Daffy's and Devito/Verdi Reunite to Unveil 'Undressing Room' for Fashion's Night Out

NEW YORK, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 20 years ago, a small discount clothing retailer hired a fledgling New York advertising agency to help give its brand an unmistakable "New York voice."  What resulted was the creation of some of the most memorable – and at the time, controversial – ads for Daffy's.

The agency, DeVito/Verdi, continued to work with Daffy's for seven more years, and after a dozen years apart, the two reunited this summer to pick up where they left off.  As expected, their first new collaboration drew attention.

In celebrating last week's "Fashion's Night Out," DeVito/Verdi created a street-level event that was a fashion show cum interactive peep show.  The Daffy's "Undressing Room" featured live models standing in the store's windows on Herald Square.  Throughout the night, passers-by were encouraged to text in their requests for which outfits the models should put on (and take off).

"It's been a long time since we've had the pleasure of working with Daffy's, but little has changed in their support of ideas that stop people in their tracks," said Andy Brief, director of client services at DeVito/Verdi.  "When we first started, we created memorable – and controversial – print ads and TV spots, now we're introducing digital ideas and interactive events that get people talking once again about the brand."

Throughout the evening, the live models in the Daffy's window would disrobe before the crowd and put on another outfit from the Daffy's fall collection.  In total, more than 1,500 text messages were received between 6:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.  Many incoming text messages included comments to the models, which were posted on a giant flat screen TV placed in the window for all to read.

The "Undressing Room" event last week succeeded in drawing crowds, as the event was suspended twice during the night by New York City police officers because the overflow crowd was blocking pedestrian and vehicular traffic along one of Manhattan's busiest corridors.

See video footage of the event here: http://www.fliqz.com/aspx/permalink.aspx?vid=e08005d92b7844e0bc2dcc290c29ab4d

"It's been great to team up with DeVito/Verdi once again," said Daffy's Will Bracker.  "We were looking to raise our profile during Fashion Week, and we knew we had to push the limits to be heard.  Creating havoc with traffic is clear sign that we succeeded."

The ad agency and clothing retailer have also begun introducing a series of new print ads throughout New York that help enunciate the brand's "New York voice."

"Creatively, this client is so receptive to boundary-breaking work that other retailers wouldn't dare run.  It's great to be back with someone who embraces great creative work," said DeVito/Verdi's Brief.

SOURCE Daffy's