One Final (Cat)Walk Down Bryant Park…

[Copyright: Pictures above taken by Lydia Russo]

After sixteen wonderful years, Mayor Bloomberg recently announced that this will be the final year for New York City’s Fashion Week in Bryant Park. Although many designers and fashion insiders tried to fight the obliteration of the tradition, they ultimately lost to the Town Council and the Bryant Park Corporation.

According to the New York Times, the Bryant Park Corporation stated that New York City Fashion Week “disrupted plans to operate a skating rink in the winter and public use of the main lawn in the late summer”. Although a large amount of space remains public during the event, they believed the tents blocked the city from public activities.

It is true that a majority of the green space and the Fountain Terrace are closed off, but the public is still able to enjoy other areas of the park. Every single day at 1:15pm, Bryant Park does completes a lunchtime count of visitors at the park. According to an employee of the Bryant Park Corporation, who actually made a very contradictory statement to the company’s decision, “Our daily lunchtime count totaled 3,086 people and a number of free activities occurred that day, including Pétanque lessons, Ping Pong, and Piano in Bryant Park, which were all well attended by park patrons. Other popular activities not impeded by Fashion Week’s presence include bi-weekly Tai Chi classes, Meet the Birds in Bryant Park, knitting lessons, and poetry readings. Le Carrousel also remains open with normal operating hours.”

It is pretty much understood that the Bryant Park Corporation decided to discontinue the location because they were not making as much money during Fashion Week as they would be on a normal day. Although the park could still be used, they were financially better off to just end the tradition and remain completely open during this time. According to an IMG executive who spoke on condition of anonymity because the company does not typically release any figures, “IMG pays only $1 million to $1.5 million to use the space each season”.

It is proposed that the new location of New York Fashion Week be right by the New York State Theatre. Although designers will now get 25% more space in the tents, this also might mean that guests will have to walk at least a city block back and forth to shows.

Sources:
http://gothamist.com/2009/02/03/say_bye_bye_to_bryant_park_fashion.php
http://blog.bryantpark.org/post/190445039/fashion-week-in-bryant-park

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/fashion/03TENTS.html