5-4-3-2-1… the countdown to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is on and as we look ahead to the Spring 2010 collections, the final season before the fashion circus relocates from Bryant Park to Lincoln Center next February—one of the season’s most eagerly anticipated events will undoubtedly be Fashion’s Night Out! They say it takes a village, well on September 10th it will take the isle of Manhattan or more precisely 800+ retailers across the city’s five boroughs, all of which will remain open until 11:00 p.m. drawing in late-night shoppers with a joint fashion celebration that aims to put the fun back in shopping! As part of New York City’s economic development stimulus plan, the inaugural fashion extravaganza will give the local economy a much-needed shot in the arm. Kicking off New York Fashion Week, the 13-city global retail event is sure to attract consumers with exciting one-of-a-kind shopping and entertainment activities. [Led by twelve international Vogue editions (United Kingdom, Greece, Italy, Russia, France, Brazil, India, Spain, China, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan), each country will tailor its Fashion’s Night Out celebration to appeal to its city’s unique retail environment.] I am counting down the hours until the fashion games with Donna Karan at Bergdorf’s and hoping to pick up a few bartending tips from Mary Kate and Ashley at Barneys. Fashionistas around the world mark their PDA’s every September as the official beginning of the “fashion year”, but more than editors, buyers, and aspiring stylistas, this week’s mobilized efforts will be a true celebration of an industry that employs a legion of seamstresses, sales clerks, delivery drivers, and other occupations in the apparel design and garment manufacturing sectors.

 
“Consumers will be able to enjoy an abundance of special events and activities throughout the five boroughs. Our participating retail outlets will encompass a wide range of price points from high-end department stores to value retailers as well as major brands and smaller, independent boutiques. During the extended shopping hours, special value-added incentives will include in-store events, personal appearances by designers and celebrities, live music, fashion shows, giveaways and charity tie-ins. New York City is one of the world’s fashion capitals, and on September 10 we invite locals and visitors alike to celebrate with the City’s diverse retail and fashion industries, and its creativity and cutting edge design.” said George Fertitta, NYC & Company CEO.

Fashion’s Night Out, which is sponsored by Vogue, CFDA and NYC & Company, New York City’s official marketing and tourism organization was born from a cooperative alliance between Anna Wintour and Mayor Bloomberg. The seeds for this fashion revolution-solution were first planted last May in support of the Administration’s Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan. The City’s Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan is a comprehensive strategy to bring New York City through the current economic downturn as fast as possible. It focuses on three major areas: creating jobs for New Yorkers today; implementing a long-term vision for growing the city’s economy; and building affordable, attractive neighborhoods in every borough. Taken together, the initiatives that the City has launched to achieve these goals will generate thousands of jobs and put New York City on a path to economic recovery and growth.

 
“Fashion is a very important industry to New York City.  We are home to 800 fashion companies supporting 175,000 jobs and $10 billion in wages.  And there’s no measuring the impact that the industry has on the City’s profile and worldwide perception—88% of international travelers comes to New York City for the shopping. We encourage New Yorkers and visitors to not only avoid missing out on being a part of the unique and important event taking place on September 10, which is already attracting a lot of attention and is expected to resonate for a long time to come in terms of further raising the profile of the City’s fashion and retail industry, but also to show their support and pride for one of the City’s biggest draws and most recognizable industries,” added Mr. Fertitta.

“Working people in the city are hurting, and no more so than those who work in retail,” said Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union President Stuart Appelbaum. “This initiative not only serves consumers, but helps provide a needed boost to New York's retail industry at a time when it’s needed most.”

“Vogue is very proud to be part of this important initiative which will not only celebrate fall Fashion Week, but also support and draw attention to the extraordinary and unrivaled fashion and retail industry in New York City,” said Vogue Magazine editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. “The City is home to some of the world’s most celebrated and diverse designers, and renowned for its vast array of retailers from legendary department stores to the most charming independent boutiques. Fashion’s Night Out is about protecting this creativity and diversity, reenergizing New York’s fashion and retail community and getting consumers excited about shopping for fall.”

Designed to celebrate fashion, restore consumer confidence, and boost the economy, the unprecedented global initiative will be the single largest shopping event in New York City history! The fantastic fashion fete will be an evening retail revelry, unity, and positive energy—best of all, the “saleabration” will not only help revitalize the struggling trade sector, it will also raise money for such worthy causes! The commercial crusade will support two important New York charities. The September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center will receive 40 percent of the proceeds from the sale of a special limited-edition t-shirt created for Fashion’s Night Out. Also, shoppers will be encouraged to donate gently used or newly purchased clothes at participating stores or at specifically designated drop-off locations. Clothes will then be collected by the New York City AIDS Fund to benefit HIV/AIDS organizations across the city. This is exactly the sort of spirited innovation and industry coalition that might be the first step towards a panacea for [our corner of] the global recession.

“Fashion’s Night Out centers around giving back to the community that we all so often enjoy and take for granted,” said Council of Fashion Designers of America Executive Director Steven Kolb. “Anyone considering making a clothing donation should keep in mind that whatever the price point of their donation, they will be making a valuable contribution to the City’s retail industry, while at the same time being a part of a one-of-a-kind evening of shopping and entertainment.”

The fashion industry has always made a tremendous contribution to the economic and cultural life of New York City. More than just a single night to celebrate fashion, it’s an entire movement to promote the industry’s continued vitality. In its most basic conception, Fashion’s Night Out is a celebration of fashion and retail, providing an opportunity to engender again a liveliness of clientele, and rally the morale of both proprietors and patrons.

“Little did I think when the idea of Fashion’s Night Out was first dreamed up this past March during the Paris collections that we would have over 800 and counting retailers, designers, and brands joining us on the night of September 10,” said Ms. Wintour, “Of course, I’ve always known the New York fashion industry to rise brilliantly to a challenge, but I am absolutely thrilled, awed, and more than a little proud that it has reacted so brilliantly to this initiative. There is so much planned that we could shop till dawn and still not see and do everything!”

Helpful hints to navigate Fashion’s Night Out:

Kickoff: The evening’s festivities will kick off with a visit by Anna Wintour, designer Michael Kors, and a surprise celebrity guest to the Macy’s Queens Center at 5:00 p.m.

Map:
The official map of Fashion's Night Out, created by American Express, will highlight the 800 participating retailers throughout the five boroughs. On September 9 and 10, maps will be distributed at key commuter sites across New York City, including Grand Central and Penn Stations, the Port Authority, the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and Columbus Circle. Look for Fashion's Night Out street teams at these and select high-traffic shopping destinations during peak morning and evening rush hours.

In-store Sweepstakes: Shoppers will have the opportunity to win an amazing array of prizes on September 10th as part of citywide in-store sweepstakes. Retailers will provide entry forms between 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Prizes include tickets to designer fashion shows; a makeover with beauty expert Bobbi Brown on the Today show; a made-to-order wedding dress by Carolina Herrera; haircuts by Sally Hershberger and Oscar Blandi; or an opportunity to visit a Vogue fashion shoot with renowned photographer Patrick Demarchelier.

Free Transport: Enthusiastic shoppers looking for a lift around town will be able to take advantage of some free transportation in Manhattan. Courtesy of Payless ShoeSource, four Gray-Line double-decker buses will provide the Official Ride of Fashion’s Night Out, looping between downtown and midtown, and stopping at key shopping locations.
 

To view the Fashion Night’s Out public service announcement and for additional information on the clothing drive and volunteer efforts, please visit, http://fashionsnightout.com/

To learn more about the Administration’s Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan, please visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/econplan/html/home/home.shtml

For additional information on NYC & Company please visit, http://www.nycgo.com/

A special note of thanks to Emma Thomas at NYC & Company for providing images from last May’s press conference and annoucement. 

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