The Arts in New York City

As a multi-faceted city, New York has proven to be individualistic, as well as a representative for the future of the modern trends. This is particularly true in regard to fashion and its evolving industry. In respect to its distinct culture, New York City fashion illustrates that innovation, creativity and originality, is the key to self-expression and association.

Traditionally, clothing is deemed to be a true description of its wearer, as one of the purest forms of art and personalized expression. As New Yorkers strive to differentiate themselves from their millions of neighbors, they will likely turn to their clothing as the medium to assert their individuality or affiliation with others.

Capitalizing on this market potential, the fashion industry has matched this desire with an astounding amount of style options. In accordance to the demand of the consumers, styles range from the basic to the eccentric, all in an effort to allow the consumer to dress in their respective ways. As the individual preferences vary, so too the style options that are available to the willing and able consumer.

In line with the principles of the free market and competition, an unfortunate side effect of this thriving industry is the inaccessibility of the high-end fashion to the average New York City consumer. However, only recently, with the emerging of fashion commercialization, has couture fashion been inexpensively and ingeniously reproduced as low-end fashion, available to the price and style conscious. As a result, fashion has increased in its influence and ability to shape perceptions and opinions of the individual.

With its many characteristics, New York City fashions, play essential roles in shaping its unparalleled culture and society. As a form of self-expression of personality, style and art, it is an aspect to be analyzed and appreciated.

The Sartorialist presents NYC: Prince & Mercer @ Style.com

Interview with Joanna Doerrbecker, Employee at Coach

Q: What is Coach?
A: Coach is a designer and marketer of handbags and accessories. The company offers luxurious accessories to customers. Coach’s handbags and accessories use a range of quality fabrics and materials. Coach’s primary product offerings include handbags, women’s and men’s accessories, footwear, outerwear, business cases, sunwear, watches, travel bags, jewelry and fragrance.

Q: What is your position at Coach?
A: Assistant manager.

Q: Is Coach an international company?
A: It is mostly an American-based company, but it has some locations abroad, including Japan.

Q: Is there a reason behind the way the stores are displayed and designed?
A: The layouts of the store are based on the architecture of the building. The displays of the bags are consistent for every store. For instance, the bag from the Bleeker collection is on the front table in every store unless the store sells out.

Q: Are Coach stores designed differently in some areas than others? Take, for example, a store in Soho versus a store in another state.
A: The set-up of the store and the visual aspects are dependant on the architecture of the store, so the Soho store is designed around the larger staircase in the middle of the store’s building. However, all the stores have clean, sleek lines and are predominantly white-trimmed and have a lot of chrome.

Q: Are specific lines developed after a style has been found in a certain place? Like the Hampton or Bleeker collections? If so, what is it about these styles that make them unique?
A: Initial collections were modeled after the Hampton and Bleeker cultures, but they have been modified so much over the years that they are not as concerned with the style of the area now as they were before. For example, the Bleeker collection is designed after the classic bag collection, but it has been updated with modern attributes, such as large buckles and turn locks.

Q: Previously Coach did not display their signature C’s on their products. Is there a commercial reason as to why they do now?
A: Showing off brand names help the company gain more product sales and brand recognition. This is simply the result of an advertising strategy, not to copy off of other designers, such as Gucci or Chanel. The fabric bags are easier to carry because they are lighter in comparison to the leather bags, which are naturally heavier fabrics.

Q: Is the classic collection still sold?
A: Yes, it is available online or by order in the stores. The line has a growing fanbase among people who have bought it originally. These customers keep buying the old-school style instead of updating to the more contemporary collections, such as Bleeker.

Q: What are the company’s efforts to expand the Coach brand?
A: Coach has put out a cosmetics line and has added a perfume to its brand. Also, it has a small, but growing clothing line for both men and women.

Q: Do you think expanding the brand is a good idea?
A: Yes, but the company has to make sure it does not out-price its market. Coach has to make sure that the brand still remains affordable for their basic clientele. It wants to attract new customers and maintain great relationships with its existing ones.

The Sartorialist presents Intersection - 57th & 5th Ave. @ Style.com

Interviews with Vendors at Union Square’s Holiday Market

The following person being interviewed focuses on jewelry designs, specializing in pearls, sterling silver, and Swarovski crystals.

Q: Why did you choose to open your own boutique in New York?
A: I think New York has a lot of different types of people, and my designs are sometimes so far from the ordinary that only New Yorkers would understand, appreciate, and buy my work.

Q: What is the inspiration for your work?
A: I get my inspiration from a lot of places. Sometimes, I like to walk around the city, especially to quiet areas that allow me to think. One of my collections was inspired by an African antique store that I happened to pass by once. Another was inspired by the different rock formations by the Hudson River.

Q: What does “New York fashion” mean to you?
A: New York is so diverse and unique, that I don’t think there can be any one style to describe it. Anywhere you go, you will see people in different styles - even some people in a style that can’t be described. The reason why I love New York so much is because it is so different and diverse.

The following person being interviewed makes figurines and sculptures out of recyclable metals.

Q: How would you describe your work?
A: I take recyclable metals, like steel, and turn them into fun designs, such as robots, animals, or even little monsters that I come up with.

Q: Why did you choose to open your own boutique in New York?
A: Where else would I find someone who wants to buy recyclable hunks of metals?

Q: What inspired you to use recyclable metals?
A: I used to love making things out of scraps of paper that I took out of my garbage can. When I got older, it was cheaper to use and easier to mold recyclable metals. So, I just stuck with using those materials.

Q: What does “New York fashion” mean to you?
A: I don’t think New York has a specific fashion. Everyone is so different, and everyone likes different things. Any style or fashion you can think of, no matter how pretty or ugly it is, there will always be someone in New York who will buy it.

Roberto Cavalli at H&M @ Style.com

Interview with James Choi, Former American Apparel Employee

Q: What is the concept behind American Apparel clothes? How is this concept demonstrated in New York City fashion?
A: I think the main concept behind American apparel clothing is the fact that they’re made by legal workers, all of whom are paid minimum wage. There’s no outsourcing, so all manufacturing and shipping remains cheap and within the U.S. In fact, it only cost’s American Apparel about $1.00 to make their famous v-neck t-shirts, and they sell them for $18.00. I think that’s smart marketing right there. Especially in an industry that’s been infamously accused of sweatshop practices, it’s nice to see American Apparel capitalize on their “healthy” business manners.

Q: Is there any correlation between American Apparel clothes and the overall fashion sense in Manhattan?
A: Yes and no. American apparel generally remains a well-known brand in New York City, and their advertisements are unmistakably recognizable, but when it comes down to it, you’re just buying a simple plain t-shirt. When a consumer puts it on, no one else is really going to say “Hey, that’s from American Apparel right?” I still believe they have yet to design clothes that are distinctive to their image and a company as a whole.

Q: What kinds of people normally shop at your store? Is the store’s location responsible for this trend?
A: Because American Apparel is virtually brandless, we get all sorts of clientele walking into our stores. The old, the young, the average Joe – everyone! But what I think American apparel does very well, is choose what and who to keep in their stores. The company generally picks locations that cater to certain people, and because of that, they hire and stock their inventory accordingly. For example, the Upper West Side store will be less likely to carry Lame bikinis and cropped shirts than the American Apparel in the village. It’s not American Apparel that dictates the trend but the other way around.

Q: To what extent do American Apparel clothes form the New York identity?
A: Not really. I don’t think that if you ask someone what makes New York Fashion “New York”, they’ll scream American Apparel. Besides, American apparel has grown a lot since I’ve left so I think they’re appeal is universal. I’ve had mothers call the store complaining about how risqué some of the ads are, and similar stories in Utah and our stores in LA. I guess parents will be parents. I think what most people have to remember is that American Apparel sells the basics, and because they’re staunch on their stance to keep all manufactured materials in the U.S., they restrict themselves from more exotic materials out in the foreign market.

Q: How is the New York attitude represented through American Apparel clothes?
A: Maybe through it’s advertising, since it is very sexually charged and liberal – which I guess can be associated with a New York attitude, but the clothes itself are – like I said – plain. To be honest, it’s all how you define what the “New York attitude” really is, and I don’t believe that any single clothing company can inhabit that.

As one of the most telling forms of self-expression, peoples’ clothing accurately represents their style and character. The fashion variations in cut, color and artistic elements that exist in apparel today, only proves how much it is viewed as a reflection of the individual and their personalized statements. When viewing the above slide, it is ineluctable that we form opinions and impressions of the person by simply observing their choices of clothing and understanding the references that they allude to, further validating the cliché “we are what we wear.”

Every year, many New York City department stores unveil the latest of their fashions in their highly anticipated window displays. Seeing these oeuvres, it is clear that they are as much about art as they are fashion. Understandably, the artistic element in fashion is the appealing factor in many styles and it is what continues to draw individuals to the ever-changing trends. The above slide is a display of the current window “exhibitions” as it clearly illustrates how art is a constant inspiration behind contemporary fashion.