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Gathering of the Glamorous
At Nolcha Fashion Week: New York, from September 13-16
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Legends and respected industry figures have been gathering at the mecca of fashion, New York City, for yet another fashion week. During the annual event, veteran and rookie designers showcase their newest collections to the world. One of the hottest shows during the glamor-filled soirée is the Nolcha Fashion Week. Encore will be covering the swanky event and give you the latest updates straight from the runway.
CEO Kerry Bannigan launched Nolcha: Fashion Business Services in March 2007 along with business partner Arthur Mandel. They have both been working with designers for some time already and it seemed that almost every emerging designer shared the same feelings; Bannigan tells me “their concern was while IMG was doing a great job at Bryant Park and the Lincoln Center, the finance for the event would take $50,000 and upwards. None of the designers had the expertise to put together the context to do this. We kept hearing it again and again, so we said ‘Let’s try this’.”
The first Nolcha Fashion Week was a success and caught the attention of hundreds of international designers who would ultimately be the essence of Nolcha. Though the first week was a triumph, it wasn’t easy to establish their brand. Bannigan confides, “When we first came out, people were like, ‘Okay, this just another one time event. It’s going to come and go.’ But we’ve stayed and we’re staying. What helped us is that we don’t just come out and do an event twice a year. Everyday, we are providing business support to the fashion market. All the partners we bring in for all of our event activities, programs, initiatives and so forth, they join us to grown a larger fashion week each season.”
LooseButton has paired up with Nolcha to host Beyond the Runway Award on September 15. Bannigan tells me that this is a new concept for Nolcha. She says, “Designers we work with are always asking for business advice and the biggest thing that they need, it comes down to is understanding about the importance of their branding and website and legal support. So, what we’ve decided this season is to come up with this award and give a chance to our designers at Fashion Week. It’s basically an added bonus for the designers showcasing with us.” The lucky winner will receive a support package worth $50,000, sponsored by Ernst & Young, Orrick, Studio Light and MSLK.
Nolcha Fashion Week: New York will run from September 13-16. Monday’s exhibitions will take place at the Marcel Hotel at Gramercy at 1 p.m. with a runway show featuring collections by Elizabeth Kosich New York, N Kwon and Ola Style. This is followed by a runway show for Liz Fields at 4 p.m. The day will close with a runway show and accessory preview featuring Narciss, Secreto London, Stephen Seo, Afanador, Ana Gutierrez, Elly Clay and Marla Cielo.