Sharjah24 – Reuters: Fashionistas will be turning to their screens to see the latest designer trends this fashion week as the traditional autumn/winter catwalk calendar kicks off virtually in New York on Sunday.

With COVID-19 restrictions in place, the usual celebrity-packed front rows, snapping street photographers and exclusive parties are gone, replaced with virtual or, in a very few cases, socially distanced shows.

Designers will show more than 100 "pieces of content" from their autumn/winter 2021-2022 collections in a film, live event or lookbook, said IMG, which runs New York Fashion Week: The Shows.

Brands such as The Blonds and Badgley Mischka will share video streams while big names Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren are absent from the show schedule. The few live events include shows by designers Jason Wu and Rebecca Minkoff.

The fashion and luxury goods industry has been hit hard by the global pandemic with store closures and travel restrictions shrinking demand.