CFDA Best New Menswear Designers in America

[timpoblete]

http://www.fashionweekdaily.com/news...inewsid=522523

GQ Advances CFDA Ties
Best New Menswear Designers in America project launches this season
Friday, January 11, 2008

(NEW YORK) The Council of Fashion Designers of America already has a successful partnership with Vogue with its Fashion Fund recognizing emerging women's wear talent. Now, under the auspices of organization president Diane von Furstenberg, menswear is getting its long overdue recognition thanks to GQ.

The CondÃ

Nast men's title is launching the Best New Menswear Designers in America project, an annual initiative carried out in collaboration with the CFDA. According to a statement released by GQ, "the competitive effort will recognize the rising stars of American men's fashion design."

The magazine has selected six designers as finalists in the inaugural competition, and each will be featured in a lead fashion portfolio in its February 2008 issue. Those finalists include: Rag & Bone's David Neville and Marcus Wainwright; Daiki Suzuki and Angelo Urrutia of Engineered Garments; Gilded Age's Stefan Miljanic; Swaim Hutson and Christina Hutson of Obedient Sons; Spurr's Simon Spurr; and Steven Alan.

Of the nominees, only two--Obedient Sons and Rag & Bone--also design women's wear. Rag & Bone's Neville and Wainwright, who joined the CFDA in June, were also selected as finalists for the 2006 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. Rag & Bone also won the 2007 Swarovski Award for Menswear.

Levi's and Bloomingdale's are the lead participating partners.

The winning designer will receive a $50,000 cash prize and the opportunity to create a capsule collection for Levi's that will enjoy an exclusive month-long debut at several Bloomingdale's locations at the start of New York's Fashion Week in September. The winner will also participate in a mentoring initiative led by GQ, Levi's, and Bloomingdale's. The winner's collection will be available on Levi.com and a select item or outfit will be featured in GQ's September issue.

A panel of industry experts has been assembled to choose the winner. Chaired by GQ editor-in-chief Jim Nelson and GQ creative director Jim Moore, it includes Caroline Calvin, Levi's senior vice president of global creative design; Kevin Harter, Bloomingdale's vice president of fashion direction; Steven Kolb, CFDA executive director; and John Varvatos.

"If you look at the track record of new designers over the years, their lines have become prominent," said Moore, who noted that the chief criteria for consideration was that the designer had to have a complete collection. "It's time menswear came out of the shadows. It was our feeling that we wanted to go beyond the editorial component and it's always been our dream to devise a mentoring program where the winner would get to work with a great American company like Levi's."

While Moore admitted this project is something that could've been initiated 10 years ago, "there's more interest in menswear now," he said. "Retailers have all the established brands, but now they want something to pepper their floors with; something to add youth."

The final selection will be made by consensus among the panel members and will take place in February 2008.

On January 30, the nominees will each present 10 looks from their Fall 2008 collections at a special presentation and celebration in New York City.

"This is an exciting time for American men's fashion, with both originality and creativity redefining the way men dress today," Kolb said in a statement. "GQ continues to champion the most talented American menswear designers, and the 2008 finalists represent the best American menswear designers working today."

This new partnership isn't the first time GQ and the CFDA have worked together. For the past three years, the two organizations have hosted annual cocktail parties recognizing the menswear nominees for the coveted American fashion award. GQ has also sponsored a table hosting the menswear nominees at the annual CFDA Awards ceremony in June.
JIM SHI

 

[jkennett]

Great stuff. Although, my first thought was whether it may be a conflict of interest for Rag and Bone to design for Levi's if they were to win. Rag & Bone is competition to LVC from what I've observed. Otherwise, great to see some industry recognition for menswear.

 

[blank]

I would almost certainly buy a pair of Rag & Bone x Levi's collaboration jeans.

 

[whodini]

(cough shameless plug cough) Crate got shafted (cough).

I wonder what they pooled from. I don't find Steven Alan as remotely interesting as BoO. I think I might have also personally picked Nice Collective over Obedient Sons. NC doesn't look like much online but once you see it in person and try it on it's a whole different ballgame.

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by whodini

(cough shameless plug cough) Crate got shafted (cough).

I wonder what they pooled from. I don't find Steven Alan as remotely interesting as BoO. I think I might have also personally picked Nice Collective over Obedient Sons. NC doesn't look like much online but once you see it in person and try it on it's a whole different ballgame.

Nice Collective has been around a longgggggg time. Way too long to be considered new in anyway whatsoever. Actually, most of these brands are geriatric, in fashion years. Steven Alan has been around at least 7 years (he used to do some truly colorful stuff - it was one of the original brands you could find on Bluefly, if that dates it any better

)

 

[robin]

Does anyone else find the notion of a mentoring program for any of those nominated a bit silly? It also feels like Levi's just wants some coolness to rub off onto them.

 

[whodini]

Originally Posted by LA Guy

Nice Collective has been around a longgggggg time. Way too long to be considered new in anyway whatsoever. Actually, most of these brands are geriatric, in fashion years. Steven Alan has been around at least 7 years (he used to do some truly colorful stuff - it was one of the original brands you could find on Bluefly, if that dates it any better

)
Holy crap, I didn't even see the "New" part in the title. Steven Alan's about as new as slap bracelets.

 

[A Harris]

NC doesn't look like much online but once you see it in person and try it on it's a whole different ballgame

That's because they understand cut better than any other company in their genre. Now if they would just lighten up on the crazy details...

This contest sounds interesting though.

 

[jkennett]

Originally Posted by robin

Does anyone else find the notion of a mentoring program for any of those nominated a bit silly? It also feels like Levi's just wants some coolness to rub off onto them.

That was basically what I was trying to say. It's basically "free work" from a reputable designer with some sort of street-cred. Sounds like a great situation for Levi's, but not so much for the designer. Not to mention they could cannibalize their own companies. For every cooperative design they sell with Levi's, there is a missed opportunity to sell from their own company. I'd collect the 50g's and turn down the "internship".

 

[robin]

Originally Posted by jkennett

I'd collect the 50g's and turn down the "internship".
Maybe it's just me and my elevated sense of ego, but I'd take the 50g and then throw it back in their faces. The whole thing just seems insulting to the guys behind each of the lines.

 

[whodini]

Originally Posted by robin

Maybe it's just me and my elevated sense of ego, but I'd take the 50g and then throw it back in their faces. The whole thing just seems insulting to the guys behind each of the lines.
What's so insulting about Levi's thinly-veiled attempt at paying a respected boutique label $50k to give themselves some well-needed buzz disguised as an "award?" $50k is jack to Levi's in terms of an advertising budget and I'm sure that's how they're looking at it.

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by jkennett

That was basically what I was trying to say. It's basically "free work" from a reputable designer with some sort of street-cred. Sounds like a great situation for Levi's, but not so much for the designer. Not to mention they could cannibalize their own companies. For every cooperative design they sell with Levi's, there is a missed opportunity to sell from their own company. I'd collect the 50g's and turn down the "internship".

I think that the opportunity to create a capsule collection with Levis which have wide distribution would be great for Obedient Sons, Spurr, or Gilded Age, which have relatively low distribution and recognition at the moment. However, Engineered Garments is already featured in a Bloomingdale's flyer, and the other brands hardly need the exposure. I dunno. Maybe they will get a big financial + for the collection, but otherwise... I dunno.

 

[timpoblete]

I think that they'd just like the bragging rights. Money's always nice, as a bonus to the support crew for the workers maybe, and the levi's thing I guess it'd be something interesting to do, but I doubt many of the brands see it as some sort of big career booster. If anything, it'd just be another collabo.

EG x Levi's = Levi's made in the USA?

 

[shoreman1782]

Props to LA Guy for repping Spurr here for awhile. Dude knows how to pick lines. Does anyone know if there's any DC or Philly retailers for Spurr stuff?

 

[Get Smart]

Originally Posted by whodini

What's so insulting about Levi's thinly-veiled attempt at paying a respected boutique label $50k to give themselves some well-needed buzz disguised as an "award?" $50k is jack to Levi's in terms of an advertising budget and I'm sure that's how they're looking at it.

yea, at least Project Runway's winner gets $100,000