NYFW Factoid: Kanye West’s Spring 2016 Scheduling Controversy

New York Fashion Week: The Shows (NYFWS) may be over, but some of the controversy during this fashion week of change still continues. The change of venue and the inconvenience of traversing between Pier 59, Moynihan Station, Skylight Modern Clarkson Square, and Milk Studios produced confusion, exhaustion and downright anger among many editors, photographers, and fashion industry professionals. Yet, that was not one of the biggest stories of this current NYFWS season.

The biggest controversy of NYFWS spring 2016 was Kanye West’s last minute addition to the NYFWS calendar and the outrage from designers around his presentation that conflicted with their scheduled show. This conflict was reported in publications from The New York Times, WWD, The Independent, usmagazine.com, nydailynews.com, foxnews.com, and a host of other print and online publications. Even Wendy Williams on her nationally syndicated talk show took a jab at Kanye. But, was this really a story at all?

At closer examination, the ‘Kanye spring 2016 fashion controversy’ was the result of ambitious publications who want to take a ride on the Kanye publicity/social media train in a much ado about nothing controversy. Print dailies and online publications are always looking for the next big story that keeps their readers coming back for more. And in this age of extreme yellow journalism and daily content battles, everyone is looking for the next sensational story, even if the story is unjustified.

Fashion Reverie gives its readers something else. We attempt to produce well-researched content that is based on facts and real actual events that the Fashion Reverie staff has actually witnessed.

Now, on to the ‘Kanye spring 2016 fashion controversy.’ Let’s get down to some real facts. In contrast to what has been reported in several fashion publications, Anne Bowen, one of the designers quoted as complaining about the Kanye scheduling conflict, is not an emerging designer. Bowen debuted her first collection in 1999 in Bergdorf Goodman and her gowns have been seen on red carpets at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Cannes Film Festival.

Though Bowen did complain about the scheduling conflict, as reported in WWD, “Kanye knows he is a media sensation and it is just not ethical to do this. It’s like we are David and he is Goliath. We have put our heart and soul into our show, and should not be stepped on like this,” Bowen’s fashion audience is not Kanye’s fashion audience.

Naeem Khan, who also had a scheduling conflict with West, as quoted in WWD, actually got it right. “I am confident that the fans of the brand and those in industry who truly appreciate the art of design and craftsmanship, will come out to support us [Wednesday].  I am thrilled with the new collection and we are looking forward to a great show.”

And for all the ranting about IMG or the CFDA stepping in and forcing West to reschedule his show, there was really nothing that those governing bodies could do. Outside of venues sanctioned by IMG or the CFDA, neither governing bodies have jurisdiction over those venues.  West showed his collection in at a non-sanctioned NYFWS venue.

Again, this was much ado about nothing!! The real story was the lackluster spring 2016 Yeezy collection by Kanye that very much resembled his collection last season. But, after all Yeezy is an Adidas brand and the focus, as was last season, was about the sneaks!! No surprise there.

Journalists do your research!! We always do at Fashion Reverie.

—William S. Gooch