Vogue Announces Forces of Fashion NYC 2024: Event Details and Insider Tips
Vogue just announced the date for this year's Forces of Fashion 2024 NYC event at the Vogue offices. Mark your calendar for Wednesday, October 16th, and be prepared to shell out $2k for a VIP ticket or $5k for a VIP Plus ticket. (Hot Tip: become a Vogue Club member to save 10% on your ticket.)
I attended the event last year and had a good time. It was a full-circle moment for me to finally walk through the Vogue offices after pivoting to study graphic design in 2011 after watching The September Issue on Netflix in hopes of landing a job there after graduation. Here are my best tips if you plan on attending this year:
👐 I wouldn't classify this as a networking event. I didn’t spend significant time meeting many Vogue team members or seeing how they put the magazine together. However, if you’re a fan of Vogue’s digital content, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how they capture it. For example, I was in the audience for the recording of this podcast episode and this video.
👗Show off your personal style, but dress comfortably (including footwear) because there’s a lot of sitting and walking involved. I’d also suggest styling your look with a cute backpack to keep your hands free throughout the day.
👟Expect to be corralled between the 35th and 24th floors all day. This event is a marathon. Pace yourself.
🤝Make friends with the people you see in the breakout sessions. A quick icebreaker is, “Hey, I love your outfit!”
🍱Lunch is included in the event. The cafeteria is on the 35th floor and has sushi, pizza, sandwiches, salads, and burgers. You won't starve.
❓From what I remember, there weren't many opportunities to ask questions, but I would suggest coming prepared with a few anyway.
🛍️Be prepared to leave with a large tote bag of free stuff.
For more details about my Forces of Fashion experience, read my review of last year’s event. And comment below if you’re planning on attending this year.
Welcome to Weekly Staples! A brief overview of my favorite fashion industry articles from the week related to marketing, retail trends, and events.
Masterful Marketing
Glossy+ Research 2024 Influencer Index: The influencers driving the most engagement for brands via Glossy
Glossy and Dash Hudson conducted a survey “to measure the impact influencers have on consumers’ purchasing behaviors” by analyzing the sponsored Instagram and YouTube posts of fifteen top engaging influencers in 2023. Here are a few takeaways:
Behind the beauty category, fashion, entertainment/media, and technology were the top influencer partnership categories with 79%, 13%, 3%, and 3% respectively. Companies in all categories have also evolved to partner with influencers outside of their brand categories.
The entertainment/media category produced the highest average engagement rate on both Instagram and YouTube with 8.4%. Fashion, travel and lifestyle, and technology followed with 5.6%, 5.0%, and 4.8% respectively.
Surprisingly, single Instagram images and carousels had a higher engagement rate than Reels.
The influencers surveyed said that while they’re open to working with brands outside of their regular content categories, the partnership has to align with the interests of their followers.
From Vuitton to On: Zendaya is On Running’s latest ambassador via Vogue Business
On Running is betting on Zendaya’s influence with a multi-year partnership as its newest brand ambassador. Following the Challengers press tour's success, where On collaborated with Jonathan Anderson, Creative Director of Loewe and the film’s costume designer, the footwear brand looks to capitalize on Zendaya’s star power in the luxury space. Watch the Dream Together short film.
Did micro-trends kill the trend cycle? via Vogue Business
The latest trend is not to trend at all. So, not allowing TikTok “aesthetics” to control your wardrobe and wallet isn’t cool anymore? Thank goodness! Trend Forecaster Agus Panzoni says that while trends aren’t over yet, “what is on the decline, is the need to categorise styles into hyper-niche aesthetics”.
Brands are refocusing on organic content via Glossy
At the Glossy E-Commerce Summit this past week, industry professionals discussed the current digital content trends with the topic of organic content leading the conversation. Leaders have noticed that organic content “leads to better results” and Oshiya Savur, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer at Maesa explains, “We’ve done organic content that’s seen 150,000 views. Now think about how much you’d have to spend on paid media to get that many views, and those views wouldn’t even be of the same quality because organic resonates better”.
Retail Rundown
What Retail Apocalypse? Shopping Centers Are Making a Comeback via The New York Times
The “retail-tainment” trend seems to be picking up speed. According to The New York Times, “For the first time in 20 years, demand for retail space outstrips supply”. Landlords are getting more strategic with their tenant rosters and instead of packing properties with strictly places to shop, they’re including other types of businesses to create more well-rounded recreational experiences for customers.
Why are so many independent designers hosting archive sales? via Vogue Business
Jose Criales-Unzueta reports a high number of independent designers in New York City hosting sample sales, archive sales, and open studios as a means of unloading inventory to cover expenses until the fall while waiting for wholesale payments, which have slowed down over the last few months. The sample sale concept (or “archive” sale, which gives off a more exclusive feel) allows designers to meet their customers in person and develop relationships.
EXCLUSIVE: Skims to Open Permanent Stores in Five Top Markets via WWD
Skims is investing in permanent retail locations with its first opening on Thursday, June 13th in Georgetown, D.C. The 3,300 SF space will carry women’s items and incorporate menswear in Q3 2024. Later this summer, four more retail locations will open in Aventura, Florida on June 27th; Austin and Houston, Texas in July and August respectively; and Atlanta, Georgia in September. I stopped by the Skims Pop-In at Nordstrom’s The Corner during my last trip to NYC and got a first-hand experience of the brand’s retail atmosphere. While the product was limited, I was able to grasp the concept so I’m excited to track the future of Skims’ retail journey.
Conscious Content
Surviving The Retail Apocalypse via Zachary Smigel on YouTube
YouTuber Zachary Smigel shares his insight into the “retail apocalypse” with his first-hand experience managing a Rue 21 store before the company announced it would close 400 stores in 2017. He also covers the concept of “liminal spaces”, or the “mysterious in-between spaces where they’re not quite here nor there”, leaving people feeling lost or uncertain. Dead malls are a great example since they can create sadness, fear, or nostalgia.
What Happened To Fashion Legend ‘Karl Kani’? - Unforgotten via Comedy Hype on YouTube
This video piqued my interest on my YouTube feed a few days ago. In my teens, I’d always heard about the Karl Kani fashion brand, mainly through hip-hop music. But since the brand had left my radar as I got older, I assumed it had gone out of business. Nope. It’s still thriving today. Comedy Hype charts the brand's progress from the initial idea of Karl Williams (aka Karl Kani) to building momentum through early collaborations with artists like Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre, and how the brand maintains its relevancy today.
How Fashion Unicorn Rent the Runway Lost over 90% of Its Value via The Wall Street Journal on YouTube
The Wall Street Journal tracks @Rent the Runway’s early success and challenges after COVID and going public in 2021. Valued at $1B in 2019, the pandemic hit the clothing rental brand hard forcing the closure of all five of its brick-and-mortar stores and nearing bankruptcy. Also, as subscriber needs changed, revenue decreased. While I’m on board with the rental concept, I question whether it might be a smarter business decision for brands to rent their pieces directly instead of going through a third-party retailer. As stated in the video, Nuuly, owned by Urban Outfitters, allows customers to rent pieces from Free People and Anthropologie, two other brands owned by Urban Outfitters, cutting out the cost of wholesale.
Check out more interesting stories from the week:
What Did Jenna Lyons Sell at Her Stoop Sale? via The New York Times
AI Still Doesn’t Understand Black Hair, and That Points to a Larger Issue via PS
The Return of the Flip-Flop via Business of Fashion
Why Representation of Women in Beauty’s Workforce Drops by Nearly 50% at the Senior Management Level via WWD
‘Today We Rest’: NY Fashion Act Gets Timed Out Despite ‘Historic’ Milestone via Sourcing Journal
