Is Marc Jacobs Returning to the Runway?
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Marc Jacobs  If you're looking for proof that the New York fashion industry is on the mend, consider that one of its brightest stars is seemingly plotting his return to the runway, after a year-plus hiatus. On Monday, Marc Jacobs posted a graphic to his personal Instagram account with the caption, "happiness." The image read, "Runway Marc Jacobs Fall 2021 6.28.21 NYC," against a yellow backdrop. The obvious interpretation: a Marc Jacobs collection is coming. The format of this debut is unclear; a representative for the brand confirmed only that Jacobs will be showing a Fall 2021 collection on June 28. Last April, Jacobs spoke with Edward Enninful as part of Vogue's virtual Global Conversations conference and expressed uncertainty about the future of his runway collections. "To be honest, I don't know what we'll be doing or when we'll be starting. To design a collection, I need my team. And my team needs to look at fabric, and those fabrics come from Italy. We travel. [There are] a lot of things that go on," he said. Jacobs also speculated about what his future debuts might look like, post-pandemic: "We certainly won't be showing it that way [we had been.] Already, last season, very few people came to New York, very few people showed in New York. The idea of everybody getting on a plane, coming to a show  from models to makeup artists to editors to journalists  that's just unrealistic to think about right now. I just don't think that when this lifts, everyone's just going to get back on a plane and back on a train and back on a bus to come to a show. We have to be patient with the process. While everyone wants to heal the economy and restore some sense of [normalcy], we have to be very careful because this is very real." Already, a handful of industry heavyweights have shared their intention to present new collections during New York Fashion Week in September, from Michael Kors to Pyer Moss to Tom Ford. Plus, through IMG's Fashion Alliance, Altuzarra, Brandon Maxwell, Jason Wu, LaQuan Smith, Markarian, Monse, Prabal Gurung, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, Sergio Hudson and Telfar all pledged to participate in the event through 2022. Jacobs still hasn't shared plans for New York Fashion Week, officially, but this announcement is certainly promising. Never miss the latest fashion industry news. Sign up for the Fashionista daily newsletter.