The annual fundraiser for the League to Save Lake Tahoe, a partnership between the nonprofit organization, Oscar de la Renta and Saks Fifth Avenue, raised $1.2 million on Saturday.
The same amount was raised last year, which was a new record, bringing the grand total over the years to $24 million.
The event is held to fund programs dedicated to the protection and preservation of the Lake Tahoe Basin. It offers a luncheon and runway show presented by the fashion house. Once again, Oscar de la Renta creative directors Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim showed their latest pre-spring collection in 2024. This year, it was the first time the collection hit the runway at the lake before anywhere else.
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“What’s perhaps a bit different than at least four or five years ago is we’re really not participating in fashion week fashion shows,” Alex Bolen, chief executive officer of Oscar de la Renta, said prior to the weekend. “So, for our business right now, events like this are really how we do our runway presentation. This will be the first time that the pre-spring collection has been shown on a runway, which is exciting. I think that’s probably a bit of a draw for some people.”
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Started in 1969 — when runway models walked barefoot at a Rubicon Bay beach house on the lake — the fundraiser was originally a partnership between Saks and designer Bill Blass. It was in 1999 that Oscar de la Renta took it over.
“The fundamental mission of the event remains the same, which is to keep Lake Tahoe blue,” said Bolen. “It’s just such an incredible national treasure and a place that, if you haven’t been run, don’t walk. It’s spectacular….Our more commercial interests in the event have evolved. It’s really become a destination event. When Oscar started doing this 20 years ago, it was a lot of the locals from Lake Tahoe and folks from San Francisco.…Now it’s certainly national, perhaps international in terms of the clients that Saks is bringing, our clients that are coming. So, it’s become a great way for us to engage with clients more broadly.”
Of current business, he added: “Our focus is really on continuing to execute in our general plan, which is to make sure that we are helping women feel confident in leading their lives….We’re not seeing much of a slowdown. I’ll knock on wood. Summer is a bit of a slowdown, but I would not say that’s anything out of the ordinary. In fact, if anything, we’re continuing to see a lot of traction in our stores. I think that events like Tahoe are really the principal way that we engage with customers these days and so we’ll be doing more like this.”
The brand will next head to Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
“We’re busy really trying to tell our story with the clothes as locally as possible,” said Bolen.
“I think that fashion week shows have become such an extravaganza, and I mean that in a very complimentary way,” he went on. “I mean, the things that a lot of our French and Italian competition are doing as far as fashion shows, they’re extraordinary. And I think it’s very difficult to stand out unless you’re prepared to spend the sort of money that those brands are which we, as a medium-sized brand, are not. I think it’s difficult to differentiate yourself during fashion week. So we’ll continue to try to engage with customers in other ways, whether it’s through dinners, lunches, private appointments. A lot of people come to town during fashion week, and that’s great. But does it make sense for us to be the 99th fashion show during fashion week? I don’t think it does right now. Doing fashion shows like Lake Tahoe makes perfect sense.”
“Saks is thrilled to continue our tradition of hosting the annual summer fashion show in partnership with The League to Save Lake Tahoe and Oscar de la Renta,” Emily Essner, chief marketing officer at Saks, told WWD in a statement. “The event furthers our commitment to deliver unique experiences to our customers while utilizing our platform to champion meaningful causes.”
Kristin Keane, philanthropy officer for The League to Save Lake Tahoe, offered: “Each summer, we’re honored to welcome our guests to the most stunning setting imaginable for a fashion show — the shores of Lake Tahoe. The elegance of Oscar de la Renta’s designs, and the sophistication of the Saks Fifth Avenue touch, echo the splendor of the lake’s gin-clear waters. This annual event affords us the reminder that irreplaceable natural beauty, like in Tahoe, is worth all the care and support we can muster.”