Have you heard the news that coming next September, the Fashion Night Out thing will not take place in NYC, while keep up internationally? No one really explains clearly why, so far, but it seems that there are quite good reasons for taking such a decision. The whole idea of a night dedicated to shopping, to consumers and their more direct relationship to the designers, possibly doesn’t serve anymore the needs of the local market, which, as we know is quite demanding and diverse. In my opinion, there was a great cost behind that, both for each one of the brands participating and for the City in general, without enough benefits for them to sustain it anymore.
I went to Soho for the last FNO, and no matter how entertaining it was for us inside the stores, and how good the intentions of the local authorities were, there was a huge negative visual impact on the streets, after the fashion-addict festivities, with tons of garbage everywhere and many people drunk and crazy clustered around. Big fashion companies, the Mayor, and everyone else in charge, did their best, but this ultra-happy fashion crowd in the streets was overwhelming. I’m sure that they could try more, and improve, as they did since 2009, but maybe FNO in NYC, served its purpose to boost consumption and curb crisis, so it’s not needed that much anymore.
It was a fantastic initiative and it still shows, in many other cities of the world, where it keeps up. This February, as Bill Cunningham detected recently in an amazing video of his, for the New York Times, there was all the necessary diversity needed to encourage fashionistas and boost the market. As he put it, the show was on the streets. It seems that NYC once again gets its original, enthusiastic pace, and no extra measures are still required, in order to reboot. This time there were too many shows, too many different settings, and too many ways to enjoy fashion during the NY Fashion Week. Needless to say that I went to parties which could be reminiscent of this idea of the FNO, such as this intimate and glamorous event at the Agent Provocateur store in Madison Avenue. And sporadically, many other stores were hosting such events, and will continue to do so, not only during the Fashion Week but throughout the year.
Consumers now, and this is a legacy of the FNO as well, get used to more impressive, fuller experience within their favorite stores, and more and more set the tone for innovations in the way retailers approach their clients. It’s all about technology and fashion, endorsed greatly by fashion giants such as Burberry and Chanel, fashion and music, fashion and a whole new form of lifestyle, as Ralph Lauren is practically suggesting. Stores should have the atmosphere and the facilities which would convince the client to stay more, feel cozy or excited, and dedicate a little bit more time to their relationship with the brand. Stores are after all evolving into a place where the brand communicates the message of the company rather than the main retail/selling spot. We know that more and more people are heavily engaged into online shopping, which is the basic reason why stores should be transformed into something else, the actual, psychical interface or point of interaction with the client.
Consumers deserve more and this is why the FNO takes a break in NYC. Who knows if it’s going to be reinvented and revamped at some point? But for the moment, NYC goes on with more avant-garde ideas and many more surprises for the fashionistas!
