Say goodbye to Spring Studios as the official hub of New York Fashion Week: The Shows. After more than five years, IMG has decided not to return to the Tribeca venue for the upcoming spring 2024 shows in February.
Spring Studios, located at 50 Varick Street, has served as the home of NYFW: The Shows since February 2018.
IMG, the official organizer and operator of NYFW, has come up with a new central venue for February, but will not confirm the location yet. It said it is creating a campus across downtown Manhattan including a new official hub of NYFW: The Shows in Chelsea, which will offer a lineup of new and returning designers an expansive show space “with incredible views of New York City.”
Sources said the new venue is the Starrett-Lehigh Building, a 19-story building at 601 West 26th Street in Chelsea. IMG declined to confirm.
What IMG will confirm is that High Line Nine will serve as the official showroom space for NYFW. That space will house initiatives such as the Black in Fashion showroom, presented by Rakuten, which will return for the eighth season. In addition, IMG will introduce a consumer-facing pop-up in NoHo that will carry exclusive designer items, host events, designer talks and will be home to the Tresemmé style salon.
New York Fashion Week is produced by IMG Focus and will take place Feb. 9-14 live and virtually at NYFW.com.
“Our top priority season after season is to support and uplift the American fashion industry, and we have been listening to designers, retailers and the broader community as we work to reimagine what New York Fashion Week can be,” said Kim Fasting-Berg, executive vice president, marketing, WME Fashion. “We are excited to take our first steps in this new direction and to continue to celebrate American fashion.”
IMG declined to comment on why the group is exiting Spring. Last season, show-goers complained that the air-conditioning at Spring wasn’t working for several days, and long lines for elevators and traffic congestion in the neighborhood have always posed problems.
While Spring has been the official home the past few years, designers have held shows all over New York City, in Chelsea, Tribeca, Brooklyn, the Upper West Side, Roosevelt Island, and the Upper East Side. Shows are often back to back, making it difficult for show-goers to make it to all the shows they want to see.
The New York fashion shows have relocated several times over the years, from the tents at Bryant Park, to Lincoln Center, to Skylight at Moynihan Station at 360 West 33rd Street in Midtown, and Skylight Clarkson Square at 550 Washington Street, to Spring.
Spring served as the centralized hub for all NYFW: The Shows-related activity, including runway shows and presentations, retail pop-ups, digital activations and designer partnerships. There were various spaces available for women’s fashion shows and presentations.
IMG has also partnered with creative director Ethan Tobman to serve as a consultant on the evolution of NYFW. Named one of Variety’s 2022 Top Artisans to Watch and coming off of his work on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, Tobman is expected to bring his creativity to the consumer-facing pop-up bridging the worlds of entertainment and fashion.
Since 2020, IMG has provided more than $20 million in support to American designers through programs such as the IMG Fashion Alliance, New York Fashion Week Small Business Grant with the Empire State Development, Black In Fashion Council Discovery Showrooms and through direct and brand partnerships.
Through NYFW, IMG supports designers in various capacities, including runway and fashion presentations, content, programming and experiential hospitality through NYFW: The Experience. NYFW.com offers exclusive designer content, livestreamed fashion shows, cultural programming and commerce surrounding NYFW. Followers can also track the Fashion Week action @NYFW across TikTok, Instagram, X and Facebook.