Who better to help kick off the inaugural New York Fashion Week: Men’s than our former guest editors over at Timo Weiland? At the brand’s Spring 2016 presentation on Tuesday, we caught up with Alan Eckstein and Donna Kang to talk summer hot spots, getaways and of course, men.
theFashionSpot: How was your first New York Fashion Week: Men’s?
Alan Eckstein: Incredible actually! We loved showing at Clarkson Studios and we had a great setup. It ended up being a lot of fun.
tFS: In your opinion, why is it important to have a separate Men’s Fashion Week?
AE: It’s important because menswear and womenswear are two separate entities, two different markets with different dates and different buyers. When we showed in September and February, we never felt like the right ROI was there. We presented our menswear during Fashion Week in the past to be part of the New York dialogue, but the impact is a lot greater with a show separate from the women’s schedule.
Donna Kang: New York is one of the thought leaders in the world of fashion and it makes sense that we are now showcased at the beginning of the international season. It’s also a valuable change for the sales. The buyers would usually go to New York after Europe, making it more competitive for us to get space on the selling floor.
tFS: What’s the inspiration for your collection this season?
AE: Our inspiration is semi-continuous from season to season — a fun New Yorker who is quirky and playful, but really cares about what they wear. This season, we have that same dialogue, but we focused on the youth of New York with this innocent but rebellious attitude that we think a lot of young New York City dwellers have. We took the line from a song by The Strokes, “I love you more than being seventeen,” which I think best suits this type of feel. You can see this inspiration from the way we layered short-sleeve button-downs over graphic sweaters and a wider-leg trouser. It added a casual but tailored identity to the collection.
tFS: What’s a hot seller in your menswear season after season?
AE: Our Dushane sweatpants and our Coconut sweater.
DK: And the bomber jackets!
tFS: You guys work so hard! What’s the best thing you’ve done all summer that’s not work-related?
AE: We’ve been so focused on this collection! But my girlfriend and I did go to Providence, Rhode Island for my 30th birthday in May. It was pretty spectacular — a very American kind of holiday.
DK: Anything involving sand, clear salt waters and coconut cups.
tFS: What’s your favorite summer hot spot?
DK: I love going to the intimate, outdoor restaurant spots in my tree-lined, West Village neighborhood. I recently had an especially lovely, hot evening in the tiny strip of tables outside dell’anima. It was so nice that the rain at the end of the meal seemed like a perfect adieu.
AE: Marlow & Sons in the morning on a weekend is where we love to frequent. It’s relaxed and our dog Coconut can sit on our lap. We can eat the greatest breakfast Brooklyn has to offer.
tFS: If you had one more hour in the day, what would you do?
DK: If I can dream up an extra hour per day, I would also dream up extra space in my apartment — enough space to house a baby grand piano and enough time to start playing again.
AE: I’d lay in bed and watch some domesticated sitcom…seriously.
