New York City Mayor Eric Adams kicked off New York Fashion Week Thursday night with a cocktail party at Gracie Mansion.
Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Vera Wang, Diane von Furstenberg, Thom Browne, Tory Burch, Willy Chavarria, Wes Gordon, Maria Cornejo, Cynthia Rowley, Yeohlee Teng, Dee Ocleppo, Frederick Anderson, Jeffrey Banks, Batsheva Haart, Bach Mai, Sally LaPointe, Carly Cushnie, Jackson Wierhoeft and Jacques Agbobly were among the dozens of designers in the waiting room. CFDA’s Steven Kolb and Anna Wintour led the welcoming committee and there was great joy all around.
Other fashion forces, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Andrew Bolton, Instagram’s Eva Chen, YouTube’s Derek Blasberg, Moda Operandi’s Lauren Saint Somingo, Carolina Herrera’s Emilie Rubinfeld and Linda Fargo were also in the mix. Adams rumbled: “You are the exclamation point of New York. They say if you look good, you feel good, so we know we feel good tonight, because you all look great.”
Gordon introduced the mayor by sharing his own made-in-New York story, recalling how a young man once asked him for advice on buying a tie, then gifted the stranger with three more ties through a salesman.
Adams told his designer guests that his business was much more than fashion. Wedding dresses, ties for job interviews, wardrobe reviews for victims of domestic violence and children in homeless shelters can all lead to life-defining moments, she said. Noting how one designer conveyed the mayor’s message of wanting to end gun violence, Adams said, “You are the signatures of who we are as a city. I can not thank you enough. You thank Gracie Mansion with your presence.
Adams singled out one of the evening’s co-hosts, Condé Nast’s Anna Wintour, as “the angel who wears Prada,” citing her “remarkable” love of the city.
“All of a sudden the mayor walks in and says he’s a nightlife mayor,” and he knows and appreciates the style, Adams said. “New York is back. We are alive. We are going to bring that artistic energy that we are known for and the diversity of this city. This fashion week we will move and know that you are a giant of $ 600 million, only in this week. That’s double the amount if we had a Super Bowl here. You bring [a stronger] economy to the city: 100,000 employees, $100 million in tax revenue.”
To be sure, New York has always been a hub for creativity and commerce, and fashion qualifies on both fronts as well as providing significant employment, according to Kors. Having the mayor rally the troops to remind everyone of the strength of New York and American fashion makes Adams “a great standard bearer,” Kors said.
In the wake of the last two years, the pandemic shutdown and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that vote of confidence carries more weight. “For many people, the world can feel very negative on a daily basis. I always joke that some people think I’m Pollyanna, always spinning around like everything’s on the go. I think the world needs positivity. It’s important and it’s actually New York,” Kors said.
Despite that, many people have moved into town or left, but Kors said he is “excited to see the number of young people coming back or moving here for the first time. That reminds me of when I first came here. They are in juice. They are enthusiastic and entrepreneurial, all good things.”
Wearing identical ivory suits, Tanner Fletcher’s Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kassel fit that bill. Surprised to hear about the financial power of the mayor’s fashion industry, Kassel said the opportunity to be in the same room as Gordon, Wintour and Santo Domingo was “extremely beneficial” from a business perspective. Richie noted what an integral part of the city is the garment district with the most brands depending on it, especially during the pandemic, when overseas production was no longer an option for many. “I feel like we need to get a lot of manufacturing back to New York to support the city and also for sustainability. There is talent here, why aren’t we using it?
Hilfiger summed up the scene thus: “Everyone is honored to be a part of this event.” And Rowley seconded that, noting how Adams opened Gracie Mansion in the name of fashion in the midst of the United Nations General Assembly, multiple art fairs, and the US Open.
The whole bonding after 18 months of a lot of time at home took a while for some to get used to. Wearing a few necklaces, including one with a sparkly pendant that reads “I’m in charge,” von Furstenberg mentioned in a conversation outside on a patio that he no longer greeted people with kisses. She wasn’t the only COVID-19 adverse person in the rotation. Standing shoulder to shoulder inside, a guest surmised the collective denial.
As the industry’s elder statesman, whose career in fashion began in the 1950s, Stan Herman wasn’t just impressed by Adams’ astrological sign, Virgo. “They’re hardworking, they’re diligent, they love being up front, but they also know how to get things done behind the scenes. There was a part of poetry in what was said.]. The mayor has high expectations. He talks about the future. He doesn’t talk about the past. It is a very positive attitude. I feel good about the industry right now. Walking around the city today, I suddenly saw a light again. It’s starting to happen.”
Cornejo is also seeing flashes with online sales strengthening and more shoppers at his downtown store than at any time in the last two and a half years. “The city is back. There are many tourists and everyone is here for the art fairs in Europe. The thing about America and New York is that it’s optimistic. We keep going And Europe looks pretty bleak [financially.] There are a lot of Europeans showing up here this season.”
In recent seasons, there has been a steady return to shows and live events, Kolb said. “It talks about creative expression and human nature to want to be away from home. That reflects CFDA members, young designers, established designers, international designers – we have three this season. Additionally, 20 percent of brands are run by designers of color.”
Wiederhoft needed no convincing of the importance of Thursday’s big meeting. Having started his company three years ago, the opportunity to be invited to Gracie Mansion was not something he was about to miss out on even though his first show is on Wednesday. “My mother and grandmother are New Yorkers and Italian Americans. Like most designers, it’s not just [about] bright and elegant dresses and things. This is an industry. We support each other. We support local clothing manufacturers. We support set designers and lighting people. Being part of that community that brings not only beauty but also real economic strength is really great,” he said.
Black Boy Knits founder Agbobly agreed, as he knows a lot of people in the industry, but hasn’t been in the same room with some of them yet. “This is important to start strengthening the community of designers, who are new to fashion. By meeting people face-to-face for the first time, you can start to build a relationship.”
Adams is keen to host more meet-and-greet events at Gracie Mansion, assuring guests in his closing remarks that the event would be annual while he is mayor. With that, he worked the packed room, shaking hands, posing for selfies and making the rounds with the designers. So much so, that a member of his security team seemed to lose sight of him, but only momentarily. “We have it,” he said confidently.
Source: wwd.com