Prabal Gurung, Sophie Theallet, Justin Giunta Among Inaugural Fashion Incubator Designers February 1, 2010 6:58 am >> The CFDA Fashion Incubator, announced last October in partnership with New York City's Mayor Bloomberg, has its first twelve tenants. Among those named as part of the inaugural group of designers: Alice Ritter, Bibhu Mohapatra, Prabal Gurung, Sophie Theallet, Gemma Redux's Rachel Dooley, Grey Ant's Grant Krajecki, House of Waris's Waris Ahluwalia, Jolibe's Joel Diaz, Lewis's Alison Lewis, Public School's Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, Ruby Kobo's Yuvi Alpert and Danna Kobo, and Subversive Jewelry's Justin Giunta.The designers each received two-year leases on design studio spaces ranging from 800 to 1,000 square feet at 209 West 38th Street in Manhattan, with subsidized, below-market rental rates of between $1,500 and $2,000 per month. To earn a spot, the designers had to submit a business plan, show they had "substantive editorial coverage" and orders from high-level retailers, have been in business for over a year and a half, and be supporting a staff.
London, New York Designers Take Show to Paris in Hope of More Sales March 3, 2009 6:22 pm >> Budget cuts brought fewer European retailers to New York Fashion Week and fewer US retailers to London Fashion Week — Julie Gilhart of Barneys, for one — so instead, designers are meeting them at the one Fashion Week they all can't miss: Paris.Those from New York heading across the seas to meet with potential buyers and hopefully secure sales are Brian Reyes, Alexander Wang, and Victoria Bartlett of VPL, who are all sharing a space, plus Elise Overland, Jason Wu, Erin Fetherston, and Justin Giunta of Subversive Jewelry. Diane von Furstenberg and Philip Crangi have already been spotted together at Tuileries, but The Ritz Paris is said to be the unofficial headquarters of retailer-designer-meet-and-greet activity.
Marc O'Polo
GHD