NBA Uses Its Store for Fashion Show

The NBA, which recently instituted a dress code to spiff up the image of its players, hosted a fashion show inside its Fifth Avenue store to promote its relationship with a clothing store, a designer, and a men?s fashion magazine.

March 26, 2007

While some players have expressed opposition to the NBA’s dress code, others—including Jared Jeffries of the New York Knicks, the New Jersey Nets’ Antoine Wright, and the Denver Nuggets’ Kenyon Martin, as well as Hall of Fame star Walt “Clyde” Frazier—showed their support by modeling at the league’s fashion show on March 21. Organized by the NBA and men’s clothing chain Rochester Stores (a division of Casual Male Group) and sponsored by GQ, the show was held inside the NBA Store, on a runway built in the lower level’s half-court space. Before the more than 600 guests and 70 members of the press (including reporters from sports, fashion, and entertainment outlets) arrived, Jono Productions and the marketing and events team from the NBA Store spent about four hours preparing the retail space for the event, clearing out merchandise and enclosing backstage and storage areas with screens and drapes.

—Anna SekulaPosted 03.26.07

Photos: Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE Photos (runway), BizBash (all others)

Although using its own retail space made some of the planning easier for the NBA, the setup required moving merchandise and changing store displays.

Jono Productions built a 40-foot-long white plexiglass runway in the store’s lower-level court-style area, clearing the space of merchandise and using drapes to curtain off backstage areas.

Hosted by model Frederique van der Wal and Access Hollywood’s Tony Potts, the presentation featured designs from Burberry, Kenneth Cole, and Tommy Bahama and showcased the spring collection from Jared M. The models included NBA players such as Antoine Wright.

DJ Beverly Bond spun from a custom-built DJ booth on an elevated platform that overlooked the catwalk.

In addition to the bleachers surrounding the court area, guests sat on orange bench seating borrowed from the NBA.

To make room for the cocktail space, the planning and production team cleared out most of the clothing and other goods.

Rather than bringing in coat racks, the planning team used the store’s locker-style section as a backstage dressing room for the models.

Drink sponsors such as Alizé, Leblon, and Little Penguin wine set up bars at cash registers. (At the request of the NBA, branding was restricted to minimal displays, such as prop bottles.)