Mirror, Mirror: Branding Philly as a fashion gem

Over the last five years, and despite the current economic depression, Philadelphia has managed to cultivate its very own fashion community, rich in both retail and design.

Two separate fashion weeks. National spotlight with local contestants on Project Runway. Local designers making New York Fashion Week presentations. And, of course, you've been to our Barneys New York Co-op, right?

Recognizing its home-grown haute couture, the Center City District - along with the city, the Tourism Marketing Corp., the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. - is focusing on fashion in an effort to shine up the city's gritty, blue-collar image and to generate much-needed revenue.

Launched in September, the Philadelphia Retail Marketing Alliance project has a long-term goal of further developing the fashion scene and helping locally honed designers and stores brand themselves as wholly Philadelphian.

Why is this good for local fashion?

Well, as it stands now, there are dozens of Philly fashion happenings, from Sharon Phillips Waxman's annual retail fashion show, Phashion Phest, to Ron Wilch's (rapper/actress Eve's stepfather) attempt to open a lab for young designers to test their products. And with at least five university fashion and design programs, there are always innovations and events of all kinds.

But nothing ties it all together under the umbrella of Philadelphia offerings. There is no way to know who is legitimate and who is not. And nothing identifies these events as gems of Philadelphia. The fashion scene here is underground, and sometimes it's hard to understand its complexities.

Center City District president Paul Levy sees fashion as much more than frivolous who-walked-the-red-carpet trivia - rather, as a lucrative industry that, if marketed properly, will not only make Philadelphia a better place to live, but also provide jobs.

He says that within a five-minute walk of from City Hall, there are 67,000 workers, 11,000 residents, and 416,000 annual overnight visitors who collectively generate $150 million in annual demand for shoppers' goods.

And Philadelphia retail does not meet that demand right now.

"We are well organized to attract conventions and tourists," Levy said. "But we had no coordinated effort to attract retail.

"Frankly, the fashion industry is one that defines cities. New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago all have clear efforts branding themselves around the fashion industry."

The organizers have big plans and are pursuing sponsors and money to make it all happen. At a Center City District meeting last week, they discussed ways to groom local designers and students and how to provide critical support, such as seed money, studio space, and connections. And they explored the idea of an artist co-op where young designers could pool their resources and sell their goods, much like the artist co-op pop-ups at Liberty Place and King of Prussia.

But right now, the focus is on bringing in smaller fashion boutiques as well as big-name fashion retailers. Levy says the city has been successful in building a high-quality restaurant scene, so the next step is fashion.

Five months ago, the Retail Marketing Alliance launched www.philadelphiaretail.com, which provides comprehensive information on demographics, developments' vacancy listings, and tax and other incentives, along with testimonials from local retailers extolling the value of doing business in Philadelphia.

Using slick graphics - including a picture of Barneys personality Simon Doonan cozying up to the store's signature sky-blue mannequins - the site links potential entrepreneurs to brokers and mortgage lenders. Think of it as a high-tech way to cut through the cronyism that has often stood between Philadelphia and new business.

Just since September, the North Face, Beans Beauty, and SAVA have opened their doors. SAVA is particularly noteworthy because owner Sarah Van Aken designs and manufactures her clothes in Philadelphia and is committed to creating 20 jobs here in the next three years.

"Philadelphia provided an opportunity that no other city did in terms of support," Van Aken said. "They helped me create a very visible platform to stand out here in the city."

Sounds like the retail alliance is on the right track.