Michael Kors Picks A Date For A “Multilayered Digital” Spring 2021 Experience

Last month Michael Kors announced he was opting out of New York Fashion Week. The mid-September time frame, he said, conflicted with the deliveries of fall 2020 merchandise, which were pushed back by the production delays caused by coronavirus lockdowns.

Today, the designer confirmed his new date, October 15, and his new format: a “multilayered digital experience” across the brand’s social and digital platforms. The day before, Kors will share the collection with members of the press in intimate, live presentations, as well as via video appointments. “It is key for us to be able to bring our collection to life and translate that in-person runway show experience as best as possible to the digital world,” Kors said in a release. “To ensure the press and consumers alike are able to view the clothes and accessories in detail, virtually, is my top priority.”

The million-dollar question—not just for Michael Kors, but for all designers and brands—is: What is the best possible substitute for IRL runway shows? After several weeks of digital men’s shows and an extended virtual couture week that ran the gamut from a minute-long glorified ad campaign to a 12-hour livestream extravaganza, the answers aren’t clear. Kors, who is one of the most quotable designers in the business, could do something where his outsized personality takes center stage. Then again, he also likes to put on a real show. 

Maybe Orville Peck, Barry Manilow, or Rufus Wainwright—or maybe all three—could make a cameo? If he goes the costly and time-consuming virtual reality route, he has an advantage that his peers on the official New York Fashion Week calendar don’t: four extra weeks to produce it.