A sign of recovery in the retail market or a misallocation of funds? It's a bit unclear, but the after-hours shopping phenomenon Fashion's Night Out has been canceled for 2013, nationwide.
Vogue brought it to fruition in 2009 as a way to encourage shoppers to spend, despite the economic collapse -- and to give a bit of blue chip protection to the fashion industry, as a whole. The event was embraced by retailers, designers and style-conscious media sites across the country and raised more than 1.5 million dollars for the New York City AIDS Fund. Here in Dallas, it had become a favorite holiday/full-contact sport filled with runway shows, giveaways and after parties. Still, there were consenting whispers that 2012's affair showed lower attendance than in years' past.
Over its half-decade run, Fashion's Night Out became a recognized fete in more than 500 US cities and 30 global markets. In yesterday's public announcement, FNO confirmed that America will not play a roll in the 2013 installment, and all reference made towards Fashion's Night Out was done in the past tense. Vogue will, however, continue marketing the annual event in 19 international cities, and encourages U.S. retailers to redirect funds spent promoting FNO into bankrolling their own points of immediate need.
