Saks offers emerging designers face-time in talent search

Inside Saks Downtown

Department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue is scouting up-and-coming fashion talents through an open call in New York.

The second edition of the retailer’s Emerging Designer Showcase will take place on April 7 at its downtown store, inviting women’s wear labels to pitch their lines to Saks’ fashion and buying teams. Finding and stocking labels before competitors discover them is one way for retailers to differentiate their offerings.

Designer discovery
Last year, Saks discovered London-based Roberta Einer and sustainable-focused New York brand Vetta in its showcase, making a buy from the two collections.

For its showcase, Saks is asking women’s ready-to-wear designers to bring between eight and 12 samples, which can be supplemented with look books. Participants are also told to come with line sheets for wholesale and retail pricing.

Image courtesy of Saks

Those who apply must be able to fulfill and ship orders, with production in place.

Interested designers need to submit digital look books to fashionoffice@saks.com by March 20. Those chosen to attend and present in-person will be notified by March 24.

“Saks believes in the future of fashion and is committed to supporting the industry’s next generation of talent,” says Tracy Margolies, chief merchant at Saks Fifth Avenue. “We’re thrilled to host our second Emerging Designer Showcase and look forward to seeing what all of the talented designers out there have to offer.”

Similar to Saks’ call for interested wholesalers, Lane Crawford has hosted a search for a number of seasons, opening its call for new brands to those in fashion, food, gifting, beauty and housewares (see story).

Department store chain Nordstrom recently launched a dedicated retail space for emerging design, giving young labels exposure in a scalable format.

Kicking off Feb. 21, The Lab is housed within the retailer’s Space concept in-store boutiques at five Nordstrom locations (see story), with a corresponding ecommerce presence. Through this initiative, Nordstrom is able to highlight its ability to scout talent while also giving back to the design community it relies upon (see story).

from Apparel and accessories – Luxury Daily https://www.luxurydaily.com/saks-offers-emerging-designers-face-time-in-talent-search/
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