NY Fashion Week to push stylish consumers to spend

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-10 09:54

In New York, fashion is the second largest industry behind finance. The city is headquarters to more than 800 fashion companies, employing 175,000 people and generating $10 billion in total wages.

"It's up to the fashion industry to put it best foot forward and create things that will make everybody go, 'God damn, I have to buy that,'" Mallis said.

U.S. designer Marc Jacobs said his show would be less elaborate and he is offering items at a broader price range.

"We're all just trying to be a little more responsible," Jacobs said. "We have just tried to offer more, so that there's more possibility for more people to afford things."

To try to get consumers shopping, New York's fashion shows kick off with "Fashion's Night Out" on Thursday, an initiative by U.S. Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour.

"The most important thing is to get people into the stores shopping and feeling good about it," Wintour told Reuters.

Vogue is organizing stores to stay open late to "celebrate fashion" in New York, Britain, Greece, Italy, Russia, France, Brazil, India, Spain, China, Germany and Japan.

The event aims to get people shopping now, even though the styles shown will not be in stores for months.

"We need to engage the customer and make her realize how important it is that she's not shopping for herself, but shopping to make a difference in the world and holding on to an industry that's imperative," said designer Donna Karan.

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