9.12 | LAVO NYC

A BLACK TIE GALA AT NEW YORK FASHION WEEK by ATF Fashion House NYC


The BUYERS DINNER every Designer attending NYFW, hopes to get in.

Manhattan, New York | AUGUST 23, 2022

This New York Fashion Company takes a disruptive approach to help Designers and Brands Connect with Fashion Buyers during NYFW 22.

Kelly James Gordon, from WFM - "Who Follows Me", a tech advertising company that reaches over 2 billion people via tech driven advertising in 50+ countries, sat down with our very own Melissa Harrys, Head of Brands Partnerships and Distribution at ATF Fashion House NYC, to discuss the upcoming NEW YORK FASHION WEEK and the role that ATFH plans to play during the World's Largest Fashion Gathering.

Kelly James Gordon:
Hello Melissa, Welcome to WFM, we're thrilled to have you! Let's start with what's on everyone's mind - What is ATF Fashion House and what's the story behind the concept? 

Melissa Harrys:
Thanks Kelly for having me, wow you're a straight shooter, haha. Well, ATFH is a Fashion Buyer and Distribution Company devoted to partnering with talented Emerging Designers to capture sizable shares of the World's leading consumer markets.
The term "ATF" comes from "App The Future LLC", a technology venture company also owned by our Investor, they build and operate Digital Platforms for Celebrities and Brands and attract hundreds of millions of users from all over the world across several industries like Fashion, Sport, Music, Films & Television. They realized they had access to a massive global audience of consumers but were only using it to service third parties like Sponsors and Advertisers, or to sell them Branded Merchandise from Celebrities.
At some point, they thought that was quite limited and they could do more, because, let's face it, that's what everyone is looking for: Extensive Access and Large Reach to Consumers who can drive your Sales up. So they decided to launch their own Consumer Division, and ATFH was created. Myself and a few others were excited to join the team and see it through.

Kelly James Gordon:
As a Consumer Division, you could have gone the route of many sub-industries, why Fashion?

Melissa Harrys:
Great question Kelly. We actually thought of a few among which Food and Beverages, Electronics but ultimately decided on Fashion because we thought we could make a higher impact. Clothes, Apparels and Accessories are designed by People who tell stories and inspire generations. Fashion was the perfect platform to make a lot of money while making a significant impact in our society by influencing the ways we live, work and entertain ourselves. 

Kelly James Gordon:
Your operations are setup on 5th Avenue - Why staying in New York? And why Midtown? We see more and more Fashion units moving towards the SoHo and Chelsea areas.

Melissa Harrys:
Well, we were already based in New York - that's where most of our sister companies operate, so we pretty much have a solid base here, as we know where to knock, who to call and where to press to make things happen. Our investor has built quite a robust rolodex in this city, that if leveraged properly, can skyrocket our growth in no time and with very little resources. The other reason was purely financial - The US holds over 48% of the global market and New York is the leading Fashion market in America, this is where the money is. As far as Midtown Manhattan, that was a no brainer. While Downtown is already flooded with Multi-Designer Hubs like FLYING SOLO and several others, 5th Avenue is still a SNOB Street, Madison and Park Avenues are mostly reserved to Established Brands and Fashion Powerhouses. We wanted to crack that uniformity and spotlight emerging brands on the World's Premier Fashion Street. It's not by mistake that we are right next to LOUIS VUITTON, HUBLOT or BERGDORF GOODMAN.

Kelly James Gordon:
Take us inside - How does ATFH operates? I mean, where and how do you find those brands, and more importantly, how and where do you position them for sales and growth?  

Melissa Harrys:
We sponsor a lot of Fashion Events where we come across incredible Brands with very inspiring stories and great quality products that we think have the potential to sell Big time in the North American market. We either Buy and Resell, or we strike a Distribution or Representation Deal in specific markets where we have a solid deployment ground. Our sales infrastructure is pretty straightforward: We use a salesforce of Agents who cover specific territories and manage Buyers accounts; We also setup Buyers-Only gatherings in the form of Invite-Only Showrooms or Auctions. And lastly, we obviously tap into the technology platforms run by our sister company to reach direct consumers in large numbers at a record pace.  

Kelly James Gordon:
Fashion Brands are popping out left and right everyday, I think the biggest challenge for Designers is finding Real Buyers. How does ATFH connect with Buyers, and why are Buyers interested in your offering, when there are endless channels available to them to access Brands directly, as more and more Wholesale platforms enter the marketplace? 

Melissa Harrys:
It's Simple: Greed and Laziness. The most active Buyers are Greedy, they want the highest margins on every single purchase. The medium Buyers are Lazy, they focus on who and what are available on their core market. ATFH gets its hands dirty, we do the hard work by actually going into these emerging places to dig up hidden talents, polish them and position them in ways that are attractive to Sophisticated Buyers. We put our money where our mouth is and we are NOT greedy, we take a reasonable cut and Zero ownership, so Buyers Love us as we speak their language and serve them the finished products at the best prices. 

Kelly James Gordon:
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK - ATFH is planning quite a series of events. Why taking a center stage at NYFW this year?

Melissa Harrys:
Well, NYFW is the biggest Fashion Rendezvous in the World. While the Paris, London and Milan Fashion Weeks are amazing, the real money is in New York. A Designer who blows up in New York eventually explodes in Europe, which is not necessarily the case on the reverse side. A Brand that explodes in Europe still needs to do major work to penetrate the US. With COVID-19, Fashion Weeks kind of tanked over the past 2 years, now that things are moving again, people are getting back out there, hungrier than ever, and we are ready to capture all that effervescence.
Over 300,000 visitors are flying into town and north of $1 billion is expected to be transacted. We are in the RIGHT City, at the RIGHT time, with the RIGHT Opportunity.  

Kelly James Gordon:
ATFH BLACK TIE GALA, September 12 hein... Tell us more, and why a Gala when everyone is used to the traditional runway?

Melissa Harrys:
Haha, as you have probably noticed, we tend not to do things like everyone else. We thrive in disrupting, innovating and switching up the status quo. But in all seriousness, listen, we don't host events focused on publicity and awareness. Our events are specifically targeted towards deals and sales. The whole Media and PR Bling is nice, but doesn't convert easily, it requires another investment to see its real impact on your bottom line. The Sept 12 ATFH GALA is a High End Networking Event bringing together 100 Curated Fashion Buyers, Distributors and Dealers to connect with 60 Brands carefully selected across Haute Couture, Modest Fashion, Streetwear, Footwear, Swimwear, Eyewear and Accessories from Saudi Arabia, UK, India, Nigeria, France, Australia, Germany, Italy, Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, South Africa, Morocco, Senegal, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Tanzania, Kenya, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Brazil and the United States.  

Kelly James Gordon:
I'm trying to picture the setup, and i gotta ask - How is it going to be? What can attendees expect? 

Melissa Harrys:
Well, the first hour kicks off with an OPEN NETWORKING COCKTAIL - Buyers and Brands are identified by pins of different colors, they get to interact and initiate conversations around potential opportunities and collaborations, and exchange information. Then we move to the BUYERS DINNER which is animated by Keynote addresses from Buyers sharing industry insights, market analysis and best practice tips for Brands; and followed by a RUNWAY Show Dinner Style, similar to the RALPH LAUREN and CHANNEL Shows.

Kelly James Gordon:
The Shopping Booth, I'm intrigued - How will that work? Is it some kind of Store or Trade Show Exhibition area?

Melissa Harrys:
I'm glad you asked. This is actually our proud addition on the menu this year. We realized that most fashion events are missing a big opportunity by not allowing Designers to Sell on the sidelines of Runway Shows. If you have 200 people in a venue for 4 hours, chance is 30% of the audience can afford to either buy 1-3 items on the spot, or start a conversation about placing a Wholesale order down the line. But for that to happen and be efficient, they must SEE the product or at least a sample. Words are cheap, Visual triggers Spending.
We will design a section of the venue in the form of a Store and invite guests throughout the event, to explore and place orders on items they like. To prevent traffic in the shopping section, barcodes or web links will be associated with each sample, allowing guests to head straight to the Designer's website and make their purchase instantly. While networking, Designers can be more convincing by taking buyers to the shopping booth to show their products, instead of the usual "I have some photos or videos of the product in my phone."

Kelly James Gordon:
That right there sounds very interesting, I gotta say! Because at the end of the day, we all want to sell in order to earn, regardless of what industry you are in. But let me ask you Melissa - How much success can Brands expect to have from this event? Like how many people will they actually meet there, and end up doing some tangible business with?

Melissa Harrys:
I like you Kelly, you don't pull any punches haha. That's the One-million-dollar question of every single Networking event. How to anticipate successful conversion from opportunistic encounters? The answer is pure honesty - you can't, no one can't. Our job is to pack the room with the right people on both sides (Buyers want to meet Designers with quality products, and Designers want to meet Buyers or Distributors who actively buy or help make deals in Fashion), and the rest is up to them. Success in Networking will depend on their respective abilities to introduce themselves, to promote their businesses, to be flexible and put themselves in the best position to make some deals. In addition, we send out the Catalog or Lookbook of each Brand, including their contact information, to All Buyers via secure emails. No one can possibly speak with everyone at the event, and even you do, people forget. This helps keep their information in front of buyers and opens doors for follow-up and possible orders.

Kelly James Gordon:
Now, let's suppose that I'm a Designer - I came in, I did the event and it's over. What happens next?

Melissa Harrys:
Well, post-event, our Buyer and Distribution team will sit down with every Designer to explore if a deal can be made, whether we can Buy their products and Resell to our Consumer network, or we can discuss a Distribution or Representation Deal to sell their products to our Buyers base. As far as the people they met at the event, they will do their own follow-up by reaching out to them, and those who are interested, will follow-up with them.  

Kelly James Gordon:
What has been the response so far, from Brands and Designers? What makes you Confident that Designers will respond favorably to your offering?  

Melissa Harrys:
Extremely positive, actually beyond what we expected. I think we are being very successful because we say what they are already thinking; we don't overpromise, we don't sugar code, we tell it as it is, and no one can compete with the truth. Now we don't claim to have all the solutions, but we present in full transparence what our plan is and they know from the get go, what they're signing up for, so there is no surprise.

Kelly James Gordon:
Melissa Harrys - Thank you for taking the time to sit down with me today, this was quite a grill, but i gotta say, you gave me and my audience, more than enough to be attracted to. I hope many Fashion Designers and Brands will cease this opportunity, it sure sounds incredible to me!

Melissa Harrys:
The honor is ours Kelly, we know how large is the WFM reach so we appreciate you supporting us and pushing our message to your massive audience. We look forward to getting feedback from your readers.  

HOW TO WORK WITH
ATF Fashion House NYC

SUBMIT YOUR BRAND
BUYERS