As part of its Phase 1 rollout, KFN has introduced The Venue Collective framework, a foundational platform developed to meet the varied needs of emerging, established and independent fashion designers. For the upcoming spring ’26 shows, The Venue Collective is being utilized by over 30 fashion designers.

The Venue Collective is a new initiative aimed at creating a more organized and efficient system for hosting NYFW shows. The Collective features three distinct formats: Runway, Multi-Designer Venue, and Showrooms, with a fourth, the Editor Salon Series, set to launch in 2026.

“The intention for September’s pilot season of The Venue Collective was to test the platform and gather insights to inform its expansion in 2026,” said Leslie Russo, founder of The Culture Shop, who was enlisted to architect the new vision of KFN’s initiative and previously president of IMG’s Global Fashion Events Division. “We are pleased to confirm 30 designers in this inaugural season, including Off-White, Brandon Maxwell, Altuzarra, Fforme, Kallmeyer, Simkhai, Tibi, Zankov, Kate Barton, and Sergio Hudson, to name a few, along with a special announcement by Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow,” said Russo. KFN declined to reveal the announcement.

“This is just step one of KFN’s new vision. We are encouraged by the enthusiastic response from not only the designer community, but brand partners, editors, real estate properties, government officials and industry stakeholders eager to be a part of this new era of New York Fashion Week,” said Russo.

This September, presentations within The Venue Collective platform will take place across a dedicated campus of locations below 34th Street in Manhattan, a strategic decision that will help streamline logistics, transportation and scheduling in coordination with the CFDA. The exact locations haven’t been disclosed yet. KFN would only say that they created a campus perimeter of venues that are all below 34th Street, predominantly in North Chelsea, swinging around to the Lower East Side.

Each of the spaces is designed to accommodate varying creative approaches and business objectives. The format provides access to fully built venues with back-of-house infrastructure at no venue fee to the designer, a fundamental shift in the model for the first time in NYFW’s history, and a complete reimagining of the business model for the future. Designers are responsible for all creative elements and any additional venue services that are specific to their show.

Russo said through the Venue Collective model KFN covers the venue rental fee as well as a rider of essential production infrastructure for the designer’s backstage and operational needs. “This is strategically designed to eliminate the need for a centralized hub, while still providing support operationally. It’s an inversion of the old model that no longer reflects the needs of the industry today,” said Russo. The end-to-end support is being developed to allow designers to focus entirely on creativity, rather than logistics or overhead expenses.

Asked who is funding the spaces, Russo said, “This is a launch [and] like all start-ups, the pilot season is funded by the strategic investment from KFN, but we have made great headway in our strategic partnerships which will be announced closer to September.”

Further, Russo said, “We have been actively engaged with multiple government agencies who have been collaborative and supportive, but more formal platforms are in development as part of our Phase 4, timed to September 2026.”

KFN (KF Fashion and N4xT), cofounded by Imad Izemrane, is a strategic partnership formed to re-envision NYFW and build a future-forward platform for American fashion. KF Fashion is an extension of Kilburn Media, a diversified media and entertainment company with investments in film, TV and content-driven ventures.

The spring 2026 Venue Collective includes:

Following KFN’s Phase 1 announcement and open application in May, the initiative received a response from 150 designers, including both emerging brands and NYFW veterans eager to leverage this new platform for long-term viability, creative freedom and meaningful production support, according to KFN. While the pilot season offered a limited number of presentation slots, demand far exceeded capacity. KFN plans to expand the size of the program in 2026 to accommodate more designers under the platform.

As part of its collaborative development model, KFN enlisted the assistance of industry leaders, including Bethann Hardison, who led the curation of the Showrooms experience.

“The Showroom platform is an opportunity to center designers in a space that prioritizes the business side of fashion week,” said Hardison. “This approach is about access and building important relationships with editors and buyers that help designers grow and scale. Not everything needs to be a fashion show. I’m proud to be part of KFN’s reimagining of the New York Fashion Week which is long overdue.”

Joseph Maglieri, director of fashion week initiatives at CFDA, said, “As the organizing body of the Official NYFW Schedule, the CFDA has always been committed to building and optimizing the calendar while providing resources to support the designers showing and industry at large who take part in the week. The team at KFN worked with CFDA to advance that mission with The Venue Collective and we appreciate the coordination and logistics it brings to strengthen the week beginning in September.”

On Tuesday, CFDA released its preliminary Official New York Fashion Week Schedule, featuring more than 60 runway shows and designer presentations with additional collections being presented digitally and by appointment, as reported.

Going forward, KFN will continue the multiphase rollout of its long-terms strategy, with additional announcements on innovation partners and expanded programming.