatos. So imagine the disappointment, upon arriving at Calvin Klein Collection for its scheduled slot, to be greeted with the same clothes that had debuted on the catwalk in Milan a few weeks earlier; or travelling to Coach’s showroom to (re)see the contents of its June London show.

Few of the people to whom I spoke wanted to rain on the parade of an event still in its infancy, especially one with the admirable ambition of elevating talent that would otherwise be overlooked. But, general fatigue notwithstanding, there are also serious doubts about how committed those anchor brands are; and whether some of the smaller design names are quite ready to be in the spotlight.

“I think the bigger brands wanted to have a presence because it’s the first time,” says Robin Givhan, fashion critic at The Washington Post. “But they’re huge and for them to change gears it’s like turning the Queen Mary. If I had already seen the collection I would not be turning up again to see it in a static way, but then I’m not tasked with the care and feeding of fashion advertisers.” It is this last issue that needs further discussion by those in charge – powerful brands with big advertising budgets can command an audience. But if there’s nothing new for anybody to see, what’s the point?

That’s something John Varvatos had issue with. The designer had already committed to a venue for his usual slot on the Milan schedule when he decided to show in New York. But having worked closely with Steven Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), on the creation of the event, he felt “compelled” to support it.

A model walks at Billy Reid Runway at New York Fashion Week Men's S/S 2016 (Getty Images)

“I think the timing is good,” he says. “The market here is opening right now. The big question is globally, will the buyers, press and retailers travel to all those places? Will their budgets support it?” Varvatos believes his customers won’t care which fashion week he aligns himself with, and it must be said that the awareness of the general public of New York Fashion Week: Men’s could be higher, considering the event is advertised on billboards, in newspapers and in the city’s yellow taxis, thanks to headline sponsor Amazon Fashion.

As for Michael Kors, when it comes to menswear, he’s been marching to his own drum for some time now. Over the past two years, he’s taken to presenting his Michael Kors Collection men’s line in a New York salon show after sales complete in his European showroom, and he seems pleased the industry has caught up with him. “We were a bit renegade as far as the schedule goes,” he says. “We always used to mix the men’s collections in with the women’s show during New York Fashion Week, and we would have already sold to all of the retailers around the world, so it always seemed as though menswear was an afterthought. But it’s a growing business [and] the simple truth is that seeing it all together means retailers and journalists can get a better overview.” Kors may have presented his collection in New York, but it wasn’t quite a debut – buyers placed their orders at the Milan market a month ago (as they had with John Varvatos). That practice will continue, whatever the outcome of New York Fashion Week: Men’s.

On the retail side, Toby Bateman, sales and buying director of MrPorter.com, agrees with Kors that a more complete overview is a useful tool: “Many of the American designers we carry have always participated in the women’s fashion week and it makes sense for a men’s one, following so soon after the European shows. It makes for a more succinct buying schedule, and it allows us to better observe all of the shows in one thoughtful succession.” The trip to New York is also not much of a detour for many retailers, heading to the city to attend Capsule, a menswear trade show.

Robert Geller New York Menswear Spring/Summer 2016 Collections (© 2015 Access Fashion Media)

Of the press who have attended from London, many are here to support their advertisers – but also out of a sense of first-time curiosity. Ben Cobb, editor of AnOther Man, was one of 10 UK journalists who attended with support from the CFDA: “I was excited when they announced it was happening; I wanted to come and see how it was going to be here. There were quite a few brands I didn’t know, which was a draw, and it gives you a taster for the whole industry in a different city.”

Steven Kolb worked with American editors, buyers and members of the CFDA to ensure the schedule would be “strong and representative of the American menswear industry.” But the success of that aspiration has been mixed, given the patchy support of world-recognised American heavy-hitters. Fashion critic Robin Givhan admits that even she had to Google some of the more obscure labels on show. Still, she’s optimistic. “It’s hard for small brands, because sometimes they’re held together with bubblegum and a prayer.” she says, but at least this gives them a chance to “sell to a significant store in the UK or Europe”.

For the sake of all involved, let’s hope there’s a more robust system in place in the future. With that and a true contribution from the big-name brands, there is plenty of potential for this fashion week to be a success. And not just to flag-flying patriots.µ