W Atlanta Buckhead became the first city and hotel outside of New York to host the CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR} designers. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) is a not-for-profit trade association that is comprised of more than 400 of the country’s most influential womenswear, menswear, and accessory designers. Founded in 1962, it is an exclusive organization whose membership is through invitation only. The CFDA, while continuing to help promote fashion as an important part of American art and culture, also raises funds for both charity and industry activities.
The CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR} program launched in 2010 to help budding designers with business mentoring as well as affordable space in which to hone their craft. While W Hotels Worldwide as a whole announced their partnership with the program, the W Atlanta Buckhead had the honor of hosting the first event after the union of the CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR} and W Hotels. CFDA CEO Steven Kolb said, “W Hotels and CFDA share a mission to support and nurture emerging talent. Our new relationship will provide a truly unique opportunity to create exposure and new business opportunities for our Incubator designers on a global level.”
The event served as a showcase of four of the ten designers in the program, and to honor them, the W Atlanta Buckhead included a roster of invitation-only activities, beginning with a breakfast for the SCAD Atlanta students and CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR} designers. The day also included a fashion showcase and one-on-one interviews with the rising design starts, Daniel Vosovic, Emanuela Duca, Burkman Bros. and WHIT. The day-long event concluded with a private cocktail party hosted by CFDA executives, W Hotels and the CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR} designers.
