W Hotels Worldwide hosted a breakfast on Wednesday to announce a fashion forward partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).
“What this relationship is about is not just celebrating talent and creativity, but focusing on business and that’s what the CFDA Fashion Incubator stands for”, said CFDA’s Chief Executive Officer Steven Kolb at the breakfast before launching into how they plan to accomplish their goal of helping talented designers achieve new levels of success.
In addition to financial support, W Hotels will also bring a new element of global exposure to CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR} designers through its portfolio of 42 hotels and retreats around the world as well as deep-reaching digital and brand marketing channels. Designer will be afforded the opportunity to travel for inspiration, business meetings, and ultimately sales and trunk shows launching these upcoming entrepreneurs to new heights in their careers.
CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR} is the newest program from the Council of Fashion Designers of America that provides a creative professional environment to foster promising fashion talent and helps the selected designers grow and sustain their businesses.
CFDA Media Announcement Breakfast-Carlos Becil,Diane von Furstenberg, and Steven Kolb
“W Hotels has been a longtime supporter of fashion, and we are thrilled to partner with the CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR} to continue our support of emerging talent,” said Carlos Becil, Vice President of Brand Management, Starwood’s Luxury and Design Brands, North America. “We recognized that by partnering with the CFDA, an organization that has a credible, time-tested pulse on the fashion industry, we could together have an even bigger impact on the businesses of rising designers.”
CFDA Media Announcement Breakfast Incubator Designers and Carlos Becil and Steven Kolb
Designed to Inspire: As part of the partnership, W Hotels and the CFDA will bring {FASHION INCUBATOR} designers out of New York City and into markets that are important to growing their businesses, a first such opportunity for the {FASHION INCUBATOR} program. The partnership will travel {FASHION INCUBATOR} designers to W Hotels around the country for fashion showcases and special events, providing exposure to new retailers, media and consumers to drive sales. W Atlanta – Buckhead will host the first in the {FASHION INCUBATOR} showcase series later this year.
Beyond exposure for the brands, W will help inspire by offering all designers a trip to one of the W brand’s 42 urban or resort destinations around the world. Whether it’s shopping the spice markets in Istanbul or discovering the live music scene in Austin, {FASHION INCUBATOR} designers will be able to visit some of the most glamorous W properties for inspiration that will come to life in one of their upcoming collections.
Lastly, W will bring a new level of global exposure to the {FASHION INCUBATOR} designers through its digital and brand marketing channels. With more than 1 million monthly visitors to WHotels.com and nearly half a million fans and followers across its social platforms, W will provide a great opportunity for these designers to reach new consumers.