Informa Markets Fashion is in a New York state of mind.
Days prior to hosting its first in-person event in New York City since January last year, the organizers of men’s and women’s contemporary markets trade shows Project and Coterie announced plans to move forward with physical and digital trade shows in 2022.
Project Las Vegas will return to the Las Vegas Convention Center on Feb. 14-16, 2022 and Aug. 8-10, 2022. Both events will feature new and established brands across men’s and women’s denim, contemporary collections, streetwear, footwear, accessories and beauty. Project New York will also return for its twice annual men’s-focused event in January 2022 and July 2022, though exact dates are still undetermined. The New York events will feature an intimate assortment of domestic and international men’s brands and highlight artisanal workwear and denim, contemporary, emerging designer and streetwear.
After two digital-only market events held in partnership with e-commerce platform NuOrder, Project debuted a small-format in-person event in Miami in July, followed by its marquee event in Las Vegas in August. There, the show introduced on-site installations that spotlighted Made in the U.S. products, and businesses with diverse leadership as part of the Informa Markets for Change (IMFC) initiative—the latter of which launched in 2020 to foster allyship, inclusion and equality. Project also partnered with Rivet to honor the best in denim design, storytelling and sustainability with the 2021 Rivet x Project Awards.
A digital component will continue to complement the live events, the company stated.
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Sustainability, diversity and storytelling will be hot topics at Coterie this week as well. Informa’s women’s contemporary market trade show is taking place Sept. 19-21 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The event will host daily “happenings” that highlight environmental stewardship and social empowerment as well as a fireside chat with industry titan Fern Mallis.
Informa also announced new leadership who will deliver on the industry’s evolving needs. Brian Trunzo, formerly head of brand at Informa Markets Fashion, has been appointed as vice president of Informa Markets Fashion’s men’s portfolio, where he will oversee the contemporary men’s side of the Project brand.
“It is impossible to overstate the importance of men’s wear to me both personally and professionally—I’m thrilled to be in a position to help service our incredible roster of brands and retailers during this unprecedented time,” Trunzo said. “This business is all about connections, and we have a responsibility to facilitate that.”
Beyond the U.S., Project is touching down in Japan on March 16-17, 2022 at the Tokyo International Forum as well as in the fall, with dates to be announced later this year. Project Tokyo will gather everyone from department and specialty stores to regional and online retailers across Japan and overseas.