CFDA Launches NYFWLIST and Takeover

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has made the re-boot of New York Fashion Week one of their top priorities in 2014, and we're starting to see the fruits of their labors. Earlier this week, the organization unveiled NYFWLIST digital fashion calendar, an online version of the NYFW fashion calendar available as a mobile app and desktop tool. Perhaps this'll be the magic bullet that finally eases the headache of Fashion Week scheduling.

As it is, Fashion Week is a hot mess of shows, presentations, and events occurring all over Manhattan and now Brooklyn, too, thanks to Alexander Wang's latest announcement. Editors, buyers, and members of the media spend the week literally sprinting from one location to another in order to catch shows. (It takes quite the toll on the feet.)

For the last 70 years, Ruth Finley of Fashion Calendar has been publishing the entire New York Fashion Week schedule. She alone has been responsible for wrangling hundreds of designers, scheduling each show, and distributing the master list to industry insiders with no other governing body or organization to oversee the process. We're wiping the sweat from our brows just thinking about the task.

With NYFWLIST, the CFDA is stepping in to assist Finley with scheduling and distribution of the fashion calendar. Once scheduled by the CFDA team, each show is added to the calendar and categorized by designer, time, location, and type for easy searches. PR company contact information is also included for RSVP inquiries — wham, bam, easy ma'am! Although the only feature available now is the show list, CFDA plans on rolling out unique accounts allowing users to save events, set scheduling conflict alerts, and find local transportation suggestions.

Next step in the CFDA’s NYFW re-boot will be a more centralized location for show production and they has a perfect spot in mind (surprise!).

Culture Shed at the Hudson Yards is rumored to be the next home of NYFW. The 180,000 square foot venue is set to be completed in 2017, and guess who serves on the board of the project? CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg. According to Business of Fashion, DVF, along with CFDA CEO Steven Kolb, have been “advising” the architects to ensure their vision for NYFW comes to fruition.

Being that the CFDA represents more than 400 of America’s top designers, it would not be difficult for them to kindly suggest — put the pressure on — designers to shift their shows to the chosen location and away from competitors like Pier 59 and Milk Studios.

Is the CFDA becoming the fashion mafia? They have their fingers in everything.

Images: NYFWLIST/CFDA, Culture Shed/Rockwell Group