“This season [may seem] quieter, but when it’s done, I think we will all feel full enough,” says fashion consultant Julie Gilhart, who has a long list of brands she’s looking forward to seeing: Collina Strada, Eckhaus Latta, Zankov, Campillo, Colleen Allen, Lii, Ashlyn, Fforme, Meruert Tolegen, Rùadh, Advisry, Gabe Gordon, Tanner Fletcher, Khaite, Tory Burch, Ulla Johnson, Attersee, Heirlome, Kallmeyer, Maria McManus, and TWP.
“Perhaps this is an opportunity for New York Fashion Week to slowly shift the emphasis a little bit away from the big shows, toward more opportunities for the next generation of talent. It gets a bit dull when things are always the same,” Gilhart says.
A difficult backdrop
The FW26 shows take place amid rising political tension in the US, the rippling effects of tariffs, and the aftermath of the Saks Global bankruptcy. Still, buyers will be out in force and fashion will once again be tasked with offering a reprieve from the darkness. Or, they’ll get political again. “I think we’re going to see across the season how the unrest is affecting that emotional output. But underneath it all, this is a business, and the economy of it needs to move forward. So it’s about how you do that while holding space for what’s going on in this country,” KCD CEO Rachna Shah told Elektra Kotsoni for her latest newsletter, The Scoop.
“[I want to] encourage designers not to lose their creative voices, especially when there’s such challenges like the Saks bankruptcy, tariffs, inflation, geopolitical tension. There’s a lot of heavy stuff that can be a distraction. And it’s important for creativity to shine through this,” says Kolb.
The CFDA offers resources for brands navigating the Saks debacle. On Monday, it hosted a session for its members with lawyers to discuss options around shipping inventory and receiving late payments. A past session focused on bankruptcy 101. “The general consensus I hear is everyone wants Saks to succeed. It’s so important to the industry and the designers,” Kolb says. “Having said that, we’re going to lose some brands. There’s going to be some fallout, that’s just business. We’re doing the best we can to soften it and keep brands going.” It’s not all doom and gloom for retail: Nordstrom is hosting an event at its Manhattan store on Tuesday night to celebrate its 125th anniversary, co-hosted by Thom Browne, which serves as the week’s unofficial launch party.
While New York fashion lacks government support, other funds aim to help small designers. Genesis House and the CFDA awarded Terrence Zhou of Bad Binch TongTong the 2026 AAPI Design and Innovation Grant, created in 2023 for Asian American and Pacific Islander designers. This year marked the start of the Veronica Beard x CFDA Creative Futures Scholarship, which awards four undergraduate designers $50,000 each, plus a paid internship at Veronica Beard.
The CFDA is also partnering with OpenAI on a new designer initiative, announced Monday. Called the Innovation Hub, the partnership was created to teach designers how they might use AI for their businesses, while centering creative leadership. In its first year, the Innovation Hub will pair six fashion brands with six AI tool builders to collaborate and develop pilot projects that unite AI and fashion design.