| NEWS 05.21.09 8:00 AM |
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Events and Pop-Ups Are a Boon to Troubled Retail Real Estate—and Vice Versa
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 | Reebok's La Brea pop-up
Photo: Vero Image |
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FROM LOS ANGELES
The recession has brought a flurry of “For Lease” signs to the windows of Los Angeles retail spaces, which have been vacated with particular urgency in high-rent districts like Melrose Place, Robertson Boulevard, and Sunset Boulevard. But the bad news for real estate could be buoyed by corporate event and pop-up hosts using those same spaces—and likewise some hosts are finding that a vacant retail space can be an efficient and attractive venue choice.
“[The high retail vacancy is] definitely encouraging me, with any event, to walk around an area I like and look at all the retail spaces as a first protocol,” said Harrison & Shriftman national creative director Ryan Jordan, who recently chose vacant retail and parking structures for the likes of Allergan’s Latisse launch, and a launch for Russian designer Kira Plastinina (whose line filed for bankruptcy just months after its U.S. debut). “They’re a lot more cost effective, and it definitely increases your bargaining power, since they're already vacant—in New York, Miami, L.A.—everywhere.”
The Beverly Center, which occasionally hosts its own promotional events, is actively shopping for corporate event and pop-up hosts. “I've been talking to New Beauty magazine about doing a pop-up store [out of which the magazine would offer relevant] seminars, maybe for a month or a couple of months. We've been talking to Los Angeles magazine about doing the same thing for the tastemakers issue. Also we’ve been working with [an animal rescue] organization to do animal adoptions [out of the space formerly occupied by a] pet store, since their lease expired, which would allow us to lease the space later,” said Steve Valentine, a publicist for the mall (which may be facing a significant new PR problem after the murder of a young rapper in daylight there on Monday).
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RELATED TOPICS
Pop-Ups, Y-3, Reebok, Kira Plastinina, Allergan, Latisse, New Beauty Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Paper Magazine, Campari, Kitson, Johnnie Walker |
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| NEWS 02.16.09 2:01 PM |
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Fashion Week Pics: Barbie Bedecks the Tent in Pink, Others Trade Theatrical Shows for More Practical Setups
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The recession has hit the fashion community hard, and most noticeable is the lack of the over-the-top sets, stages, and entertainment that have been the norm at Fashion Week shows. In the first round of fall/winter 2009 collections, minimalist scenes abounded, and even labels like Y-3, Miss Sixty, and Lacoste kept production simple. Nevertheless, each show was as crowded as ever, drawing big names like Kanye West, Mischa Barton, Lindsay Lohan, and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
One company that did make a splash was Barbie maker Mattel, which hosted the first runway show for the doll brand on Saturday afternoon in the Bryant Park tents. Held as part of the 50th anniversary promotional blitz for Barbie, the packed viewing employed a bright pink runway and LED backdrop to highlight the lineup of Barbie-inspired creations from designers including Betsey Johnson, Kenneth Cole, and Catherine Malandrino.
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RELATED TOPICS
Fashion Week, Barbie, Mattel, Chadwick Bell, Jason Wu, Shipley & Halmos, IMG Fashion, Mercedes-Benz, Lacoste, Y-3, Miss Sixty |
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| NEWS 08.27.08 12:20 PM |
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Saks, Daily Candy, and Mini Among Fashion Week Party Hosts
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 | Inside the tents at February's Fashion Week
Photo: Keith Sirchio for BizBash |
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Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is edging closer, and we've got more news on this season's slew of shows and promotions.
Among the kick-off parties slated for Thursday, September 4, is the official Mercedes-Benz gala at Saks Fifth Avenue, debuting the Wizard of Oz Ruby Slipper collection. The event, hosted by Saks and Warner Brothers Consumer Products, is in anticipation of the 70th anniversary of the musical film starring Judy Garland and will unveil designs from Abaeté, Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, and others, all inspired by Dorothy's famous red shoes. The items will be on display at the department store as well as inside the tents at Bryant Park, and will also travel to Miami Art Week in December.
Also on Thursday—the day before the tents officially open—are several presentations, including one for intimate apparel maker Yummie Tummie at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. According to The New York Post, event producer Kevin Krier is looking for exotic dancers for "a pole-dancing extravaganza." Over at Hudson Terrace, DailyCandy will celebrate the launch of its Fashion Week blog, the DailyCandy Dossier, and Elie Tahari will stage its first formal presentation in the Pool Room of the Four Seasons Restaurant.
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RELATED TOPICS
Fashion Week, DailyCandy, Y-3, Gen Art, Yoox, Saks Fifth Avenue, Mini, Marc Bouwer |
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| FRESH FACE 05.07.08 9:40 AM |
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Former Set Designer Adds Drama to Events
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 | Jonathon Beck
Photo: James Mottee |
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All the World’s a Stage: After studying set and costume design at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts—and becoming the youngest graduate of the course, in 1999—Jonathon Beck began designing sets for the Sydney Theatre Company before expanding his work abroad as a production designer for movies and television in Vienna. Upon his return to Sydney, in 2004, Beck began designing events, and his client list grew to include charity galas and parties for Wella, Moët & Chandon, and 20th Century Fox as well as film director Baz Luhrmann. “It was a natural progression from conceptual theater to what I’m doing now,” he says. “My [work] comes out of a visual arts background and is very installation inspired. It’s more than a backdrop. The idea is to enter into a world that is different from anything else.”
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RELATED TOPICS
Tommy Hilfiger, Y-3, Moët & Chandon, 20th Century Fox, Hugo Boss |
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| EVENT REPORT 02.06.08 1:13 PM |
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Y-3 Builds Giant Wall of Ice for Show
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 | Y-3's 230-foot-long wall of ice
Photo: Keith Sirchio for BizBash |
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It's hard for fashion types to ignore the Y-3 show. Not only does the Yohji Yamamoto collection for Adidas draw a big crowd of celebrities, but the set has consistently been one of the most unique and creative during New York Fashion Week. Sunday evening's presentation at Pier 40 was no exception, with an innovative runway backdrop built entirely of ice. The show drew guests such as Helena Christensen, Damon Dash, Ellen Pompeo, and Chris Ivery.
Attendees sat along one side of the catwalk, facing an igloo-like wall of ice blocks. The curvilinear structure ran the length of the runway, a total of 230 feet. Shrouded in an icy blue light, the glacial set provided a suitable backdrop for the colorful winter sportswear. And even though the day's temperature was relatively comfortable, the folks at Y-3 padded the bleacher seating with white felt, placed blankets on each seat, and handed out hand-warming pouches. They even heated the bleachers from below, keeping the seating area at 59 degrees.
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RELATED TOPICS
Fashion Week, Y-3, Adidas |
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| Q & A 09.10.07 10:39 AM |
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Meet One of Fashion Week's Most Creative Designers (of Sets)
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For the last four iterations of Fashion Week, Mike Brown of Lot71 has designed some of the festivities' most daring settings. For Adidas’s futuristic Y-3 line, he incorporated conveyor belts into the gymnasium at Hunter College and Pier 40, and he created an ethereal forest for Tommy Hilfiger at the Hammerstein Ballroom. This year, he switched gears, moving away from colder, more austere palettes to Miss Sixty’s rambunctious, colorful attire. The show was September 6.
How does working on Fashion Week differ from working on events and installations?
You are really pushed to come up with bold, singular ideas—like one brush stroke on a canvas. It has to be bold, sexy, and strong, and it has to underscore the collection. It’s only going to be around for 10 minutes and that’s it.
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RELATED TOPICS
Fashion Week, Miss Sixty, Adidas, Y-3, Tommy Hilfiger |
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