COTERIE Digital Issue 02.22

ISSUE 02.22

IN THIS ISSUE:

SUSTAINABLE FASHION: BRANDS TO KNOW

ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY COLLECTIONS: WHAT’S TRENDING THE COTERIE LOOKBOOK: A NEW PERSEPECTIVE A CONVERSATION WITH CHRISTIAN SIRIANO BRAND CREDIT: BEC + BRIDGE

COTERIE NEW YORK

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AUTUMN/WINTER 22/23

t was so great to see the fashion community back for the February 2022 edition of COTERIE. We would like to thank all the brands, retailers, and industry partners who were able to join us in New York City to reconnect in person. This season presented a diverse and curated selection of contemporary and advanced contemporary women’s apparel, accessories, and footwear brands all who displayed an array of new trends for buyers to shop.

We also kept the post-Fashion Week energy going with a special series of educational sessions, partnering with leading media outlets like The Daily Front Row and The Business of Fashion. There was a “Fireside Chat” with Christian Siriano, “Behind The Scenes: Meet Television’s Leading Costume Designers” with Molly Rogers, Danny Santiago, Jacqueline Demeterio and Jeriana San Juan and “What’s Next?”, a panel of social media experts talking all things Instagram, TikTok, and the metaverse.

Consumer values were also at the forefront of COTERIE curations and collections – especially sustainability.

This season, we partnered with Hey Social Good to highlight brands’ sustainable efforts. They used their Social Good Assessment to verify and rank our exhibitors’ sustainable practices, ethical practices, production processes and more. This initiative is a wonderful deterrent against greenwashing – brands that only adopt one or two practices or those that do not take a holistic approach to sustainability are unable to meet SGA criteria.

It was certainly a season to remember, and we hope to see you again July 16-18 for destination:miami

by COTERIE, and back in New York for COTERIE September 18-20.

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A LOOK INTO THE CONTEMPORARY AND ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY MARKET AT COTERIE NEW YORK.

THE

JOYOUS ART OF FASHION

A LOOK INTO THE A/W 22/23 ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY MARKET AT THIS SEASON’S EDITION OF COTERIE NEW YORK.

DE LORETA

Happy Sheep: “Our Fall/Winter 2022 collection can be expressed in a simple word: reaction. We wanted to express a feeling of joy and resilience as a strong balancing force to the austerity and pessimism that saturated the latest period.

Hence, we chose to be inspired by one of the most peculiar artists of the 20s: E.A. Seguy, whose colorful and sumptuous work was an aesthetic statement of renaissance and vitality in a world exhausted by WWI.”

PAOLA BERNARDI

—Jacopo Tartone, Creative Director, Happy Sheep Paola Bernardi: “Our new Fall knitwear captures the Brazilian sensibility in form-fitting silhouettes and luxe separates for layering.

One of the collection’s main characteristics is that Paola does not use wool or cashmere. Instead, she uses incredibly lush and soft Italian technical yarns transformed into luxurious jacquards, “Chanel-like” tweeds, and exclusive pointelle that only Paola Bernardi can execute perfectly.”

—Marco Lebel, Owner, Lebel Fashion Group

HAPPY SHEEP

SAYLOR

Sustainable Fashion IN FOCUS:

TIMELESS DESIGNS MEET FORWARD-THINKING TEXTILES.

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ustainability is at the forefront of fashion, and an initiative the COTERIE team is not only passionate about, but an initiative that has become a focal point starting from the physical development of our events to establishing partnerships that help evolve the conversation around sustainability into actionable steps for brands and retailers. The February 2022 edition of COTERIE featured a curation of sustainable women’s contemporary collections who are pushing beyond the “trend” around sustainability and some who are working their way to being fully circular by 2030. Read on to hear insights from the COTERIE community and to learn more about our verification process for sustainable and ethical practices in partnership with Hey Social Good.

Meet the Brands IN FOCUS: A/W 22/23 SUSTAINABLE FASHION

Avocado Athleisure: “We designed our clothes to be comfortable and multifunctional pieces that can be worn from a workout to a Zoom meeting, hence athleisure. Our most recent Winter collection is designed with eco-friendly yarn, Modal, to keep you warm while also giving you that beautiful, feminine silhouette. Like our primary Core Collection, we needed to make timeless pieces that were durable and not trendsensitive so that our pieces could be worn for years and not add to the landfills.”

—Mikaela Choi, Director of Sales & Operations, Avocado Athleisure

Sustainable and vegan fashion is not a trend, but a mind-shift that is vital for our planet. It starts from us, the wholesale industry, to demand and implement changes in the supply chains by working harder in sourcing, telling our stories, and most importantly – training our retailers and their salesforces to make sure these changes are adopted by the consumers right now and for future generations.” —Marco Lebel, Owner, Lebel Fashion Group

Outerknown: “At Outerknown, our focus is fabric and sustainability.

We plan to be fully circular by 2030, to not put any LØCI: “Our main focus for new materials into the LØCI is introducing the most marketplace, and to build vegan ‘fashion sneaker’ in a collection entirely on the contemporary market recycled garments, threads, by offering sustainable, and fabrics. With this in classic colors, meaningful mind, we were able to collaborations, and ‘slow showcase a lot of recycled fashion’ across categories cashmere pieces, recycled for women and men. wool, and outerwear made

from Econyl, which is recycled fishing nets turned into fiber. We’re really proud of where we are at the moment, but we have a long way to go. We’re entirely transparent as well, meaning we’d love to share our fabric stories and supply chain wins with other brands. If we’re all doing it, things on our planet will get better.”

—Tommy Monette, Director of Wholesale, Outerknown

Avocado Athleisure

LØCI

ADDITIONAL COLLECTIONS:

Outerknown

1. Avocado Athleisure 2. DL1961 3. Erin Gray 4. Gola Shoes 5. Happy Sheep 6. Harris Cotton 7. Knititude 8. LØCI 9. Mavi 10. Mia Peru 11. NIC+ZOE 12. Nette Rose 13. Outerknown 14. Pelletterie Claudia 15. White+Warren

Q+A

IN FOCUS: A/W 22/23 SUSTAINABLE FASHION

WITH DR. CINDY LIN FROM HEY SOCIAL GOOD

COTERIE: What is the biggest update in sustainability that contemporary and advanced contemporary fashion retailers should know about?

Dr. Cindy J Lin, Hey Social Good: “Sustainability is having a heyday, and, in a way that truly counts. The biggest and most exciting things happening now are traceability tracking from fiber to store, increased sustainable fiber choices, and recommerce. RFID and QR codes on hang tags are some of the ways brands (and retailers) can track fibers and sku sales.

This offers a data-driven approach to adopt sustainable practices that make sense for business and the planet. The explosion of less polluting fibers means more product choices for the consumer instore and online.

This also offers retailers greater educational engagement opportunities with their consumers. Finally, I am ecstatic with the growth of the secondhand or off-season clothing market, and the brands who offer take-back programs. We are collectively placing a dollar value on a previously worn or off-season pair of pants that would have traditionally gone straight to the landfill. Instead, we are now bringing it back to life and creating that circular fashion market. Retailers can potentially recapture revenue benefits from a recommerce economy. We are at the growth of all things (wonderfully) sustainable.”

For more information on Hey Social Good, please visit: heysocialgood.com

ABOUT THE VERIFICATION PROCESS This season, COTERIE partnered with Hey Social Good to verify the featured brands with ethical and sustainable practices.

Hey Social Good’s SGA identified COTERIE brands who have not just started their sustainable journey but have relentlessly committed to rethinking and reimagining practices in every part of their fashion business.

The Hey Social Good “Social Good Assessment” (SGA) of brands and enterprises is a highly stringent process consisting of four independent tiers (or steps) to deem a brand as “verified.” Although some brands may have adopted some sustainable practices or generally describe a sustainable framework, they may not meet HSG’s SGA criteria. HSG combs through both the public and furnished data, seeking and confirming the sustainable and ethical practices that are significant, established, and positively impactful.

Brands or enterprises that only adopt 1-2 practices, and do not present a similar concerted vision or activities in other areas, likely will not meet HSG’s standards to be verified. Also, there must be consistency in the practices adopted. It is HSG’s belief that committed sustainable practices by a business or organization are excellently and robustly reflected by the depth and expansiveness of numerous practices, especially when a brand’s or enterprise’s supply chain and manufacturing practices are considered.

COTERIE along with Hey Social Good is thrilled that the fashion industry at large is focused on sustainable and ethical practices. We love that they are taking on the challenging steps of changing how to design and manufacture beautifully for people and the planet. We want to encourage and support these fresh brands and enterprises on their quest for social good and making a positive impact.

LOOK BOOK THE

From striking silhouettes to dramatic details this season’s contemporary and advanced contemporary designers’ collections are sure to inspire.

BEC + BRIDGE

Photography: Jose “Tutes” Tutivan | @tutes Production: Hailley Howard | @hailleyhoward Director: Ellissa Starr Assistant Director: James Ridley | @jamesridley HMU: Margie Bresciani | @margiebremua Lighting: Donnell Culver | @donnellculver Studio Assistant and Prop: Christina Ray | @christinaroseann Model: Elite (Magic) & Q Management Video: Tyler Beus | @tylergeorgeb Wardrobe Stylist: Chelsea Volpe | @chelseavolpestylist

DESANTIS (LEFT + RIGHT)

MAGALI PASCAL (LEFT + RIGHT)

MANOUSH (LEFT + RIGHT)

BEC + BRIDGE (LEFT + RIGHT)

FINDERS KEEPERS (LEFT + RIGHT); SUNGLASSES: ILLESTEVA

HALSTON

JAKKE

DRESS: AMANDA UPRICHARD (LEFT + RIGHT)

BAG: LAURA BELLINI

DRESS: DESANTIS (LEFT + RIGHT)

BAG: CLAUDIA FIRENZA

WOLFORD

BLANCA

OUTFIT: BLANCA (LEFT + RIGHT); SUNGLASSES: ILLESTEVA

VEROSENSO (LEFT + RIGHT)

DRESS: ELLIATT; JEWELRY: DENISE NADER

WALTER BAKER

BLANCA (LEFT + RIGHT)

AMUR (LEFT + RIGHT)

DL 1961 (LEFT + RIGHT)

ST. CLOUD LABEL

BELLA DAHL

DRESS: AMUR; BAG: DEL DUCA (LEFT + RIGHT)

CHRISTIAN SIRIANO A CONVERSATION WITH

THE LEGENDARY FASHION DESIGNER RECOUNTS HIS CAREER AND GLEANS LESSONS FROM HIS PAST. Christian Siriano shot out of obscurity in his early 20s to reach the heights of the fashion world young, thanks in part to his Project Runway win. In the fifteen years since, Siriano has become one of the most sought-after names for celebrities who want to make a statement on the red carpet or on the awards stage. The designer spoke with Daily Front Row’s Eddie Roche at the February edition of COTERIE about the obsession necessary to make it, and the ephemeral nature of fashion shows.

CHRISTIAN SIRIANO AT THE FEBRUARY EDITION OF COTERIE NEW YORK.

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“You really have to be as scrappy and annoying and wild as you can be, because I think I still am that way. I’m still texting the stylist every five minutes. I’m like, ‘is it good? Is it good?

What’s happening?’ You still have to be so in it and you can’t ever let your guard down at all. You really have to. I overly strive and work every single day. There is not a single day that I’m really not doing something for my business, which is why I still own majority stake in my business because I’m still so obsessed with it. I really think that that’s what it is: if that editor doesn’t write you back or that buyer that you really want, you kind of just annoy them the most you can until they tell you to calm down. You just keep at it. You have to be respectful, but sooner or later they come around.”

“Everybody has to understand that you will never be everything for everybody, but you can be really right for your world and the people who love what you do. I started focusing on that more than anything. We really reminded ourselves that the customers are so important; that everything in fashion can go away in a minute.”

“My advice is—especially if you’re a student, or young, or just starting out—it really is important to like this obsessionally.

You’re trying so hard in the beginning. …I think the customer wants so much attention. So just give them the attention. I give so much attention sometimes, my mom gets less attention…”

“I also like to remind people that a fashion show, we get one.

It’s one moment, one time—there’s no dress rehearsal. It’s not like a theater performance where it’s weeks of previews. It’s one moment, one time, for 20 minutes. That’s it. Over, done.

That’s what I get nervous about. I hate that you’re judged so quickly for one instance that something might go wrong or something might happen. You never know. I don’t control what the models do, or what the people do. That’s on their own terms.”

“I haven’t been to COTERIE in a really long time, so this is really fun. I used to come here and dream that someone would come and buy my clothes. Dream. I never had a booth.

I would just come here and I hope someone buys my clothes one day.”

EDUCATION PLAYBACK T

his season presented valuable insights from fashion experts through daily sessions on the show floor to help educate and inspire.

Read the highlights here from our guest speakers that include fashion leaders, thinkers, and influencers who covered topics ranging from the metaverse to opportunities within social media to how the most iconic fashion trends are created.

From left to right: Durand Guion, Macy’s; Michaela O’Shaughnessy, @Creations; Rachel Tashjian, Harper’s Bazaar; Olivia Caputo, Digital Creator

SESSION 2: WHAT’S NEXT? SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERTS SHARE WHAT’S AHEAD IN THE

OLIVIA CAPUTO DIGITAL CREATOR

“

[Being influenced by social media] is about building trust and feeling like you know the person whose content you’re watching.

When you’re watching a commercial on TV or reading in a magazine and it’s someone that you don’t know, you’re probably less compelled to buy something or be influenced by something but if it’s someone that you know and already trust, then there’s going to be a much higher return there. So I think it’s just about relating to your audience and really feeling like you’re building a community of people rather than just spewing out a message or an advertisement.”

E WORLD OF INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, AND THE METAVERSE

MICHAELA O’SHAUGHNESSY @CREATIONS

“

What’s exciting about Reels, Instagram’s play on short form video, is it’s a whole new opportunity to expand your reach and gain new followers on Instagram. Growth on Instagram can be difficult for creators and brands at times but if you’re a brand or a creator out there that’s really looking to grow your Instagram following number, one thing I would say is to start producing Reel content regularly and consistently. Dipping your toe into video can sometimes be intimidating, but it really doesn’t need to be a high-level production; It can literally be an editor using the green screen feature to say, ‘Hey, these are my favorite looks from Milan this week.’ It’s something that everyone from your team can kind of tap into and do a little bit of testing and learning with. I think we’ll see a huge shift this year with Instagram; there was a little controversy a couple of months ago when our CEO, Adam Mosseri, made a comment that said Instagram is no longer a photo sharing app and everyone was very mad. The Instagram we all know and love with the photos will always still be there, but we are going to see a big shift towards video on Instagram in the next 12 months, and I think it’s really pivoting towards becoming an entertainment platform as well as a sharing platform.”

SESSION 2: WHAT’S NEXT? SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERTS SHARE WHAT’S AHEAD IN THE

RACHEL TASHJIAN HARPER’S BAZAAR

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[When it comes to the Metaverse,] it’s about the brand having a very authentic and organic connection to the technology and to the platform; so what Balenciaga has done so smartly is that they’ve already hired someone to run their metaverse. They have someone who’s managing and creating those partnerships with brands like Epic, which is the creator of Fortnite. They worked with Epic to create their fall 2021 show which was essentially a video game and then that kind of expanded into this partnership where they created skins that you could buy in Fortnite so that you could dress the various characters in Balenciaga hoodies, boots, and a variety of viral pieces.”

E WORLD OF INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, AND THE METAVERSE

DURAND GUION MACY’S

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For this year’s very iconic Thanksgiving Day parade, we created an NFT for the balloons. We still have a consumer who wants to buy something and put it on, and that’s going to be important for us for a long time, but to take something collectible like a balloon would be kind of hard. It would be hard to buy a balloon and store it in your apartment so the fact that we were able to create NFTs after some of the legendary balloons and also use that as a way to give back to Make a Wish Foundation, made it quite successful.

Trying to find those philanthropic give back moments is key. It’s a good 10 years before the metaverse is real, but what we’ve learned is we can’t wait for the 10 years; we have to start dipping our tail and playing with it. There might not be the immediate return on investment, but we can’t wait and I think that’s the most important thing around this.”

*Editor’s Note: At the time of this session, Durand Guion was the Group Vice President, Fashion Office at Macy’s. He recently announced his new role as Senior Vice President Creative Director of Fair Harbor.

SESSION 3: BEHIND THE SCENES: MEET TELEVISION’S LEADING COSTUME DESIGN

DANNY SANTIAGO

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When it comes to trends, it‘s all about the unexpected. You come up with a trend, without even knowing or trying to make that into a trend-- that’s where trends really come from. It’s all about taking something and twisting it, not making it literally what that whole head to toe look is meant to be. It’s about taking the unexpected pieces and mixing it into something new. That’s why you look at people who have personal style, and they don’t wear a look that’s a head to toe from a collection. They take it and they place it onto themselves and rethink it. They reintroduce something that you wouldn’t necessarily think of, and it could be the most abstract piece of it, whether it’s a hat or a shoe. I feel like that’s how sportswear became so integrated with fashion these days is because people didn’t want to wear it the way that it looked on a runway and they started playing with it and they started making it work for them and for what they do in their real lives. Take something and twist it so it doesn’t look like you’re wearing somebody else, take it and make it completely identify with yourself and your personality.”

NERS

JACQUELINE DEMETERIO

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Instagram and social media has done so much for discovering new talent. People will just randomly DM me-- it’s actually a great way because I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ve never seen this brand before,’ and then all of a sudden I’m down the rabbit hole of going through their Instagram. I find that there’s just so many brands right now, even underground designers and that sort of thing that that you wouldn’t have noticed as much before.”

SESSION 3: BEHIND THE SCENES: MEET TELEVISION’S LEADING COSTUME DESIGN

JERIANA SAN JUAN

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Whilst pursuing a career in costume design, my advice is to just keep your eyes as wide as pie plates and absorb every single thing in front of you. Visually, learn better from yourself; what you like and what you don’t like and why. I think that’s the internal investigation that starts to shape exactly what your artistic voice is going to be.

Also, say yes to everything because everything is an opportunity to learn from; even if it goes horrible, or you fall flat on your face, you still learn from it. Saying yes led me to Saturday Night Live.”

NERS

MOLLY RODGERS

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[Referring to Sex and the City opening scene] Pat in her nice and twisted way said ‘Please, please, please shoot her in this tutu,’ to which none of the producers understood, but Pat did and she insisted on it. Slowly, everybody kind of came around to loving that tutu-- maybe not understanding it, but realizing that this character was going to be the princess of New York. We also felt that she needed to be wearing a crown, which they never let us put on her hat. Pat wanted her to wear a crown when she was typing her column, and she would call it her, ‘thinking cap’ but that never happened.”

SPECIAL EVENTS + COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

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ashion was back in New York as this season’s edition of COTERIE. Here, we’re spotlighting some of our favorite on-site activations.

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COTERIE NEW YORK OPENING NIGHT PROSECCO PASS Celebrating a successful first day with prosecco—Cheers to you.

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COTERIE TREND DISPLAY

“THE FUTURE OF FASHION: AI + AR JEWELRY, EYEWEAR, ACCESSORIES” + HAPPY HOUR WITH PERFECT CORP

The COTERIE Trend Display showcased this season’s must-have items and trends from exhibiting brands.

At the Perfect Corp Happy Hour, guests enjoyed a cocktail with live demos from the AI and AR solutions provider.

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MOCK SHOPPE

COTERIE SHOW BAG

COTERIE partnered with Hey Social Good to verify exhibiting brands and award medal rankings for sustainable practices. We featured select HSG verified brands like Outerknown, DL1961 and Avocado Atheisure within the COTERIE Mock Shoppe in an effort to bring awareness and inspiration to retailers that might want to implement sustainable practices within their stores.

This season’s limited-edition show bag was stylish and sustainable.

MANOUSH

COTERIE 2022 EVENT CALENDAR Women’s contemporary and advanced contemporary market event featuring resortwear, swimwear, and vacation-inspired apparel, accessories, and footwear spanning premium to affordable luxury price points.

Women’s contemporary and advanced contemporary market event, featuring apparel, accessories, and footwear at premium to affordable luxury price points.

JULY 16-18, 2022

SEPTEMBER 18-20, 2022

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