New York, May 2021 – Fern Mallis, the fashion industry doyenne most recognized as the founder of New York Fashion Week, is continuing to release new and exclusive content on her digital platform Fashion Icons: The Archive (a playlist available on the 92Y YouTube), in collaboration with the 92Y. Since premiering in February 2021 The Archive has become the exclusive digital destination for Mallis’ popular and often sold-out conversation series, Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis. After a successful spring pilot launched in conjunction with NYFW in February 2021, The Archive has been extended to run through July 2021.
“The overwhelming response from viewers watching these the conversations on The Archive has been so gratifying to me. These conversations have a digital home now on the 92Y YouTube channel, creating a whole a new way for me to engage with everyone who loves the series,” said Mallis. “I love hearing directly from the viewers, many of whom missed out getting to see the interview live. Viewers have been very vocal in sharing which Fashion Icons conversations they want me to release From the Archive next.”
THIS SUMMER IN FASHION ICONS: THE CFDA PRESIDENTS
In this second release of conversations From the Archive, Mallis curated three Fashion Icons that work tirelessly behind the scenes, and in front of them, to keep the American Fashion industry running: the Presidents and Chairmans of the CFDA.
“Having served as the Executive Director of the CFDA for 10 years, I know firsthand the many industry issues and complex problems these Fashion Icons have worked tirelessly to solve,” said Mallis. The three Fashion Icons featured in this release include:
- STAN HERMAN (4 episodes starting May 24, 2021): “The one thing I keep telling everyone, you must have an alter ego. You must have somebody who takes the business aspect off of what you do. That’s what young designers have to do today because it’s tough.”
Stan’s journey to become CFDA presidents was no easy feat, but Stan has never stepped down from a challenge. In fact, when he decided he was ready to take on the role of CFDA President, he had a harsh critic in Eleanor Lambert the group’s founder. She told him he “wasn’t to the manner born.” Stan has gone on to be the longest running president of the CFDA. Boy did he prove her wrong.
- DIANE VON FURSTENBERG (4 episodes starting June 14, 2021): “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew the woman I wanted to be, and I became that woman.’”
There are so many superlatives you can use to describe Diane: she is royalty, she is patron of the arts, she is a philanthropist, and she is a woman #InCharge. Let’s watch Diane share how her brand has evolved, from being all about a dress, to a deeper message: helping women become the women they want to be, a woman #InCharge.
- TOM FORD (4 episodes starting June 28, 2021):“I think I willed my departure from Gucci… I had everything I’d wanted in my life. I had every material thing you could want. But yet, I was not happy.”
Tom’s evening at the 92Y was the hottest ticket in town. The sold-out crowd filled multiple auditoriums at the 92Y. Tom is a romantic and the ultimate seducer. In fact, he seduced the audience that night with his natural charm and movie star caliber good looks.
Photo by Michael Prince 
Photo by Joyce Culver 
Photo by Joyce Culver
“The CFDA is the heartbeat of the Fashion industry. Being its President or Chairman is not a paid position. These Fashion Icons have demanding day jobs, designing and selling their own collections; but nevertheless, always make themselves available and give 100% to the greater Fashion industry. We all owe them a debt of gratitude,” said Mallis.
In a first for Fashion Icons: The Archives, viewers voted in an Instagram poll for what Fashion Icons Mallis and the 92Y should release From the Archives next. These conversations go back into the 92Y vault at the end of July 2021.
THE EDIT: FIRST JOBS
Mallis will also continue to release a monthly series of digital-shorts called The Edit. You know the saying, you have to start somewhere. For May, The Edit focuses on First Jobs, sharing the stories of several Fashion Icons whose careers started far from the glitz and the glamour of the Fashion industry. This edit features: Simon Doonan, Tim Gunn, and Betsey Johnson.
Photo by Joyce Culver 
Photo by Joyce Culver
BEYOND THE 92ND STREET Y
The viewer response to Fashion Icons: The Archive has been overwhelmingly positive. The spring pilot ended 10% above viewership targets.
Episodes from the spring series have been featured as part of major Fashion industry milestones including Tommy Hilfiger’s 35th Anniversary (TH 35), Michael Kors’ 40th Anniversary (Becoming Michael Kors), International Women’s Day (Girl Power with Norma Kamali) and the Willi Smith: Street Couture online exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt Museum (From the Archive: Bethann Hardison).
WATCH FASHION ICONS: THE ARCHIVE HERE
…
ABOUT 92ND STREET Y
The 92nd Street Y (92Y) is a world-class center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. 92Y offers extensive classes, courses, and events online including live concerts, talks, and masterclasses; fitness classes for all ages; 250+ art classes, and parenting workshops for new moms and dads. The 92nd Street Y is transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92Y’s programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities. For more information, visit www.92Y.org.
ABOUT FERN MALLIS
Hailed as the award-winning creator of New York Fashion Week, Fern Mallis has been called an industry titan, fashion doyenne, and the godmother of fashion. She is an accomplished interviewer, inspirational public speaker, sought-after consultant, and widely quoted in the fashion press and broadcast media. She is most known for her decades-long career at the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), and as the Ambassador for Fashion
