Nov. 18, 2022: Bergdorf Goodman is ready for the holidays. On Thursday night in New York, the retailer unveiled its highly-anticipated holiday windows to a crowd lined up on Fifth Avenue. To kick-off the evening’s festivities, there was a surprise performance by Sing! Harlem, of the Mama Foundation for the Arts. Members of the choir appeared within the windows they sang a new rendition of Quindon Tarver’s “Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)” before joining up together outside. Linda Fargo led the window-by-window unveiling, which spotlighted woodcraft, dress-making, paper sculpture, mosaic, papier-mâché, metal craft and scrapbooking. Designers featured in this year’s windows include Aliette, Carolina Herrera, Libertine, Marc Jacobs, Noir Kei Ninomiya, Paco Rabanne, Prabal Gurung, Simone Rocha and Valentino, among others.
Nov. 14, 2022: DSW kicked off the holiday season with a merry event. The brand hosted a party at Glasshouse Penthouse in New York, where guests could enjoy festive cocktails, a hot cocoa bar and a scarf personalization station as they checked out DSW’s shoe and accessory offerings for the upcoming holiday season. Author, entrepreneur, and advocate Katie Sturino hosted the event with Saweetie’s DJ Miss Milan. Other guests included celebrities and influencers such as Teresa Giudice, Serena Pitt, Christine Tran and more.
Oct. 22, 2022: Ugg brought its Feel House retail experience to New York City’s Brooklyn boroughon Saturday night, prior to its Oct. 28 opening. The experiential event in Williamsburg previewed a display of Ugg’s Fall 2022 collection, which included soft shearling outerwear, as well as a range of comfort-focused, metallic, fuzzy and rubberized boots and slippers. Giving the space added depth was a display of feeling-focused artwork by local artists, curated by Kimberly Drew, as well as a pillow-filled meditation space in partnership with Olfactory NYC. During the occasion, guests including Evan Mock, Lourdes Leon, Ella Emhoff and Myha’la Herrold were treated to customized tattooed Ugg boots by tattoo artist JonBoy, as well as performances by Tierra Whack and DJ Quiana Parks.
Oct. 14, 2022: The Blonds toasted the release of their debut photography book, “The Blonds: Glamour, Fashion, Fantasy” with Rizzoli at the book magnate’s NoMad store in New York City. Designer duo Phillipe and David Blond autographed books and posed with numerous friends and fans — including Billy Porter, Patricia Field and Fern Mallis — for the occasion, each dressed in glamorous shoes from their Christian Louboutin Spring ’23 runway. The pair later continued their stylish streak with a champagne-filled afterparty at PUBLIC Hotel.
“Doing the book now is not just about ‘The Blonds’; it’s about my partnership with David. The love that we share for fashion and glamour is truly magical, authentic and so beautiful,” Phillipe shared with FN, reflecting on the pair’s career highlights, the importance of teamwork and their longtime history with Louboutin. “Having Christian Louboutin be a part of our book is so incredible. I believe in everything he [is] creating because I agree — you should be carried, walking in something stunning, looking beautiful in 6-inch heels. He came [and watched] our first show, which I still, to this moment, feel so proud of.”
Oct. 13, 2022: Fashion Group International (FGI) celebrated the global fashion community during its 38th annual Night of Stars gala at Cipriani South Street. The evening’s theme, “Artists & Icons,” drew a range of both as its honorees — including Michael Kors, Dionne Warwick, Christian Siriano, Prabal Gurung, Rebecca Hessel Cohen and Elvis Presley. Additional attendees and presenters included Iman, Marishka Hargitay, Huma Abedin, Jason Wu, Candace Bushnell, Linda Fargo, Adut Akech, Coco Rocha and Andrew and Andy Hilfiger, who mingled at the event’s traditional seated dinner and a cocktail hour hosted by FGI Rising Star Award winner Frederick Anderson.
“I’m so excited to celebrate not only our legendary artists and icons, but it’s such an exciting time in fashion; we welcome our rising stars and all the new talent as a community with our legends. It’s very exciting to have the industry in the room together,” FGI CEO Maryanne Grisz exclusively shared with FN on the gala’s red carpet.
Oct. 12, 2022: The French Footwear Federation (FGI) launched its first pop-up at Neighborhood Goods, spotlighting French shoe design and artisanship. In partnership with Business France, the Chelsea occasion found editors, influencers and writers mingling while taking in the display of footwear and accessories on display. Poet Nasimeh B.E. was also on-site, writing custom sonnets on a typewriter for guests as they sipped cocktails and dined on macarons. The pop-up, which is open until Nov. 1, features curated pieces from six French luxury labels: Anthology, Etre-Amis, Pare Gabia, Avril Gau, Arche and Craie.
“We are delighted to work with Neighborhood Goods to showcase all that the French footwear sector has to offer,” said Michelle Guilloux-Bonnet, Head of the French Footwear Federation, in a statement. “This pop-up store is an excellent opportunity to present a selection of brands that truly illustrate the exquisite craftsmanship available amongst French footwear companies; a sector that represents over 200 companies and over 14 million pairs of shoes ‘Made in France’ annually.”
Sept. 30, 2022: Manolo Blahnik toasted to Madison Avenue’s Men’s Style month with a cocktail party at its flagship boutique hosted by Brendan Monaghan and Mark Herman on Thursday night. Notable guests in attendance included Andrew Gough, Andrew Kwon, Christian Bendek, Igee Okafor, Jake Deutsch, Mark Langan, Michelle Campbell, Michelle Smallmon, Mila Filatova, Moti Ankari, Nathan Orsman, Steven Beltrani, Tom Jarrold, Zach Weiss, and more.
Sept. 15, 2022: Adidas Terrex, the athletic giant’s outdoor arm, hosted its “United by Summits” art installation and pop-up yesterday at Chelsea Triangle in New York City’s Meatpacking District. The art installation and pop-up, which was created to celebrate its “United by Summits” campaign, featured seven 10-feet pyramid art installations that represented a different outdoor element in hopes to inspire people “to get outside and achieve their personal summits in the natural world.” It also featured a mobile retail pop-up truck, which had refreshments for visitors and was stocked with several pairs of the Adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2. The tech-loaded boots were awarded to people who won a pair via scratch-off ticket.
Aug. 30, 2022: The Athlete’s Foot, alongside Community Retail Association, the Refugee Life Foundation and Youth Guidance, teamed up at Gately Park in Chicago on Aug. 27 for the inaugural Back 2 School Kicks event. Here, 350 new pairs of shoes and backpacks were distributed courtesy of The Athlete’s Foot to Chicago students in elementary and high school. “The Athlete’s Foot is committed to partnering with organizations that help support local communities where needed. It was an honor to participate in the inaugural Back 2 School Kicks event and provide 350 pairs of sneakers and backpacks to students for their new school year,” The Athlete’s Foot senior director of product and marketing Darius Billings said in a statement.
August 23, 2022: Betsey Johnson celebrated her 80th birthday in style, throwing a themed soirée at Lombardi House in Los Angeles. With a guest list including models, influencers and actors such as Chloe Cherry, Larsen Thompson, Kendall Becker, Benito Skinner and Charlotte McKinney, the legendary designer’s party was truly a fashionable affair. The celebration featured trailer park, TV and butterfly garden-themed photo opps and displays, as well as a special performance by drag queen Gottmik. Johnson herself enjoyed the event in truly dynamic style, posing on a lounger while being served champagne by shirtless male models. The event also served as a celebration of her 80th Birthday Collection, a new capsule line of reissued hit pieces in bold prints from the designer’s ’80s and ’90s collections.
July 28, 2022: Jian DeLeon, Nordstrom men’s fashion and editorial director, and Noah Thomas of Muleboyz hosted a panel discussion with their friend, Mordechai Rubinstein (aka @mistermort) at the Nordstrom Men’s Store in New York City on Wednesday night to chat about all things shoes, Birkenstocks, and specifically, the Boston. The panel was set up on the shoes floor in front of a product display of Birkenstocks featuring the Nordstrom exclusive ultra-blue Boston colorway. The conversation flowed like a live-podcast, with witty quips and endless mule and Birkenstock puns – the Muleboyz were “talking stocks.” They started with conversation around the origins of the Muleboyz Instagram account, Birkenstocks, and the shift in footwear during the pandemic to comfort and utility. They covered the history of Birkenstocks, as well as the Boston’s rise to popularity around college campuses in the 1970s. The Muleboyz also discussed the increased diversity in men’s fashion, particularly in men’s footwear. The panel closed with a Q&A for the 70 in attendance, which included questions about personal styling tips and the age old question of socks vs. no socks.
July 16, 2022: Sperry hosted its Boat Shoe Summer Pool Party at The Rockaway Hotel in NYC. The event featured photo opps, light bites and cocktails, and guests were encouraged to take a dip in the hotel’s pool and enjoy the music played by DJs Mei Kwok, Captains of Industry and UNIIQU3. Sperry’s president, Katherine Cousins, attended the soirée as well as CMO Elizabeth Drori.
June 14, 2022: Alana Hadid and Emily Perlstein celebrated their brand La Detresse‘s new Summer Trip collection — and upcoming five-year anniversary — at Dante Seaport with a crew of friends and family, including Bella Hadid, Chloe Cherry, Timo Weiland and Samantha Ronson. For the occasion, guests mingled and sipped Belvedere Vodka, Martini & Rossi and Rosaluna cocktails while DJ Martial provided the evening’s tunes. “It’s amazing. It just feels really good to be supported, and to do events that are really more about our people, the people who’ve been around us this whole time — and also just enjoy ourselves,” Hadid shared exclusively with Footwear News.