The feminine-oriented fashion world merged with the muscle of the automobile world when Mercedes Benz showcased their off-road vehicles this week at Fashion Week in New York City. Being the primary sponsor of the runway show that reveals the latest trends in fashion for Spring 2013, the luxury car brand complemented what their Marketing representative Mindy Hatton says is the “intersection of creative styling, fine construction and innovative design” of fashion designers with their own automobiles.
This past week on the plaza of Lincoln Center, New York’s Fashion Week held runway shows where over 100 of the top designers of the garment industry revealed their new collections for the coming year. At the same time, title sponsor Mercedes Benz displayed its own new design of their 2013 off-road wagon, the G-Class and its smaller version, the GLK. The 33-year-old G-class model was displayed outside the tents of the center’s plaza and was the focus of an interactive media event that featured celebrity trainer Joey Gonzalez and Olympic soccer player, Alex Morgan. As stated on the Mercedes Benz press release and on their Facebook page, the event featured staged workout routines that utilized fashion themes with sketchy physical activities such as handbag heists, skinny jeans lunges and tips on surviving the hectic pace of attending fashion shows for invited guests.
“Fashion Week aligns with our global strategy,” Hatton said.
Mercedes also sponsors Fashion Week in Miami, Berlin and Sydney.
“This year we featured the G-class, a high end car with a high end designer, Herve Lerge,” Hatton said. “The GLK targets a more fun approach towards the youth-oriented, trendsetting designers.”
Not to overlook the unveiling of the designers’ clothing lines, the trends that emerged for Spring 2013 appear to have practical styling with vibrant color. Stripes were in most designers’ collection in some form, as were soft flowery flowing pants and skirts paired with soft-leather motorcycle or bomber style jackets. Jason Wu showed leather tops with lacey dresses. Marc Jacobs presented skirts lower on the hips with some midriff showing. Color palettes include strong reds paired with black as well as the more springy but vibrant shades of lemon-lime, hot pink and tangerine.
Ramapo senior Diana Stanczak saw firsthand how the automobile world and fashion melded. A journalism major, she sought out the opportunity to work Fashion Week by poking around the MB Fashion Week website and applied for a volunteer position. All the glamour in front of the scene is the result of some very hard work behind the scene. Stanczak’s day started at 6 a.m. setting up the tents for shows, finishing her day around 3 p.m. for eight days.
Even with the long hours, she felt that working the tents gave her experience and exposure to the inner workings of the biggest fashion event in New York. Being associated with a luxury car brand does have its advantages even with the laborious tasks.
“It was fun 3 percent of the time but being associated with Mercedes and getting to network with other volunteers who were on the same level as I was worth it,” Stanczak said. “Even if you play a small role, it accounts for something much bigger. I would do it again and hope they call me for the February show.”
For more information, visit mbfashioweek.com.
—
vdibianc@ramapo.edu
