Designer Tom Ford, set to assume his new role as president of the CFDA, with actress Gemma Chan at the 2019 Met Gala (ANGELA WEISS)

New York (AFP) – New York’s Fashion Week will last no more than five days this fall, the Council of Fashion Designers of America announced Thursday, a move insiders have been urging for years to strengthen the event.

The women’s shows, which traditionally kicked off on a Wednesday night, will this year begin the evening of Friday, September 6 and run through the evening of Wednesday, September 11.

New York’s Fashion Week has been floundering for several seasons, with a number of top designers including Tommy Hilfiger, Zac Posen, Altuzarra, Alexander Wang, Thom Brown and Virgil Abloh opting out of the event.

“This effort is not only for US industry and talent but will also serve as the change needed to further globalize New York Fashion Week,” the CFDA said in a statement, also tweeting that its incoming president Tom Ford played a role in the decision.

“CFDA remains committed to promoting and supporting homegrown talent while positioning New York as a destination for diversity and discovery.”

The change marks the first order of business under American designer Ford, who will officially take up his new post June 1 but is already calling shots.

Ford’s background is a significant departure from that of his predecessor Diane Von Furstenberg, who chaired the CFDA for 13 years.

Her house “DVF” has called New York home for half a century, while Ford, a Texan by birth, worked in Italy and England for a time before settling in Los Angeles.

“When I came in they needed a mother,” Von Furstenberg told the trade publication Business of Fashion. “Now they need a statesman.”

“What I think is great about Tom, a designer that all designers respect and admire, is that he’s a global person.”

Ford, who is credited with reviving Gucci in the early 1990s, had already hinted he would play his man of the world card as much as possible.

“Coming back from Europe, what’s stunning to me was the isolation I feel here,” he told Business of Fashion.

“What American fashion needs to become in order to be more relevant in the world is to think of itself as not just American but as international.”

Disclaimer: Validity of the above story is for 7 Days from original date of publishing. Source: AFP.