Promotional image for New York Fashion Week: Men's
New York Fashion Week: Men’s has outpaced the New York women’s shows at securing an automaker as sponsor, signing a deal with Cadillac.
For the sponsorship, which will last two seasons, Cadillac will produce events surrounding the runway shows and its vehicles will be used to transport attendees. This partnership will strengthen Cadillac’s positioning as a luxury lifestyle brand, as well as boosting its appeal among a desirable younger consumer set.
Driving desire
According to Bloomberg, Cadillac had been considering taking the title sponsor role at the women’s shows previously held by Mercedes-Benz, but instead decided on the newly created dedicated menswear shows.
"We evaluated New York Fashion Week, and we continue to think it’s a worthy property," Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen told Bloomberg. "But we weren’t ready to figure out how to fully integrate that into our overall marketing strategy."
As of press time, New York Fashion Week had not found a replacement for Mercedes-Benz, which ended its sponsorship role after the fall/winter 2015 shows in February (see story). It is currently going through a rebranding, which includes a venue change and logo overhaul.
Tweet from NYFW showing venue
So far, the menswear fashion week has confirmed Michael Kors, Thom Browne, and Calvin Klein Collection, and John Varvatos, who will close the shows (see story).
Cadillac has previously shown its interest in focusing on up-and-coming fashion. Earlier this year, it allowed label Public School to show its women’s wear collection at its offices, and last year it acted as a presenting sponsor of New York Men’s Day, a menswear-focused day during New York Fashion Week in which emerging designers presented their collections.