February 10, 2015
Designer Jeremy Scott with Miley Cyrus
Toyota Corp.'s Lexus is reaching out to trendy New Yorkers through a sponsored backstage lounge during Downtown creative hub Made’s fashion week.
The space will be used by designers and their VIP guests for before and after events during the week of Feb. 12-18. An alternative to New York Fashion Week, Made features runway shows from both up-and-coming and quirky designers, giving Lexus a platform to reach younger, affluent consumers.
Party host
Made Fashion Week will be based at Milk Studios and The Standard, High Line, both in the Meatpacking District. Designers showing include Jeremy Scott, Cushnie Et Ochs, Tim Coppens and Wes Gordon, among others.
This year, Lexus is returning to host events surrounding the fashion shows, creating a space for eating, drinking, working and socializing. For Lexus Lounge, the brand brought in designer Anna Karlin to push the boundaries of the hospitality space.
The space consists of marble, brass, leather and concrete elements, with each piece of furniture custom made.
Cushnie et Ochs at Made Fashion Week
German automaker Audi acted as the presenting sponsor at the inaugural Toronto Men’s Fashion Week through the participation of its downtown dealership. Automakers often pair with fashion industry events to tap into an established audience that has a high appreciation for aesthetics and design (see story).
Changes to New York Fashion Week may leave more room for an automaker to make an impression on runway show attendees.
New York Fashion Week is undergoing a lot of changes as it will no longer be hosted by Lincoln Center and Mercedes-Benz made an announcement that it will no longer be the title sponsor of the event.
Following the February shows, Mercedes-Benz will step down from its title sponsorship, but will remain a sponsor of the event and in September 2015, the shows will be moved out of Lincoln Center. Mercedes-Benz’s decisions to leave the lead sponsorship will likely affect the brand’s interaction with fashion and have some effects on fashion week (see story).
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