Christina Neault has joined Pier 59 Studios as its fashion programming consultant, a new post.
Pier 59, a hub of high-profile fashion, advertising, photo and film production, is recognizing its 20th anniversary with a series of events to be programmed in part by Neault, including a big celebration this fall.
For the past three years, Neault has been a consultant, producing events and fashion shows, rebranding products and working with swimwear designers. Before that, she spent 12 years at IMG Worldwide, becoming executive producer of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Neault began her association with IMG working on fashion shows at Bryant Park. In 2002, she joined IMG Worldwide in a full-time capacity, launching a centralized fashion week in Los Angeles and Miami Swim. In 2009, when Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week moved from Bryant Park to Lincoln Center, she oversaw all aspects of production from the construction of the physical complex, negotiating agreements with vendors, the Office of the Mayor of New York City and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and the execution of 250 designer runway shows each year. She left in 2013, when IMG decided to outsource production of its Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week events in New York and Miami.
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Neault said Friday she became familiar with Pier 59 when fashion week was held at Chelsea Piers in 1997 for a single season. Despite problems, the area has really evolved.
“It’s a great space,” she said about Pier 59. “Twenty years later, they’re still shooting the top ad campaigns and photo shoots. They’ve really proven they have great staying power. They have beautiful studios and they’re doing beautiful work there. They’ve seen two generations of fashion people, and the industry is changing quickly. We want to incubate what’s coming next,” said Neault, who was reached in Miami during Miami Swim Week.
Pier 59 Studios was founded in 1995 by Federico Pignatelli and the Art and Fashion Group Corp. The 100,000-square-foot photography and multimedia studio is located at Chelsea Piers in New York. It houses the largest photography facility and multimedia complex in the world, and is equipped with state of the art technology, accommodating the needs of photographers, designers, advertising agencies and television and film production companies. There are 10 column-free studio spaces, including a 5,500-square-foot sound stage constructed for live performances, special events, video and commercial projects.