Five CFDA interim members will be showcasing their collections in an IRL setting at The Canvas’ World Trade Center.
The brands are Patrick Cupid; Emma Gage/Melke; Nicole Muhammad/Sew Elevated; Michael Ward/The Salting, and Marrisa Wilson NY. The brands are moving into the space Thursday and will be open for business Friday.
The Canvas has offered these brands a platform to showcase their collections for the first quarter of 2023.
The Canvas space at the Oculus is a 4,200-square-foot retail space, located between Kate Spade and Sam Edelman. The space features more than 60 sustainable fashion and lifestyle brands, and an area will be created within the store for the CFDA interim designers. While Canvas members pay an annual membership, there is a special deal for the CFDA interim members.
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The space allows the CFDA interim members, who have never had a brick-and-mortar location and have only sold online, a “turnkey” situation.
“Fashion and real estate are both in moments of disruption and evolution; The Canvas model is based on the belief that this overlap is an opportunity,” said Devin Gilmartin, the 25-year-old cofounder and chief executive officer of The Canvas.
The Canvas core model is a different approach to the traditional multibrand retail store with a selection of emerging brands within a shared space. Their retail spaces are focused on United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, with all their brands addressing at least one sustainable goal. Among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are gender equality, clean water and sanitation, zero hunger, no poverty, responsible consumption and production, and climate action.
Canvas locations include Westfield World Trade Center and The Seaport in Manhattan.
The Canvas serves as a stepping stone to help designers and brands open their retail stores.
“Opening physical retail with The Canvas can be as easy, if not easier, than opening an online one. This is possible by creating blends between the digital and physical worlds,” said Gilmartin. “It’s a model that incentivizes mutual success and shared efforts toward promoting a space for discovering new talent. Designers and brands can open up a mono-brand store powered by the Canvas this month.”
The Canvas offers emerging brands competitive, physical retail opportunities and runs the operation for them. The Canvas has 150 brands on its platform. The Canvas has six spaces at the Oculus World Trade Center through their strategic partnership with Westfield.
Last January the CFDA introduced a temporary (one- to three-year term) tier of membership for designers who demonstrate talent and promise but have been in business only five years or less as a pipeline to full CFDA membership. The CFDA provides its interim members with access to one-on-one guidance and support from industry leaders in matters of entrepreneurship and business development.