“A win for one is a win for all,” said Saks Fifth Avenue’s CEO Marc Metrick at Thursday’s cocktail reception celebrating the inaugural class of Saks Fifth Avenue‘s emerging designer accelerator program, “The New Wave at Saks.” The night was to honor the accomplishments and toast to the future of its graduating participants, including brands Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Ashya, A.W.A.K.E. Mode, BruceGlen, Busayo, Kimberly Goldson, LaQuan Smith, and Reese Cooper.
The program consisted of a series of entrepreneurial workshops for the designers, as well as mentorship opportunities with the Saks Fifth Avenue team to gain valuable insights to see their business succeed at Saks and beyond.
Like most graduation soirées, the year-long program came to a close with an intimate gathering filled with laughter, food, and plenty of flowing champagne. Unlike most graduation parties, this was held at the luxury retailer’s cozy Le Chalet at L’Avenue at Saks restaurant on the top floor of its Fifth Avenue flagship in Manhattan. The night afforded guests the opportunity to finally catch-up with one another, reconnecting after two years of limited in-person gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some attendees casually lounged in the leather sofas enjoying the mushroom risotto and vegetable spring rolls while others danced to the upbeat music playing.
“The New Wave at Saks” designers had a crowd of industry professionals toasting to their success at the event, sponsored by Mastercard, including Tracy Margolies, Chief Merchandising Officer at Saks, and Roopal Patel, SVP, Fashion Director at Saks, who both had a hand in the launch of the program last year. For the designers’ graduation gift for a job well done, Saks presented all participating designers with a $10,000 grant to support their business operations and growth, as well as dedicated marketing support from Saks.
In April, the retailer will launch the second year of the program with another eight brands that have yet to be announced. New to the program, designers will get individual one-on-one consulting time with the team at Saks to advise on specific brand needs. There will also be interactive events for the designers to learn from one another’s experiences.
