Project Pop-Up NYC

Calling all innovators!

Lights, camera, FASHION! NYC's hottest new fashion retailers and technology companies come together in the debut competition for the latest, greatest, best and brightest. Online or off, apps or apparel.

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PROJECT POP-UP NYC

Many of the world’s most exciting, innovative retailers were born in New York City. Project Pop-Up NYC’s goal is to strengthen New York City’s position as a global fashion retail leader, home to the most cutting-edge stores and technologies. Part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Fashion.NYC.2020 initiative, this competition will recognize and reward emerging, innovative, New York City-based fashion retailers (both offline and online) and fashion-related technology companies. Up to 3 retailers and up to 8 technology companies will be selected for this first-of-its-kind program.

WINNERS RECEIVE

A RENT-FREE month-long space, retail or technology showcase, beginning around Fashion Week and running through the month of September at Chelsea-based retailer STORY, in a one-of-a-kind experience with 100% of sales go to the participating businesses

A tool kit of business services, including PR and marketing support, mentoring from industry heavyweights on the Selection Committee and beyond, and exposure at key industry events and conferences

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SELECTION PROCESS

The Project Pop-Up NYC Selection Committee will review submitted applications and judge them based on their adherence to the qualifying criteria, the quality and viability of their businesses, and their overall fit with the program. The Selection Committee will choose winners as well as a small waitlist in the retail and technology categories. All applicants will be notified by phone and/or email of their status by August 10th. Winners will have a small window in which to confirm their participation in the program.

QUALIFICATIONS

Applicants must:

Be fashion retailers and/or fashion-related technology companies
- Retailers must be able to support a pop-up store with saleable merchandise from September 6th - September 30th; technology companies must be able to provide a demo/showcase for this period
- If retailers do not currently have e-commerce operations, they should be looking to develop them
- Fashion-related technology companies can be B2B or B2C but must have fashion / retail applications (e.g., virtual fitting room)
Be based in New York City and pay New York State and City taxes

Have at least two full-time employees

Have been in business for at least one year

Have annual sales or projections over $25,000

Submit all required materials by July 30th

Official Rules

SELECTION COMMITTEE

Steven Alan

Having spent the past 15 years creating a mini fashion world grounded in classic American roots - fashioned with a twist - it's clear that Steven Alan has quietly emerged an uncommon fashion pioneer. Upon opening his first retail store in 1994, Steven sold pieces from an eclectic group of emerging designers, becoming known for his keen eye. Building on his reputation for scouting the most intriguing young designers, the Steven Alan Showroom opened in 1996. Steven's knack for the modern reinterpretation of classics garnered him an impressive roster of designers on the rise, and the Showroom now represents 20 designers of clothing, handbags and other accessories. The launch of Steven Alan's first collection in 1999, including his now-signature Reverse Seam Shirt, created a loyal following for Steven's unique brand of casual, smart, self-assured essentials for both men and women. Steven now sells his collections at six eponymous New York stores, three locations in Southern California, and two locations in San Francisco. The Steven Alan Collection also reaches a global audience, and is now sold in over 300 stores worldwide.

Brandon Holley, Editor in Chief, Lucky

Brandon Holley is the Editor in Chief of Lucky, the award-winning magazine about shopping and style. Before joining Lucky in 2010, Ms. Holley was the Editor in Chief and business lead of Yahoo! Shine, one of the largest online destinations for women, since 2007. Under Ms. Holley’s leadership, Yahoo! Shine attracted 25 million visitors per month. Her appointment at Lucky marks a return to Condé Nast for Ms. Holley, who was Editor in Chief of Jane from 2005 until 2007, when it ceased publication. In 2001 she launched ELLEgirl where she remained editor until 2005. Ms. Holley served as senior editor at GQ from1998 to 2000. She was also part of the launch team of Time Out New York where she served as the dining and shopping editor from 1995 to 1998. She started her magazine career as a writer for Paper magazine and worked as a fact checker for Rolling Stone. In 2002, Ms. Holley was named one of Advertising Age's Women to Watch. Ms. Holley graduated from Barnard College. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their son.

Norma Kamali, Fashion Designer

Norma Kamali is known as an innovator and a pioneer in fashion but has a timeless quality to all her work. Many celebrities have worn her award-winning designs, from the start of her career to present day ranging from Cher and Farrah Fawcett to Madonna, Beyonce and Lady Gaga. Her life in the fashion world began in 1967 and now forty plus years later, she is as relevant and innovative as when she began. Norma has made technology a critical tool and ingredient for her brand; she was one of the first brands to launch a website and later added 3D Film and video product pages. In 2009 Norma was one of the first designers to work directly with ebay to launch a store featuring exclusive merchandise! In February 2012 she launched KamaliKulture, conceived with the vision to further democratize style with an all-inclusive, global audience in mind; KamaliKulture is exclusively available online offering timeless styles under $100, available in sizes 0-18.

Vanessa von Bismarck, Partner, BPCM

Vanessa von Bismarck founded BPCM in 1999 with her business partner, Carrie Ellen Phillips to serve the luxury goods, fashion, beauty, and hospitality industry. BPCM's offices in New York, Los Angeles and London focus on high-level client service and strategic consulting in the areas of public relations, marketing, and brand development. Vanessa, originally from Germany, concentrates on client relations, creative marketing and strategy for all of the BPCM companies. Before moving to New York, Vanessa lived in London for seven years where she worked as a sugar trader for ED&F Man, handling their European and Middle Eastern trading accounts. Vanessa graduated with a degree in Marketing and International Business Administration from the European Business School. She lives in New York with her husband and two children.

Andy Dunn, Co-Founder and CEO, Bonobos

Andy Dunn is co-founder and CEO of Bonobos, a brand renowned for exceptional fit, high energy and great customer experience. Launched in 2007, Bonobos is now the largest apparel brand in the United States ever launched over the web. Previously, Dunn worked as a private equity analyst at Wind Point Partners and as a consultant at Bain & Company. He is a founding board member of education social enterprise Blue Engine and the founder of Red Swan Ventures, an angel investment firm. He earned his MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and his bachelor degree from Northwestern University.

Ann Li, Managing Director Center for Economic Transformation at NYCEDC

Ann Li oversees the development and implementation of citywide policy recommendations to strengthen New York’s position as global center of business. Ann is an acknowledged thought leader on New York City’s global competitiveness and emerging sectors; she has represented the Bloomberg administration in testimony to the NYC City Council, participated in the World Economic Forum’s strategy meetings, and has contributed insights to pieces in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian and Businessweek. Her work at NYCEDC includes implementing innovation and international initiatives designed to support New York City’s financial services, media, fashion, clean tech, life-science, and industrial sectors. To this end, she led the design and implementation of many City programs, including Applied Science (Cornell Technion University venture), World to NYC, Venture Fellows, and NYC Next Idea global business competition. Prior to joining NYCEDC, Ann worked as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company and Oliver Wyman.. Ann is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied at the Wharton School of Business and the School of Engineering, earning dual B.S. degrees with academic distinction.

Shana Fisher, High Line Venture Partners

Shana Fisher is the Managing Partner of High Line Venture Partners, a NY Based venture fund focused on early stage investments. From December 2003 to June 2010, Ms. Fisher served as IAC’s Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning & Mergers and Acquisitions, and prior to that as the Senior Vice President of Business Operations for IAC. Previously, Ms. Fisher served as Vice President and Director, Media and Technology Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Finance for Allen & Company, LLC. In this capacity she led principle investments and advised publicly traded technology firms, private telecommunications firms and media companies. Prior to Allen & Company, LLC., Ms. Fisher was a program manager for the Microsoft Corporation. Ms. Fisher received her B.A. from Hampshire College with a triple major in Sculpture, Philosophy and Linguistics and attended the Master of Arts program at New York University's ITP.

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The winners for Project Pop-Up NYC include:

Acustom, which utilizes body scanning technology to allow clients to create a customized variety of clothing products. The scanner will be live at Project Pop-Up and in use for people to experience, pre-order and shop

AHAlife, an e-commerce destination offering curated artisan, luxury products sourced from around the world

Fashion GPS, which connects people, events and products through digital tools that invite guests to fashion shows, track samples, facilitates commerce and provide metrics for brands and publishers

Have to Have, a social commerce platform that is personalizing digital shopping by offering users an interactive experience to rate products

Of a Kind, which introduces emerging designers through editorial and e-commerce, commissioning and selling limited-edition pieces alongside their designers’ stories

Outlier, an online retailer specializing in combining high-tech fabrics with traditional menswear looks

Perch Interactive, which turns any table surface into a hands-on, interactive display of the products it holds

ReFashioner, an online curated consignment marketplace designed for individuals and professional sellers alike

Shoptiques.com, an online fashion marketplace that aggregates the inventory of one-of-a-kind boutiques across the country - 160 boutiques in 20 U.S. cities., allowing users to shop their favorite local shops in one place

Snapette, a location-based shopping mobile app and website to help shoppers find products and offers available in nearby stores

Style for Hire, a network of 150 stylists offering wardrobe audits and personal shopping to help people look better, shop smarter, and save money

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NYCEDC

New York City Economic Development Corporation is the City’s primary vehicle for promoting economic growth. The Center for Economic Transformation (CET) at NYCEDC aims to develop the City’s major business sectors by implementing policy and programmatic initiatives that address current issues faced by each industry, create good jobs, and promote entrepreneurship and economic diversification across the five boroughs. Learn more about NYCEDC at www.nycedc.com.

STORY

STORY is an innovative retail model pioneered in a 2000 square foot space in Manhattan’s burgeoning 10th Ave. retail corridor. Editorial and ever-changing, STORY is a curated concept shop that takes the point of view of a magazine, changes like a gallery and sells things like a store. Every four to eight weeks, “STORY” will change out all its merchandise and interior design to reinvent the store around a different plot line. STORY follows the successful soft launch of Rachel Shechtman’s widely lauded beta exhibit “A Startup Store” and since opening has presented stories of “Love” and “Color.” Shechtman was also included in the June 2012 issue of “Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business” on behalf of STORY and its new, inventive retail model.

PAPERWHITE STUDIO

Paperwhite is a multi-disciplinary design studio based in New York City. We work on identity, branding, print, and interactive projects in a variety of subjects, including food, fashion, art, architecture, and product design. Our small size allows us to work closely with our clients, to create work that is smart, approachable, and engaging.

SNARKITECTURE

Snarkitecture is a collaborative practice operating in territories between the disciplines of art and architecture. Working within existing spaces or in collaboration with other artists and designers, the practice focuses on the investigation of structure, material and program and how these elements can be manipulated to serve new and imaginative purposes. Searching for sites within architecture with the possibility for confusion or misuse, Snarkitecture aims to make architecture perform the unexpected. Snarkitecture was established by Alex Mustonen and Daniel Arsham and is represented by Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin.

Matt Murphy

With a background in architecture and fine art, Matt launched a high- end line of handbags & leathergoods, and became one of the youngest designers ever to be admitted to the CFDA. He has since grown his firm's service offering to include Identity, Branding, Marketing, Product and of course, Accessories design. His range of clients covers the worlds of art, fashion, design, entertainment, hospitality, and food.

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FAQ

Will winning businesses be responsible for any costs related to operating the pop-up store (e.g., build-out, staffing)?

No, winning businesses will not be responsible for build-out or staffing. Snarkitecture is handling the build-out, and STORY has existing, full-time staff.

Who will choose the merchandise from each retailer that’s placed in the pop-up store?

Each retailer will receive a pre-allocated amount of space to stock with whatever merchandise it chooses. Winning retailers will be responsible for managing their own inventory.

Will winning fashion technology companies and winning retailers receive the same prizes?

All winning companies will receive space within STORY, though winning fashion technology companies will be showcasing their technologies (and not selling merchandise). Additional prizes will be allocated based on availability and business need.

What if my business sells food/art/other merchandise category? Would we still be eligible?

No. The retail track of Project Pop-Up NYC is only open to fashion retailers.

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General Inquiries
hello@projectpopupnyc.com

Other Inquiries
NYCEDC  General: Meghana Gandhi
mgandhi@nycedc.com

Press: Kyle Sklerov
ksklerov@nycedc.com

STORY
Rachel Shechtman
rachel@thisisstory.com

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