The fall 2004 runway shows began here last week with the enormous corporate footprints of Kenneth Cole, Nautica and Perry Ellis.
They were followed over the weekend by the desperate, birdlike pecking of dozens of small design houses all fighting for a crumb of attention. Even the Red Dress Project, a traveling show of red designer frocks used to underscore the high incidence of heart disease among women, had to fight for the spotlight.
Cole had Liza Minnelli on Friday to lure the photographers. Monday, the Red Dress Project had First Lady Laura Bush, who arrived under the tents after the Oscar de la Renta show to thank the fashion industry for helping to direct attention to the prevalence of heart disease among women.
Fashion week has always been an occasion when everyone in the industry jockeys for attention, but it is particularly difficult for the small players to gain notice during the crowded schedule of some 100 overlapping runway shows.
Designer Carlos Miele, for instance, was forced to reschedule Tuesday night’s runway show after the invitations had already been sent, for fear his production would be overshadowed by Louis Vuitton.
Scheduling difficulties are only one of the problems facing new designers. The most formidable task is breaking through the clutter of dozens of quirky names, eccentric invitations and loudly announced sponsorships–Qantas! Voss! Tampax!
In the past, new designers have had to rely on word-of-mouth and the size of their publicist’s bullhorn. But increasingly, the New York fashion industry has become more hospitable, offering sponsorship programs and safety nets to help newcomers.
For years, the folks behind Gen Art were nearly alone in giving new designers an opportunity to show their work. After a vetting by industry professionals, designers are selected for a group show in which they present a capsule collection. The talent has tended to be raw and uneven, but the Gen Art shows offer an efficient way to get a sense of the creative energy that has yet to emerge.
But the closest things that the fashion industry currently has to a “Star Search” or “American Idol” are the $20,000 grants from the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation. Created in 2001 by Ecco Domani Wines, the foundation awards five designers–four in womenswear and one in menswear–a grant to produce a fashion show in New York. Past recipients have included Zac Posen and the teams of Proenza Schouler, As Four, Vasseur-Esquivel, Cloak and Project Alabama.
One of the winners this year is Doori Cheung, who showed her first collection, Doo.Ri, last year and had already begun to establish a reputation with her elegantly draped garments. This season, her collection was distinguished by vivid colors, such as sapphire blue, lime green, chartreuse and tomato red.
Andrew Harmon received the grant for menswear. His focused collection drew from the sensibility established by Yves Saint Laurent in the 1970s. Harmon, whose background is in sculpture, had his gentlemen walk the runway dressed in slim-fitting suits, trousers clinging close to the legs and jackets barely falling to the hips.
Moneymakers
The Council of Fashion Designers of America has turned its attention to the difficulties facing younger designers, and executive director Peter Arnold has tried to make the organization a clearinghouse for legal and manufacturing information and support rather than a club dominated by established houses. Beginning in September, in conjunction with Vogue, it will offer grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 to designers who show promise.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Kris Karnopp (kkarnopp@tribune.com)
