CFDA TO LAUNCH RUNWAY360 IN SEPTEMBER

This September, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) will unveil Runway360, a new digital platform developed to support American designers by bringing together every aspect of a collection launch in a one-stop-shop environment.

The new portal incorporates key aspects of the designer business, from show to press, sales, and consumer activations, in an effort to help drive sales while providing the industry with a simple tool to experience the best of American fashion creativity.

The launch will coincide with New York Fashion Week, which for this season only, is set for Monday, September 14th through Wednesday, September 16th. The 360-degree platform is seasonless and will serve as a permanent fixture and main destination for consumers, press, trade, and retailers from around the world to explore and engage with American collections.

Designers on the official New York Fashion Week schedule and at any time throughout the year will be able to present their collections, providing each participating brand with a modular, customizable page for their storytelling and digital activations. The portal will support AR/VR, 360-degree capabilities, live video streams, e-commerce extensions, consumer shopping features, and social media integrations. The hub allows designers to host virtual press conferences, and present press kits and show and product images, for example.

Brands will be able to activate the integrated shopping elements on their pages to directly target consumers.

B2B partner NuOrder, a leading wholesale e-commerce platform, will offer a suite of services including a virtual sales showroom to support emerging and established designer businesses, with a focus on rising talents and designers of color.

In a year during which the American fashion industry is going through unprecedented challenges, the CFDA has developed this multimedia industry resource to support designers and further its mission of strengthening the impact of American fashion in the global economy.

The portal is being developed by New York-based multidisciplinary design studio De-Yan.

“This transformational time in fashion requires innovative business tools,” said Steven Kolb, president and CEO of the CFDA. “The CFDA is proud to launch Runway360 and champion the talent of our members and our industry. Runway360 is more than a response to social distancing and restricted travel. The digital platform will help designers faced with short term needs caused by COVID-19 and support future market weeks including live fashion shows.”