An Inside Look at Our Partnership With PROJECT N:OW Las Vegas
On August 12th, the global menswear set convened at the Las Vegas Convention Center for PROJECT N:OW Las Vegas. The three-day trade event attracted the likes of brand founders, buyers, artists, and editors who gathered in a highly curated space to exchange views on culturally relevant fashion today.
Not only was Highsnobiety on the ground to report on the renowned trade event, but we partnered with PROJECT N:OW Las Vegas to drive a lot of this season's programming. Things kicked off with our very own Jeff Carvalho, managing director, and Jian DeLeon, editorial director, who organized a thought-provoking panel on the 12th. The panel, moderated by Carvalho, featured speakers DeLeon, Samantha Duenas (singer-dj), and Milan Vukmirovic (the menswear creative director of Ports V).
The panel, titled Clout Wars, delved into cultural credibility, which the panelists argued is the most valuable commodity in today's market. They talked about how to build it and how to maintain it, specifically looking at the importance of products being responsive, speaking through, and not to, your audience, embracing cultural voices, and standing for something.
"For a long time, it [standing for something] was very taboo, because fashion was never suppose to be political," says Vukmirovic. "And now actually it's changing, because I think we all have a voice, we have social media, we can express ourselves – and why not? With Ports V, for example, two years ago we were one of the first to have a campaign with two boys together and two girls together and have diversity. People were kind of shocked saying, 'maybe this is not the moment, this is not the place,' and I think now a lot of people are doing it. So yes there is a place for politics and for standing for something you believe in, because it can't just be about consumerism."
PROJECT N:OW Las Vegas has been expanding each season – in fact, it launched with 20 brands and has now risen to 80. Some of the brands in attendance included Born X Raised, Carrots By Anwar Carrots, Champion, and Bristol Studio, among many others.
Newly launched this season was A NY Minute, an opportunity for brands to connect with Highsnobiety's Carvalho and DeLeon directly in an AMA-style session. This unique programming was a major way for us to connect with the menswear community today and advise them on brand building.
And as always, PROJECT N:OW Las Vegas came through with the parties. On August 12th, PROJECT N:OW took over the entire Artisan Hotel Boutique and on August 13th held a fire private event at Searsucker at Caesars Palace before everyone hit OMNIA Nightclub.
Peep the photos above for a closer look at all the action and head over to UBMFashion.com for more.
