New York Men's Day opens applications for February showcase

Applications are open for the February edition of New York Men's Day, with selected designers to have 85 percent of presentation costs covered.

The event will be the 27th edition of the showcase. It is set for Feb. 8, the opening day of New York Fashion Week, which the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the industry body that runs the New York schedule, lists as Feb. 8-12, 2027. Applications close on Nov. 6, according to Women's Wear Daily.

Selected labels get an individual studio space to present in. The cost support covers most of the presentation bill, which matters for small labels. New York Men's Day staffs and runs the showcase, and provides hair and makeup teams.

The format is compact. Eight to 12 designers are typically shown, split across two separate two-hour slots. One group presents in the morning. A different group presents in the late afternoon.

The selection committee for February includes Jian DeLeon, Memsor Kamarake, Aria Hughes and Joseph Errico. They will choose the final line-up from the applicants.

New York Men's Day was founded in 2014 by Erin Hawker of Agentry PR, a New York public relations firm. It is a bi-annual initiative intended to nurture emerging talent and bring contemporary menswear and genderless collections together in one place. For the past couple of seasons it was held at the Mercedes-Benz of Manhattan showroom in Hell's Kitchen. A venue for February has not been announced.

What makes this stand out is access. A slot on the first day of fashion week puts new names in front of buyers, press and stylists in one go. For anyone watching what is next in menswear, the February list is worth checking when it lands.