Luxury Briefing: 2 new companies plan to repair fashion’s broken systems, starting at New York Fashion Week

August 30, 2024 Mary

This week: Backed by industry veterans, Tunl and The Outlaw Agency are giving lesser-known designers the opportunity to be at the center of the fashion conversation. On a related note, RAISE Fashion is paving the way for more BIPOC designers to show up at New York Fashion Week. And, porn companies are powering the spring fashion shows.

Athletes’ style has never been more influential, and it’s fueling big sales on resale fashion sites. Tunl, launched on Thursday, aims to tap into the power of “tunnel fits” while also changing its beneficiaries.

“You have StockX and GOAT, but the designer doesn’t see a profit from [those sales],” said Ashley Champ, founder and creative director of Tunl. “We’re providing equity and ownership, where the designer is [directly] selling the product, and we’re providing the athlete to help market it.”

Of course, Tunl’s business model compensates athletes for the part they play, taking cues from influencer agencies. “Right now, athletes are wearing outfits just to wear them — they’re not seeing a profit from the brand sales they’re generating.”

The Tunl digital platform is best described as a visual content-fueled e-commerce site selling the styles athletes have worn to their games, as manipulated by Tunl. The products include relatively affordable streetwear styles by lesser-known streetwear brands, as well as Tunl product collaborations with brands and athletes and a private merch line. Among Tunl’s first brand collaborators is PinkFlamingoUSA x Prix, a Hypebeast-approved brand based on Tokyo drifting and music culture. “They’re doing incredible numbers not just here in the states, but also in Tokyo,” Champ said. Tunl, which will slowly roll out additional drops throughout the next year, will make money off of commissions from product sales and brand-athlete marketing deals.

Tunl’s broader platform largely focuses on community building through events. As Champ sees it, the company’s annual Tunl Gala — debuting on September 5 at New York Fashion Week hub Spring Studios — could come to rival the Met Gala in influence, thanks in part to the relatability and accessibility of what people wear. New York Fashion Week officially starts on September 6.

“Watching the Met Gala every year is like watching the tunnel walk — all you can do is watch,” Champ said. “We want to throw athletes their own Met Gala, where they can showcase their fits, and streetwear designers can participate in the artistry and the beauty of fashion.” For the premiere Tunl Gala, partner streetwear designers will create 4-5 looks for attending athletes that will be immediately shoppable on Tunl. The Gala will feature a performance by a Grammy-winning artist and partner activations by Signet Jewelers and Zales, among others. Three hundred and fifty attendees, including athletes, designers and “cultural trendsetters” are expected.

Tunl was birthed out of the Versus creative agency, where Champ heads up talent and partnerships. Versus executives Rob Myers and Mark Grande will serve as Tunl’s managing director and executive producer, respectively. Other founding members include Lenny Santiago, svp of Roc Nation, and Les Green, former CEO of the sports publication Slam and its style-focused LeagueFits business, both of whom serve as strategic advisors. Britany Hampton, an alum of Russell Westbrook’s Honor the Gift brand, will head up creative strategy, and Desyrée Nicole, owner of the Todd Patrick fashion brand, will oversee design.

“Athletes and fashion is a very relevant conversation this year, but we’ve been planning [this company] for the last three years,” said Champ. However, she admitted that 2024 transitioned from a “beta year” to the company’s launch year to ride the sports marketing wave.

‘A new paradigm of communications’: Kelly Cutrone and Anna Delvey are bringing new attention to young designers’ collections

Kelly Cutrone and Anna Delvey (real last name Sorokin) are an unlikely pairing. The former, a publicist, television personality and author who founded the People’s Revolution agency in 1995. The latter, a con artist and fraudster whose four-year stint posing as a wealthy heiress in New York became the subject of multiple films and podcasts.

Still, they’ve been in business together for a year. And their collaborative Outlaw Agency, best described as People’s Revolution plus Delvey, is returning to New York Fashion Week next month to produce three fashion shows. Leveraging their fame and networks to the benefit of People’s Revolution’s designer clients is the name of the game.

“It’s really hard when you’re a young designer to be able to have a fashion show, let alone pay for it,” said Cutrone, noting that good lighting alone costs $12,000-$25,000. “But it’s a pivotal time in the industry, and it feels like we’re encroaching on a new paradigm of communications. … I want to give my designer [clients] the attention they need to get into retailers, so we’re going to maximize communications. And we’re going to do [the shows] in a new, fresh way in a very stale industry that promises a lot and delivers a little.”

In September 2023, while Delvey was on house arrest, the Outlaw Agency hosted a runway show on her apartment’s rooftop for the brand Shao New York. The event was covered in nearly 40 news stories in publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post and WWD.

This year, on September 11 in Chelsea’s historic Altman Building, the Outlaw Agency will host shows for NYC-based Private Policy New York, Untitled&Co and, again, Shao New York. Among the events’ sponsors is Pornhub, which, Cutrone explained, has a history of supporting fashion talent. And various contacts from Cutrone’s network have stepped up to contribute to the shows’ success: Ted Gibson will do the models’ hair, Pattie Yankee will do nails, and Kabuki will provide makeup services. In addition, Nigel Barker will promote his new alcohol company while mixing drinks backstage, and Steve Madden will provide the shoes.

For her part, Delvey will serve as the show’s front-of-house producer. Her alleviated house arrest conditions, now allowing for travel in a 75-mile radius, permitted the location change.

Cutrone hopes the event will continue to work as a flywheel, attracting more talent and sponsorships every year.

“It’s not for everybody, but we’ll readily use pop culture, media, celebrity and our chaos to expand what we’re doing,” Cutrone said, adding that she and Delvey may soon launch a media company. “Anna and I can do things other PR people can’t because of the reach we have.”

And her clients depend on that, she said. “Most people are in fashion because it’s their dream, not because they’re rich. That’s a serious thing for someone to put in your hands.”

Raise Fashion a 4-year-¹old nonprofit dedicated to advancing the equity of BIPOC talent in the fashion industry, is returning to fashion week. For next week’s Glossy Podcast, Glossy sat down with CEO Felita Harris to get the scoop on Raise’s mission and the designer collections it will showcase to New York. Coming soon!
Will it be a more naked New York Fashion Week? On top of Pornhub sponsoring this season’s Private Policy New York, Untitled&Co and Shao New York fashion shows, OnlyFans will be the title sponsor of Elena Velez’s runway presentation.