It’s going to be big and bold the first ever New York Fashion Week: Men’s debut is happening Monday, July 13 – Thursday, July 16, 2015 on Skylight Clarkson Sq. This will be a standalone showcase for American men’s fashion kicking off this July with the Spring/Summer 2016 collections. New York Fashion Week: Men’s will be presented by Amazon’s fashion sites – including Amazon Fashion, East Dane, and MyHabit with additional support from Cadillac, Shinola, DreamWorks Animation and Dockers…..
New York Fashion Week: Men’s
BizBash dishes on seven details to know about this major event in fashion history showcasing New York Fashion Week just for men:
1. Who’s handling the event’s production?
While founding partner Skylight Group is providing the venues, including Skylight Clarkson Square and Skylight Modern (Thom Browne will show there), it has no control over the day-to-day production. The C.F.D.A. hired Inca Productions—via an introduction from C.F.D.A. member Simon Spurr—for their first-ever project together. “This is definitely something new to us to not be involved with the transformation and to cede control to somebody else,” says Jennifer Blumin, founder and C.E.O. of Skylight Group. “Because it’s one event with many shows, we’re not as involved with the ‘many shows’ aspect. We never try to take creative control from our clients.”
Inca Productions and its vendor partners begin their build Thursday. It’s the firm’s first large-scale, multiday event in New York and its first time working within Skylight Clarkson Square and with the C.F.D.A. Key production partners include IMCD (full lighting install and lighting design); Clair-Obscur (Platform 2 lighting design); Kadan Productions(set build); GSS Security (security), Event Management Group (H.V.A.C.) and Fashion GPS(registration and invitation management).
2. What spaces are available at Skylight Clarkson Square?
Skylight Clarkson Square is the former terminus of the old High Line railroad, and its history will be celebrated through the design elements at the venue, which will have a “railroad theme.” The three venues will also keep to the theme, labeled Platform 1, Platform 2, and Platform 3.
Platform 1 is the largest venue at 9,000 square feet; it rents for $30,000, holds about 400 seated guests or as many as 100 standing, and features a straight 92-foot runway. Platform 2, at $20,000 for around 6,000 square feet, is the most flexible with four to five seat configurations accommodating anywhere from 110 to 260 guests and a 65-foot runway that also allows for larger presentations. Platform 3, a custom-built 40- by 20-foot blank canvas, is dedicated exclusively to emerging talent and is wholly underwritten by Dockers, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2016.
3. Will there be lounge space?
Approximately 60,000 square feet of space at Skylight Clarkson Square will be utilized, including backstage, where Axe products will be on hand as the official grooming partner of New York Fashion Week: Men’s. Also backstage, and serving refreshments and breakfast/lunch foods, is farm-to-table catering company Dig Inn.
There is no lounge in the traditional sense. Instead, there will be an 8,000-square-foot Terminal area with seating, 20 or so work stations, and refreshments. The venue will be fully Wi-Fi connected. “We kept it very clean and minimal, but warmed up the space with wood finishes, dark charcoal gray tones, and milk chocolate brown leathers,” says Jade Spalding, Inca managing director. “We tried to soften it a little; to add a little luxury and comfort to the mix.” As for the sponsors, “We’re integrating them so that it feels like they’re part of the space—and anything but trade-show-booth-like,” Spalding adds.
4. Are there off-site shows?
Overall, there are 28 shows at Skylight Clarkson Square and 13 off site by leading international designers and brands like Thom Browne, Calvin Klein Collection, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and Michael Kors. “It’s a tight turnaround but a highly choreographed three days,” says Mark Beckham, the consulting project director for New York Fashion Week: Men’s, brought on by the C.F.D.A.’s Kolb.
Nearly 80 designers and brands applied for slots on the official schedule. That said, many brands are piggybacking off the dates and hosting their own presentations, product launches, dinners, and evening parties.
5. Will the schedule be as hectic as New York Fashion Week?
Because there is no precedent for New York Fashion Week: Men’s, there are no grandfathered show dates and times to have to deal with. Translation: there will be no overlap in show times. “We didn’t have the baggage of designers having previously selected time slots and days, so we were able to build this from scratch and work with off-site designers to schedule them and do it in a way to allow enough time between shows,” Beckham says.
6. Who are the official sponsors?
Amazon is the presenting sponsor for New York Fashion Week: Men’s and has brought its fashion sites—Amazon Fashion, East Dane, and MyHabit—into the mix. Other sponsors include Shinola, DreamWorks, Cadillac, and Loews Regency Hotel, the latter of which is providing gratis hotel rooms for the select 15 invited international editors. In total, every sponsor is an American company, and each provided “substantial six-figure deals.” “Everything we do is through an American lens,” notes Kolb.
7. How will sponsors be integrated?
Even with a number of key sponsors, there will be no overt signage for the brands other than that for New York Fashion Week: Men’s. “We wanted something more organic and that set the tone for the designers’ collections to shine—not the event itself,” says Beckham. “Our long-term goal is to have New York Fashion Week: Men’s become a cornerstone of menswear and take the global stage.” Adds Kolb, “Since it’s the first time we are doing this, we had a clean slate and our intentions are not influenced by other events but rather by creating an experience that supports the designers and their guests.”
Lead sponsor Amazon worked with American photographer Erik Madigan Heck on artistic collaborations with designers; the resulting images will be displayed in a gallery-like space. Sister site East Dane will house an information center and live stream shows for on-site attendees.
DreamWorks partnered with eight designers to have them reinterpret the studio’s most iconic characters to produce a line of limited edition T-shirts and hoodies that will be sold exclusively at Amazon.com. At Skylight Clarkson Square, there will be an installation showcasing the collection.
Shinola will have a display at Skylight Clarkson Square highlighting all of its product categories as well presenting its Spring 2016 men’s leather collections. Also on hand will be a custom Runwell bike in “Regatta Blue” to match the new leather collection.
According to BizBash, Cadillac is the brand who will have the biggest presence. The automaker recently relocated its global headquarters to a nearby SoHo office and supporting New York Men’s Day, New York Fashion Week: Men’s, and the Project trade show with a fleet of 30 vehicles to chauffeur editors, retailers, and influencers.
The world will be watching and history will take place. Full schedule of events is available for review at CFDA .