Overview of NYFW Fears & GQ’s New Groove
This episode of Powers That Be features Peter Hamby and fashion journalist Lauren Sherman discussing two major industry stories: the mood at New York Fashion Week amid signs of a U.S. luxury spending slowdown, and the early challenges facing Adam Badawi as the new editor of GQ. The conversation also revisits the lingering fallout from Anna Wintour’s failed attempt to honor John Galliano at the Met, which remains a topic of chatter in fashion circles.
New York Fashion Week: Optimism Tempered by Luxury Slowdown Fears
What’s happening at NYFW
- The season is still upbeat on the surface, with big-name shows and industry events keeping the usual celebratory atmosphere.
- Brands mentioned include:
- Calvin Klein
- Tommy Hilfiger
- Diane von Furstenberg
- CFDA and emerging-designer award buzz
- Dior and Celine hosting attention-grabbing brand activations
The bigger concern
- A recent report suggesting a potential luxury slowdown in the U.S. is making insiders uneasy.
- Sherman argues that the middle class is crucial to luxury sales, especially for “masstige” or broader-access brands.
- High-end labels like Hermès are somewhat insulated because they cater to ultra-wealthy buyers, but larger luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci depend heavily on aspirational consumers.
Main takeaway
- The U.S. market has been a key engine for luxury growth, so even a modest pullback could create real anxiety across the fashion industry.
Anna Wintour, John Galliano, and the Met Fallout
What’s being discussed
- The failed attempt to stage a John Galliano-related tribute at the Met continues to circulate as fashion-world gossip.
- Sherman says the industry largely forgave Galliano long ago, but the episode still matters because it exposed the risks of revisiting his legacy publicly.
Why it matters
- Anna Wintour’s effort “stepped on a rake,” as Hamby put it, but Sherman expects the controversy to fade.
- The bigger issue now is how and when the Met will choose its next theme and timing, especially given sensitivities around the traditional “first Monday in May” schedule and Jewish holidays.
GQ Under Adam Badawi: A Brand Searching for Its Next Identity
From Esquire vs. GQ to modern menswear media
- Hamby and Sherman compare the old distinction:
- Esquire = more writerly, literary, and sophisticated
- GQ = more polished, fashion-forward, and modern
- Sherman says GQ under Will Welch shifted hard toward fashion and a redefined masculinity, making it more of a style magazine than a traditional men’s general-interest title.
What Welch accomplished
- Welch gave GQ a clearer, more contemporary playbook:
- Elevated the fashion focus
- Made the brand feel culturally relevant
- Helped staff become more visible and the title more party-worthy and advertiser-friendly
- Sherman views this era as a useful model for how a legacy magazine can adapt to a niche audience without losing scale.
The challenge for Adam Badawi
- Badawi is described as:
- well-liked
- smart
- experienced in the GQ ecosystem
- But the key problem is that his vision is still unclear.
- Sherman says the recent Jeremy Strong cover landed flat and didn’t generate much excitement.
- A reported attempt to get J.D. Vance to write an essay could have been a high-risk, high-reward move, but it also highlights the uncertainty around what GQ is trying to become.
Core critique
- Badawi seems caught between:
- preserving GQ’s fashion credibility
- broadening it for a new generation
- avoiding overtly political or culture-war framing
- Sherman suggests audiences are tired of both “woke” and “anti-woke” posturing and just want the magazine to be fun, stylish, and clear about what it is.
Key Takeaways
- Luxury brands are nervous because U.S. consumers, especially the middle class, still drive a lot of their sales.
- Fashion insiders remain preoccupied with the Galliano/Wintour/Met controversy, even if the issue will likely fade.
- GQ has momentum as a brand, but not yet a clear next chapter under Adam Badawi.
- The magazine’s future likely depends on whether it can define a fresh identity that feels less ideological and more entertaining, without losing its core fashion audience.