NEW YORK — Olympus is out and Mercedes-Benz USA is in as the title sponsor of what appears to be IMG’s siteless New York Fashion Week.
Mercedes-Benz executives declined to comment Monday on where things stand in terms of IMG’s negotiations to keep fashion week in Bryant Park. But an IMG spokesman said, “We are continuing to work with the city to arrive at a positive solution for all parties.”
Dan Biederman, president of the Bryant Park Corp., said, “It’s no secret IMG has brought their cause to the mayor.”
Apparently, incoming Council of Fashion Designers of America president Diane von Furstenberg isn’t the only one who has appealed to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour has also written to the mayor, reportedly telling him New York runs its fashion shows better than any other city and asking for his support in the matter.
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The Bryant Park Corp. has no legal agreements with IMG, which owns 7th on Sixth. However, Bryant Park executives are continuing to talk with IMG through the mayor’s office, Biederman said. IMG has “a very viable option at Lincoln Center,” but IMG executives “changed their minds,” he claimed. Biederman said he thought Lincoln Center would be the new location of fashion week until he read newspaper reports to the contrary on Friday.
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“Year after year we wanted them to sign a long-term contract,” he asserted. “We wanted to do things so the shows would not have such an impact on the neighborhood. But they didn’t want to.”
An IMG spokesman said IMG has never been offered a long-term contract for the time period in question.
Wherever the February shows wind up, Mercedes-Benz will be the lead sponsor. As part of its three-year deal with IMG, the luxury carmaker is also the title sponsor of IMG’s fashion venues in Los Angeles and Miami. This marks the first time all three of these IMG fashion entities have fallen under one sponsor. Mercedes has been the chief sponsor at Los Angeles Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios since its 2003 inaugural event.
As part of the deal, Mercedes-Benz will launch several marketing initiatives, including 52 weeks of dedicated fashion programming on the Internet, partnership marketing, related consumer shows and philanthropic endeavors.