The Council of Fashion Designers of America is forging a relationship with Cartoon Network.
The network will provide support for the shows and the CFDA connected the company with Ryohei Kawanishi of Landlord, who will design a capsule collection based on “Adventure Time,” a popular animated series.
Instead of just producing a one-off capsule collection, Kawanishi said he has also integrated themes from the series into his main line, which will show during NYFW: Men’s on July 9.
“I wanted to make a mental connection with what’s going on in the cartoons,” said Kawanishi, who usually designs based on distinct themes ranging from Rastafarianism to southern hip-hop.
Cartoon Network has played in the fashion space before via collaborations with brands including Moschino, Champion and Rook, but Pete Yoder, vice president of Cartoon Network Enterprises, North America, said these collaborations have become a bigger focus for the company, which is why it has partnered with the CFDA.
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“It’s a huge priority for us because we want to address our fan base with the more traditional licensed product that’s more accessible, but we also want to give our super fans something special that they can call their own,” Yoder said. “Partnering with the CFDA is a great way to gain access to this a huge array of artists.”
The collection will be available to purchase next year and Yoder said that was a purposeful decision to extend excitement around “Adventure Time,” which will end this year. No stockists are confirmed, but Yoder is hoping to sell the collection in some of Landlord’s current distributors such as Opening Ceremony and Barneys New York.
It might seem like an unlikely pairing for the CFDA, whose other sponsors for NYFW: Men’s include Cadillac, Lifewater, Tmall, Sunchi, Soho House, WWD and the New York Times, but it’s not out of line with what’s going on in the industry. Gen Art, which is known for its Fresh Faces in Fashion runway show, is also aligning with corporate partners in new ways. It has started a multiyear partnership with Universal Pictures that allows young designers and brands to create merchandise inspired by Universal films.
“Being the governing body of the fashion industry, it’s important for us to look outside of our own circle and bring in a massive audience,” said Adam Roth, vice president of strategic partnerships at the CFDA. “From the beginning they came to the table with such an open mind and sometimes its hard with collaborations but this was a true effort in creativity on both parts.”
Last season’s sponsors for NYFW: Men’s included Axe, the New York Times, Tumblr, the Four Seasons, Samsung, Lifewater, Skyy Vodka, Design Within Reach, Launch Metrics and WWD. Starting next year, the CFDA will shift the dates for the spring men’s shows to the first week in June. This will not only coincide with the fledgling New York women’s resort season, but will also allow American designers to show before their European counterparts.