DFNY Recap 2022
Last week the CTDA put on the DFNY show in NYC. Yes, that is a lot of acronyms.
“The Custom Tailors & Designers Association (CTDA) is the oldest continuously operating trade organization in the United States. Founded in 1880 in Columbus, Ohio, it was established as a venue through which ideas and techniques for design, pattern making, fitting, cutting and tailoring could be shared and exchanged.
Today. more than 140 years later, our members includes distinguished master tailors, designers, custom clothiers, and direct sellers from the United States and around the world.” Read More Here
The Design Forum NY is the “semiannual trades show, the Designer Forum New York, caters to the finest upscale menswear buyers, in addition to the growing market of bespoke womenswear buyers, custom clothiers and tailors / designers in the U.S., Canada and from around the world.
Our boutique hotel style showroom format makes it easy for attendees to personalize their time with our exhibitors (custom clothing supplies and manufacturers) who showcase their goods in the on-site showrooms.” Read More Here
The first night was hosted by a cloth house, Gladson, and the gentlemen from Huddersfield came to discuss fabric and different forms of British tailoring. Geoff Wheeler led the presentation and told us about a few of the different houses on Savile Row and their techniques for creating tailored garments. Interestingly, when Italians began to get into the tailored garment industry, they tried to recreate the British style, but someone stopped to ask, “why are we copying them?” So the Italian tailors disassembled the jackets and put them back together with the bare essentials and that is how the casual deconstructed look of Italian tailoring was born.
I attended a panel: Profiles of the Multi-Million Dollar Clothier. (Left to right) Leonard Logsdail, Leonard Logsdail Bespoke. David Heil, David August. Dedrick Thomas, Hideoki Bespoke. Peter Roberti Jr., Adrian Jules Ltd.
Lenoard you may recognize from John Wick, Wolf of Wall Street, and dresses the like of Connor McGregor and Denzel Washington.
David, dresses celebrities out of California. Recently I saw Sylvester Stallone shout him out on Instagram.
Dedrick, is responsible for Steve Harvey’s style transformation is past years.
Peter, is a true champ, selling with the best of them and doing so without Hollywood.
I had the chance to speak to each of these gentlemen one-on-one throughout the weekend, but this panel was such a great way to get fired up about selling and leveling up everyone’s business. So often we are tempted to cheapen our product to make the sale or sweeten the relationship, but all we do is shoot ourselves in the food.
I am guilty of this and am so happy to say never again!
This show was a very special one to attend. It was the first in 2 years due to covid. Many companies changed personnel, there were new businesses, new vendors, new attendees, people who recognized me from Instagram, and so much more. This is a place where stores and sellers, can mingle with the companies who supply the product, and as an industry we can ideate and strengthen relationships. In this photo we have 2 direct sellers, 1 shirt maker, 1 store in DC+wife, a fabric seller, and a suit manufacturer. This industry is so collaborative and has so much to offer to anyone who wants to take advantage. I took so much away from this weekend and in two weeks I get to go to Chicago for another show! Stay tuned.
