It’s Not Fashion Week Until the CFDA Hosts This Party

Sixty-five stories above the streets of Midtown, Bar SixtyFive at the Rainbow Room was buzzing Wednesday evening as more than 200 members of the fashion industry gathered to kick off New York Fashion Week. Renowned designers Thom Browne, Michael Kors, and Anna Sui joined Steven Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), to host a cocktail party officially ushering in the Spring/Summer 2026 season.

“New York Fashion Week is important because it’s a celebration for the city and a moment to have people look at us,” Kolb told Vogue, taking a brief break from greeting guests. “New York is one of the four global fashion capitals and we’re the first to present collectsions, so we really set the pace for the next few cities. And since American fashion is so inspired by the streets and culture, we are so proud to be streaming the shows for the second time—live and free—for the public to enjoy. We are doing things differently and want to make the shows accessible to New Yorkers.”

Browne, the CFDA’s chairman, hatched the idea of screening every runway on the CFDA’s official Fashion Week calendar. Three large screens at Rockefeller Center will broadcast the shows from September 11 through 16. His intention: to raise awareness and spotlight uniquely American fashion voices.

“New York is a special and diverse city—and that’s what the designers here represent. It’s the diversity in the creativity and the strength in creativity,” Browne told Vogue soon after he mingled with Kors and Sui. “There’s so much energy with the well-established designers and also with the new designers. They all really represent true creativity at the highest level. Of course it’s not always easy for all of us, but when it comes down to it, the creativity—where it all should start—is here and stronger than ever.”

Henry Zankov, the CFDA’s Emerging Designer of the Year, is among the new guard. He’ll make his New York Fashion Week runway debut on September 15. “Surprisingly, I feel very calm,” he said, enjoying a drink near the bar. “Sometimes we are well prepared and sometimes we’re not. Right now—fingers crossed—we’re okay.” Zankov, currently in final preparations, added that his collectsion will introduce eveningwear. “We started that last season a little bit, with the shine, and this season it’s really more about pushing it—it felt like a natural progression.”

The cocktail soirée buzzed with animated conversations—from hectic Fashion Week schedules to up-and-comers staging their first presentations. An exuberant crowd—including Wes Gordon, Andrew Kwon, Zac Posen, Vera Wang, and Fern Mallis, the creator of New York Fashion Week—mixed and mingled over champagne, coffee Old Fashioneds, and Butterfly Tea Spritzes. CFDA board member Tory Burch caught up with Anna Wintour ahead of Kolb’s welcoming remarks about American fashion in New York City, which has “an opportunity in connecting people and providing inspiration,” he said.

Fashion Week can feel like a whirlwind—back-to-back shows and late-night after-parties—and the CFDA’s kickoff bash met the moment with copious espresso martinis, courtesy of a Starbucks station set up to energize guests. Consider it a timely reminder to fuel up as the stylish spectacle of New York Fashion Week unfolds across runways and presentations throughout the city.