As CFDA’s first strategic partner, Designers & Agents’s collaboration can be traced back to 2007 when the first CFDA @ D&A booth was unveiled at the show.
The partnership continues, and was on display at the most recent edition of D&A, which ended its three-day run at the Starrett-Lehigh Building and Center548 Tuesday.
As in previous seasons, visitors to D&A were able to distinguish CFDA Member booths by their all-black signage. These included Organic by John Patrick, Lola Hats, Melissa Joy Manning and Skin, as well CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR} brand Nomia, which was the CFDA @ D&A booth this time.
John Patrick of Organic was on hand to present his fall collection, which was inspired by conceptual artist Amalia Ulman as imagined in the body of Canadian model Meghan Collison. “She had to figure out how to dress herself as such,” Patrick said of the concept. The results included cool trench vests and shaggy mohair coats.
Skin designer Susan Beischel, meanwhile, continued to riff on the global nomad theme. The casually luxe feel was particularly evident in elevated materials such as silk and chiffon, and a baby alpaca that she used for a warm and fuzzy coat.
Several CFDA accessories designers also showed at D&A, among them Melissa Joy Manning, whose offering included her classic 14-karat gold jump ring earrings a collection inspired by non-Western tribal jewelry. Lola Hats designer Lola Ehrlich took her fall cues from men’s wear. “There is a real feeling for hats that are less sensuous and more hard, less sloppy and with stiffer brims,” she said of her fall mix, which was inspired by the hues in Paul Cezanne’s famous “Card Players” painting.
CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR} talent Yara Flinn of Nomia was a D&A first-timer, and her fall lineup furthered the label’s design ethos of “re-contextualizing” utilitarian silhouettes in soft fabrics.
Ed Mandelbaum, who produces the show with Barbara Kramer, said that this edition experiences a 20 percent increase in traffic. As for the CFDA contingent, “It adds president and we love having them.”
