The CFDA and the St. Regis partnered up to support emerging brands Zankov and thesalting.
Times are not easy for small brands, as it seems like every week comes a new announcement of another label shuttering its doors. The Council of Fashion Designers of America recognizes these struggles and makes it a point to support new designers in any way possible. One such initiative? Teaming up with the St. Regis during Pitti Immagine Uomo to showcase two innovative American menswear talents. Called Moda Americana a Firenze, the partnership offered emerging New York City-based labels Zankov and thesalting the opportunity to present their lines to a global audience of buyers and press courtesy of an intimate showroom experience at the hotel. To celebrate, what better than to cap off the two days than with an elegant midnight supper?
Fashion and the St. Regis have a history. “We’ve been a home away from home from creatives, whether it’s Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, or Madonna. In fact, at this location in Florence, they held the first runway fashion show [for Pitti Uomo] in the salon,” says Amanda Nichols, vice-president and global brand leader for St. Regis Hotels. And given that the property is an American founded brand, it was a perfect fit for the CFDA as well. “You have Caroline Astor from St. Regis and Eleanor Lambert from [our organization] these were both powerful women of their time. They saw the opportunity of bringing people together, which is also how we were founded — American designers gathered to unite around craftsmanship,” explains Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA. And so, the creatives and craftsmen from two sides of the Atlantic united for this one event.
Craftsmanship plays a huge role in the two brands selected to come to Florence. For Henry Zankov, founder of his eponymous brand, showing in the city is a full circle moment as he sources his yarns from the surrounding area. While his materials might be Italian-made, his approach to design reflects his Russian heritage through an optimistic American lens. Zankov draws from a variety of artistic influences be it Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, or other Constructivists. He also teams with contemporary painters like Philippine de Richemont, with de Richemont’s work serving as the basis for the intarsia pieces seen in his spring 2023 collection. “When I started the brand, I asked myself what’s the visual language of the brand? How can I add something new and different in the world of knitwear and fashion as well? It was establishing a [code] with color and pattern being our signature without feeling repetitive,” he says. His strategy is paying off with the likes of Nordstrom and SSENSE carrying his pieces and the brand was also a CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund runner up in 2023.
In the case of Manel Garcia Espejo and Michael Ward, the designers behind thesalting, Florence and its surrounding areas also play a huge role in how they’ve built out their five-year old label. “We’ve grown up coming here for years and know a lot of the mills that are located nearby. [The fabrics] inform our work — we’re not tailored, but we have soft tailoring elements that make our pieces suit everyone,” says Ward. How that translates is in the form of easy separates, whether it’s drawstring trousers, a slouchy blazer inspired by Jackson Pollock, or their Adirondack striped set. Fluidity and elegance play a huge role in the evening pieces with standouts being a breezy red silk gown as well as a two-tone ivory and white caftan that was teamed with wide-legged pants for the evening’s festivities.
“There could have been a lot of designers we would’ve picked, but [the two] were specific to this property and to this city. There’s a classic-ness about them, but also a sense of innovation,” says Kolb. That creativity especially shone in the evening, as both brands dressed two models each in looks that suited the festive formal theme. For thesalting, it was the two-tone caftan as well as a sleek yet slouchy jumpsuit while Zankov offered up a creative knit gown as well as separates that felt equally as appropriate for the occasion. Following a traditional saber champagne ritual — a St. Regis classic that happens at every location — guests sat down at a candlelit and mirrored dinner table. Glittery and glamorous, the setup nodded to Astor’s history of hosting midnight suppers that brought together creatives in unexpected ways that can lead to long term benefits for all. That’s precisely the intention says Nichols, “We’re always thinking how can we help brands? And it’s bringing them into the fold both through these dinners, stocking them in our pop-ups and more. Supporting artists is in our blood.”
