Fashion’s Night Out coming to downtown Portland
Megan Doern
Portland Business Alliance,
Event to Include Outdoor Fashion Shows, In-Store Events and After-Party
Portland, Ore. – Where will you be on September 10? If you love to shop and see the latest in fashion, then you need to be at Fashion’s Night Out. Downtown Portland is one of a number of cities participating in this worldwide fashion event, which was created in 2009 by Vogue Magazine, the Council of Fashion Designers Of America (CFDA), NYC & Company and the City Of New York. The event will celebrate fashion, showcase downtown Portland retailers and put the fun back in shopping. “Hosting a Fashion’s Night Out will provide valuable retail support to our central city – a key component of our city’s economic vitality,” said Mayor Sam Adams.
Fashion’s Night Out will include a variety of in-store events, public fashion presentations in the new Director Park located next to the Fox Tower and an after-party at the Nines Hotel. Attendees will also have a chance to win a downtown prize package raffle with proceeds benefiting New Avenues for Youth. Parking validation will be available as well as a fleet of Portland Pedalworks’ pedicabs to take attendees from Director Park to the Fashion’s Night Out retail destination of their choosing.
All events are open to the public and free of charge. Details: Friday, September 10 from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (in-stores activities); 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. (after-party).
Retailers participating in Fashion’s Night Out includes freestanding stores Nordstrom, Macy’s, Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, Mario’s, Mercantile, Pendleton, Covet, Narcisse, Radish Underground and Pioneer Place retailers including J. Crew, the Gap, Kate Spade, BCBG, Juicy Couture, Ann Taylor, Coach, Louis Vuitton, and Betsey Johnson.
The event, being put on in coordination between the City of Portland, Downtown Marketing Initiative and the Downtown Clean & Safe District managed by the Portland Business Alliance, is one of the goals outlined in the Downtown Retail Strategy initiated by Mayor Adams last year. A coalition of downtown organizations and businesses has been implementing the plan.
“Being an official part of Fashion’s Night Out is a great opportunity for downtown Portland to showcase itself as a fashion destination,” said Michelle Martin, chair of the Clean & Safe District board. “All the activities we have planned are going to make this a fun night, that after the past few years, our retailers really need and deserve.”
Fashion’s Night Out (FNO) is an unprecedented global initiative created to celebrate fashion, restore consumer confidence, and boost the industry’s economy. In the United States, the program is a collaboration between American Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, NYC & Company, and the City of New York. On September 10, 2010, Fashion’s Night Out will return to New York City and launch in cities nationwide to put the fun back in shopping, with designer appearances, live windows, celebrity guests, and other special events. Around the world, and led by 15 international Vogue editions (Australia, Britain, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, and Turkey), each country will celebrate Fashion’s Night Out on one night between Sept 7 and Sept 16, 2010. Fashion’s Night Out will be the subject of a one-hour special on CBS on September 14, 2010. For more information visit www.fashionsnightout.com, powered by QVC, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (www.twitter.com/fnonyc).
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Downtown Marketing Initiative
The Downtown Marketing Initiative is a public-private partnership created and funded by the City of Portland and its partners that is dedicated to promoting the long-term vitality of downtown Portland. Since its inception in 2006, the Downtown Marketing Initiative has successfully supported downtown during a period of intense redevelopment and has become a critical economic stimulus tool in the current financial climate. For more information please visit www.downtownportland.org.
Downtown Clean & Safe District
Downtown’s Clean & Safe District was created 20 years ago to support additional cleaning and security in the Central City. The district, funded by downtown property owners, includes 213 blocks in the Central City, and also supports market research and retail recruitment and retention efforts. The district is managed by the Portland Business Alliance under the direction of the district’s board of directors.
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