CFDA and SOURCING by Informa will place six to eight New York City manufacturers on the Javits Center show floor from September 9–11, 2026, the first deliverable of a multi-event partnership aimed at rebuilding US apparel production capacity on the East Coast.

The two organizations confirmed the September activation will run inside FASHION by Informa's New York Marketplace, alongside COTERIE. Programming includes two CFDA-led educational sessions and a curated manufacturer showcase. A second showcase and additional sessions are scheduled for February 2027.

What does the partnership commit to?

CFDA recruits and vets the participating factories; Informa supplies the international buyer audience through COTERIE and SOURCING. The collaboration runs across two confirmed trade-show windows in 2026 and 2027, with no end date disclosed.

The deal combines CFDA's domestic-manufacturing network with Informa's global sourcing reach at a venue — the Javits Center — already anchored to COTERIE's finished-goods marketplace.

Why local manufacturing, and why now?

"As the fashion industry continues to evolve, local production is becoming increasingly important not only as a business advantage, but as a way to preserve craft, improve speed-to-market, and create more resilient supply chains," said Olivia Lyons, FASHION by Informa's Head of Innovation and Partnerships.

The framing ties the initiative to speed-to-market, craft preservation and supply-chain resilience, three priorities the partners cite explicitly. NYC-based cut, sew and trim operations sit within the same time zone as East Coast brand headquarters and showrooms, a geography the partnership targets.

"Local manufacturing is essential to preserving the creativity, craftsmanship, and entrepreneurial spirit that define American fashion while ensuring innovation continues to thrive close to home," said Sara Kozlowski, CFDA's SVP Program Strategies and Education/Sustainability Initiatives.

What brands and sourcing teams should track

• Dates: September 9–11, 2026, Javits Center, New York; follow-up February 2027
• Participants: six to eight NYC-based manufacturers, CFDA-vetted
• Programming: two CFDA-led educational sessions in September, more in February 2027
• Buyer access: international audience reached via COTERIE and SOURCING platforms
• Region focus: US East Coast, New York City metropolitan area
• Tier focus: cut, sew, trim — Tier 1 apparel production

What this forces for sourcing teams

Buyers evaluating domestic capacity gain a single-floor entry point to NYC production partners, removing the need for separate introductory site visits and compressing the vendor-screening step. CFDA's curation shifts vendor discovery from open directories to a vetted shortlist.

For manufacturers, the showcase functions as a buyer-matching channel in a US apparel-production market that both organizations describe as needing sustained support. The February 2027 commitment signals a multi-season platform rather than a one-off trade-show activation, a factor relevant to suppliers weighing capital decisions on capacity or equipment.

Informa and CFDA have not disclosed the participating factory names, expected order volumes, or any tariff-line or compliance-standard alignment tied to the September event. Brands sourcing through the floor should treat it as a discovery tool; binding capacity commitments will follow in direct conversations after the show.