With the first New York Fashion Week: Men?s in full swing, a number of retailers and brands are taking the opportunity to reach out to their style-focused male audiences.

From blog posts and social content to window displays, brands made sure they were part of the conversation, sharing their own thoughts on what was happening inside and outside the shows. For a retailer, it can be beneficial to provide a unique perspective on fashion, enabling consumers to see the shows through a familiar lens

?New York Fashion Week: Men?s allows the diversity of product within the men?s category to be celebrated and really looked at in a myriad of ways,? said Kimmie Smith, co-founder/creative director of Accessory2, New York. ?Brands being able to tell their story as it pertains to their core and extended customers is a great way to truly educate their customer.

?Highlighting a week allows consumers to really get to know more about their products and total offerings available,? she said. ?It allows the brand to speak in a new way with them which can assist in driving sales.

?In addition, the targeted customer is able to really push back on the brands to ensure that their needs within their wardrobes are being met.?

Main event
The Council of Fashion Designers of America is hosting the first ever standalone New York Fashion Week for menswear. Held at Skylight Clarkson Square, one of the new venues for the women?s wear shows beginning with this fall, the events from July 13 through July 16 will see shows from Michael Kors, Hickey Freeman, Ralph Lauren, Thom Browne and Public School?s Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, who recently took over as the designers for DKNY.

?There has been a call to action among many that there should be a dedicated week that falls within the global men?s calendar,? Ms. Smith said. ?It shows that men?s fashion as it pertains to those who showcase in New York are of the same level as those who have done this for years within the international markets.

?Menswear has so many areas that have yet to be explored,? she said. ?As someone who is fashion stylist and accessory expert with a number of menswear clients, fashion editorials and personalities ? the complexities within this category are unbelievable as it pertains to fabrication choices, patterns, style and so much more.

?It is an exciting time to see how those in the industry that have been working within the men?s space can take it to additional levels.?

Mr Porter is partnering with Uber, as it has done for other fashion weeks (see story). The retailer is giving away a $4,000 shopping spree, $200 toward Blind Barber, tickets to a runway show and a personal chauffeur to one rider who books a car on the Uber app using the code MrPorterNYC.

In addition to men?s fashion week window displays, Bloomingdale?s is keeping its consumers in the loop for all of the runway happenings on its Tumblr. Before fashion week kicked off Monday, July 13, the retailer offered advice on local haunts to hit while visitors are in town from breakfast place Egg Shop to beach gear purveyor Surf USA.

Also on the hub, Bloomingdale?s is sharing posts from brands showing during the week and the CFDA, making itself a one-stop shop for news beyond its own social content.

?Bloomingdale?s has deep roots in the men?s fashion space,? said Jonathan Paul, OVP of Social Media at Bloomingdale?s, New York. ?Since this men?s fashion week is a historic moment, we wanted to capture the excitement in one place for our shoppers and followers.

?Our Tumblr page is being used to showcase style on and off the runway as well as the various tribes of fashion world insiders including our men?s fashion directors Kevin Harter, Josh Peskowitz and Anya Deweerdt,? he said.

Bergdorf Goodman?s men?s fashion director Bruce Pask took over the retailer?s men?s store Instagram account for July 13, sharing a photo with Neiman Marcus senior vice president and fashion director Ken Downing. In another post, Mr. Pask lays out his runway show essentials in the back seat of a taxi cab.

Barneys chose fashion week to kick off its series ?A Drink With? on its editorial content site The Window. For its first subject, Barneys picked John Varvatos, the designer who has the honor of closing NYFW:Men?s (see story).

During a sit-down at Mr. Varvatos? studio in Union Square West, the designer spilled his drink recipe, details about his place upstate and his thoughts on music with photographer/writer duo Justin Bridges and Sean Hotchkiss. He also shares that he would not himself wear the leather pants shown in a recent collection because he feels too old for them and says he is not surprised that men got their own fashion week in New York because they now care a lot about appearance.

Another post on The Window provides a shoppable edit of attire perfect for fashion week, ?whether you?ll be attending shows or you?re just hoping to amp up your looks to street-style-bait status.? This includes leather moto jeans from Belstaff and a tunic from Dries Van Noten.

?The Barneys audience is already part of the NYFW: Men?s conversation by either being part of the fashion community as designers, buyers, editors, and other industry professionals or following along for personal reasons [such as a] vested interest for their stylish endeavors,? said Marissa Rosenblum, editorial director of The Window at Barneys, New York. ?We always have extensive fashion weeks and market coverage on The Window so of course we would extend this to CFDA?s latest Men?s fashion week, which we support wholly with our men?s buying team in attendance as well as via social and editorial efforts.

?We kicked off coverage with an interview with John Varvatos who is showing in New York for the first time in years as he previously closed the shows in Milan,? she said. ?Next, we created a shoppable story featuring men?s essentials fashion fashion week curated by our team that highlight some great men?s Barneys product.

?Lastly, we?ll round out the week with a an overview from our men?s team on ?the best of? men?s fashion month from Paris to New York.?

Prime placement
Other brands have found ways to get noticed within this new fashion week with placements.

New York Fashion Week: Men?s outpaced the New York women?s shows at securing an automaker as sponsor, signing a deal with Cadillac.

For the sponsorship, which will last two seasons, Cadillac will produce events surrounding the runway shows and its vehicles will be used to transport attendees. This partnership will strengthen Cadillac?s positioning as a luxury lifestyle brand, as well as boosting its appeal among a desirable younger consumer set (see story).

Other cities have had their own menswear weeks, which have garnered similar social media campaigns.

British retailers became media themselves during London Fashion Week last year by creating their own content around the menswear shows to demonstrate their involvement in the events.

Both Harrods and Mr Porter updated their social media accounts, as well as their Web sites, with photos and videos of the fashion shows they attended, giving their followers backstage accounts of the productions. By becoming a part of the online conversation surrounding London Fashion Week, these retailers were able to show their place within the fashion industry by providing insider information (see story).

?Brands who align with NYFWM showcase that they understand that to take their place on the global stages that London, Milan, Berlin and Paris have enjoyed for decades is an essential when it comes to playing on a larger scale,? Accessory 2?s Ms. Smith said. ?It also ensures that these brands really execute the need to establish a solid base, understanding what they represent while also exploring other areas to keep their customers happy.

?With everyone providing a conversation in their own way it really allows them to be apart of an ongoing conversation that can be enjoyed by all whether you?re in the industry or not, attending the shows or even based in NYC.?

Final Take
Sarah Jones, staff reporter on Luxury Daily, New York