CFDA creates new logo for NYFW

The Council of Fashion Designers of America certainly wants as much of New York Fashion Week pie as they can get their hands on. The organization has released a new brand logo and brand campaign for the shows in an effort to unify all NYFW activities and raise awareness about the event. Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA was quoted saying to WWD that, "“This is the first time [having a logo and campaign], and it’s really the result of the process of creating New York Fashion Week as a brand."

The idea came from a meeting that he and CFDA president Diane von Furstenburg had with Mayor Bill de Blasio where they discussed the important of fashion week in NYC. They concluded that it was in the best interest of NYFW to have the event under one giant umbrella given the amount of people that come to NYC for NYFW and the amount that happens during that time as well. The CFDA collaborated with brand strategy and innovation agency Redscout to develop a visual identity for NYFW.

CFDA unveils new NYFW logo

The goal was to align all facets of NYFW under one brand, including everything from central venues to off-site locations. In total, there are 350 fashion shows that take place during NYFW, with the creation of a standalone men's fashion week this has reduced the number of shows, but the event is still expected to be quite sizable nonetheless. WME/IMG used to unite many shows under the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week umbrella, but Mercedes-Benz has pulled out as a sponsor.

IMG will continue to refer to its slate of shows as New York Fashion Week, but they will develop their own logo to differentiate from the non-IMG sponsored shows. The logo is to be revealed later this month. Around 50 designers will participate in the IMG shows which will take place at the Skylight Clarkson Square and Moynihan Station. Another 30 designers will be participating in Made Fashion Week which IMG acquired last winter, which is specifically for up and coming designers, and will be held at Milk Studios.

Many of the major New York designers like Diane von Furstenburg, Ralph Lauren, and Marc Jacobs all show outside of IMG, so they are expected to use the CFDA backed NYFW logo. All the shows are officially organized under the Fashion Calendar, which CFDA acquired in 2014. When the idea for the campaign began, CFDA met with IMG and Made to ensure that it would be part of a bigger strategy for the entire week to connect as an extension of the fashion calendar, as they are the keepers of the fashion calendar.

CFDA has no interest in becoming producers again as Kolb made clear, with the reason they produced NYFW: Men's only being there was such a demand for it, and it was about time. The new campaign and logo will be launched for NYFW: Women's, which is scheduled from September 10 to the 17. The campaign colors of orange and blue are taken from the New York State flag.

De Blasio, who is a major supporter of NYFW, said of CFDA's new campaign, "CFDA’s new campaign will further strengthen New York Fashion Week’s global impact — providing an inclusive brand for all to use throughout the week. The fashion industry is more vital than ever when it comes to our city’s economic future — employing 180,000 people and generating 2 billion dollar a year in tax revenue. That’s why we’ve tripled our investment to support and elevate the manufacturers, designers and students here in New York who make this industry and this city so great. New York Fashion Week is key to that work, highlighting New York City’s centrality to the industry and attracting people from across the globe.”

Photo: WWD