RODARTE DROPS OUT OF NEW YORK FASHION WEEK AND THE TRADITIONAL FASHION CALENDAR FORMAT

The Los Angeles label will also add a third collection to its yearly production.

by  MARIA BOBILA

Rodarte's spring 2017 runway show at New York Fashion Week in September. Photo: JP Yim/Getty Image

Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy have announced some major changes for the Los Angeles-based label. A representative for the brand has confirmed that Rodarte will no longer show at New York Fashion Week and will hold a private presentation during Paris Fashion Week in March instead. After this season, Rodarte will ditch the traditional fashion calendar format and align future runway shows with Couture Fashion Week in January and July in the French capital, similarly to Vetements and, most recently, Kenzo. This new change will help Rodarte deliver its runway collection to its retail partners within an earlier time frame.

A third collection will also be added to the Mulleavys' yearly production schedule, though further details have yet to be revealed. Last June, Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan questioned Rodarte's business plan and retail profitability; according to The Business of Fashion, accessible "lifestyle" items, like leather goods and trousers, are likely to be released and serve as an alternative to the brand's signature ethereal, red carpet-ready gowns. 

The Mulleavy sisters join a number of designers who have recently opted out of New York Fashion Week: Hood By Air will show in Paris this season; Tommy Hilfiger, Rachel Comey and Rebecca Minkoff are planning runway shows in Los Angeles; and Opening Ceremony bowed out of New York for a special ballet performance this month. Conversely, upon designers Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne departure as co-creative directors of DKNY, Public School will return to its original NYFW calendar slot on Feb. 12 at 11 a.m after experimenting with showing off-calendar the past few seasons.