Calvin Klein came in first place in social engagement during New York Fashion Week, according to ListenFirst, the social analytics firm. The brand headed spring ’27 engagement with a 15.3 million score, up 552 percent versus last February’s show.
This is Calvin Klein‘s second time at the top of the leaderboard in recent seasons. The brand came in first place in September 2025 (spring 2026 show), with a 12.9 million engagement score, up 1,168 percent from February 2025, thanks to X (formerly Twitter) and its Jung Kook video posts. In February, Klein took second place after Tory Burch.
Coming in second place this season was Tommy Hilfiger (with a 2.6 million engagement score), followed by Tory Burch (2.4 million), Michael Kors (221,177), Cos (177,243), Anna Sui (138,350), Sabyasachi (80,398), Christian Siriano (78,253), Conner Ives (73,347) and Magda Butrym (67,225).
You May Also Like
The timeframe covered was Sept. 10 through Sept. 16, and included only brands on the official CFDA calendar, thus the Ralph Lauren show was not included. The season-over-season comparison is against the fall 2026 shows that took place Feb. 11 to Feb. 17.
Engagement score measures the conscious click-based actions (likes, reactions, shares and comments) taken either as a direct response to a brand’s owned social accounts or by way of organic conversation, including new Fans and Engagement across social media as well as Conversation Volume on X.
“This season, brands continued to place celebrity talent at the center of other NYFW social strategies, leveraging the star-powered fan bases of global and culturally resonant talent to extend reach, drive social conversation, and amplify the runway experience beyond the show. Ultimately, NYFW content transformed the runway into a broader cultural moment, using celebrity access and social-first storytelling to extend both reach and the collection’s impact beyond the runway,” said Serafina Valisa, senior strategist at ListenFirst.
In first place, Calvin Klein led all top engaging NYFW content, responsible for 20 of the top 25 engaging posts. Celebrity guest arrivals and studio portraits were particularly engaging, experiencing a significant lift from the collaboration tool on Instagram. The brand’s guest list included Sadie Sink, Rosalía, Teyana Taylor and Tate McRae, among others, with a portrait of Sink in the new collection emerging as the number-one NYFW post, generating 1.4 million engagements.
In addition, Asia-Pacific celebrity guests such as Lingling Sirilak Kwong, Alex Eala, Teetut Chungmanirat and Taiwan Anukoolprasert captured significant audience interest, boosting social mentions and engagements across platforms.
Eala’s arrival, for example, generated 156,000 engagements to become the top Facebook post across the competitive set. The brand leaned heavily on Instagram, which proved successful as the channel drove 56 percent of total engagements.
Hilfiger’s front row at The Plaza hotel, which included Jisoo, Kenia Os, Camila Cabello, Gemini, Fourth and Phuwin, alongside such New York figures as Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart and Kate Moss, contributed to engagements. The brand’s second-place score of 2.6 million had no comparison because Hilfiger didn’t have a NYFW show last February. A special unboxing of Jisoo’s show invitation emerged as the top-performing post, generating 128,000 engagements, while celebrity arrivals consistently drove engagements across channels. A candid front row moment featuring Patrick Schwarzenegger celebrating his wife Abby Champion’s runway appearance became the platform’s top engagement on TikTok, generating 91,300 engagements. TikTok extended the show’s personality through candid interactions and interviews, contributing 51 percent of total Video Views.
For Tory Burch, which came in third with 2.4 million, down 33 percent from February, TikTok content drove performance, accounting for 63 percent of total engagements. Videos featuring conversations and interview style content with celebrity guests and models backstage performed best. Instagram amplified performance through strategic collaboration posts with Maia Reficco (67,000) and Yesly Dimate (41,000). A post on TikTok with Anna Wintour and Amanda Seyfried captured the only top 10 NYFW post outside of Calvin Klein, with 448,000 engagements.
Michael Kors, in fourth place with 221,177, down 88 percent versus last February, leveraged TikTok and Instagram for the brand’s social performance. The company launched a new handle dedicated to Michael Kors Collection on Instagram. TikTok emerged as the strongest engagement driver, powering four of the brand’s top five most engaging posts. The runway finale outdoors at the Museum of Modern Art produced the top engaging post (34,300), while front row talent further amplified visibility, featuring Lea Michele, Gabrielle Union, Jordyn Woods, Lisa Rinna, Grace van Patten, Jackson White and Betty Gilpin, among others, according to ListenFirst.
TikTok led social performance at Cos, which ranked at number five (it didn’t have a show last season during NYFW), driving 64 percent of total engagements. Celebrity talent further amplified visibility across channels, with Michelle Williams, Lucia Nyong’o, John Boyega, Kun and Sharon Stone fueling social buzz. The brand also saw a higher rate of social mentions on X (Twitter) and an influx of comments on Instagram, surrounding the PETA incident involving CFDA chief executive officer Steven Kolb and a protester.
