Maybelline New York Builds Fashion Platform, Announces Backstage Lineup for Spring 2012 Collections

NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In their fifth season as the official cosmetic sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, Maybelline is bringing excitement and access to millions of women around the world at an unprecedented level. Weaving together a supercharged itinerary of designer sponsorships, trend-driven consumer events, key magazine partnerships and cutting edge digital initiatives into what has become a brand-defining link to fashion; Maybelline New York is channeling its runway credibility into every part of the business.  

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Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York

A backstage mainstay at some of the week's most exciting shows, Maybelline New York has once again crafted a diverse Fashion Week roster of both heavy-hitting labels and unexpected indie darlings including BCBGMAXAZRIA, Bibhu Mohapatra, Carlos Miele, Custo Barcelona, DKNY, Jen Kao, L.A.M.B., Libertine, Vivienne Tam and Wes Gordon.

"Fashion has become a central platform for Maybelline New York across the world," said Damien Bertrand, Global President of Maybelline New York. "In addition to growing our presence at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, we're developing the platform on a global scale, with official Fashion Week makeup sponsorships in Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, Poland and most recently, Japan. We're creating beauty trends backstage, translating them from the catwalk to the sidewalk, and making them available to women around the world."

Digital Initiatives

In the quest to bring Fashion Week to women everywhere, Maybelline New York will once again deliver the excitement and energy of the runway by presenting live streaming fashion shows on YouTube's Live from the Runway channel at www.youtube.com/liverunway.  Beginning September 1st, the fully-loaded channel will keep beauty and fashion insiders completely up-to-date with show schedules, backstage beauty looks, insider interviews, trends and how-to videos - all with a few simple clicks. Fashion and beauty lovers will be invited to join the conversation by logging into the site, via their social media network of choice, and commenting with the hashtag #LiveRunway.  New this season, fashion enthusiasts can watch the shows wherever they may be, with a newly added mobile live streaming feature.  

Maybelline New York's Fashion Week content will also appear on the brand's Facebook page. Regular posts on a dedicated Fashion Week tab will include designer profiles, photos of runway makeup looks and backstage beauty videos. Brand fans can get their behind-the-scenes beauty fix by following @Maybelline on Twitter, for live updates and commentary from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week shows and events.

The brand's latest social media venture comes in the form of a Tumblr blog, which is set to launch in advance of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. Maybelline.Tumblr.com will serve as a visual extension of the brand's Twitter account, housing a plethora of visually rich beauty content geared toward the style savvy micro-blogging community. Content will be posted on the site regularly, and during Fashion Week, it will be streamed into Tumblr's official Fashion Week coverage at Tumblr.com/NYFW. "Maybelline New York is the first beauty brand to embrace Tumblr as a platform," said Rich Tong, Fashion Director at Tumblr. "I'm incredibly excited to have them contributing their images and videos throughout Fashion Week, as it will truly help bring visibility to our beauty community on Tumblr," he said.

Consumer Events and Magazine Partnerships

For the second year in a row, Maybelline New York will serve as the official beauty sponsor of Fashion's Night Out. The brand's Color Studio Hot Spot will be set up at Gansevoort Plaza in New York's trendy Meatpacking District on FNO. Consumers will be treated to complimentary mini-makeovers and Great Lash Mascara giveaways.  Guests can have their very own Maybelline New York moment by having their picture or video taken post-makeover. A special kiosk will be set up for easy uploading to social networking sites.

Maybelline's FNO event will also include a live music set by DJ Chelsea Leyland and an appearance by fashion visionary Patricia Field, who will be giving away limited edition Great Lash Mascara t-shirts she designed for the occasion in honor of Great Lash Mascara's 40th birthday.  Maybelline spokesmodels including Erin Wasson, Kemp Muhl, Shu Pei Qin, Lisalla Montenegro and Jessica White will be on hand to sign tubes of Great Lash and share their stories about America's favorite mascara. Maybelline is also throwing a west coast Fashion's Night Out event at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles.

Maybelline has several events planned with key women's magazines that will further underscore the brand's link to all things fashion.  

Through the duration of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, Maybelline will serve as the official cosmetic sponsor of the Teen Vogue Haute Spot in Lincoln Center, providing makeovers and beauty advice to guests.

The Allure Lounge, Colored by Maybelline New York, will be a one-of-a kind beauty and fashion pop-up destination steps away from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York.  Located across the street from Lincoln Center at the exclusive Empire Hotel, guests can learn about the latest, fresh-from-the-runway fashion and beauty trends – all while receiving product consultations and mini-makeovers from top Maybelline New York artists.

As the exclusive sponsor of the second annual FASHION | NEXT showcase, a partnership with ELLE and the Savannah College of Art and Design, Maybelline New York will play a key role in showcasing emerging student designers' work editorially and in a runway show at Lincoln Center on September 9th.  Maybelline will present a semi-finalist with a design achievement grant.

"Our involvement in Fashion Week becomes deeper and more important with each season," said David Greenberg, President of Maybelline New York-Garnier-essie USA.  "We've integrated fashion into every aspect of the Maybelline New York brand, with the ultimate payoff being genuine runway-inspired products that let women be their own makeup artist. This is where fashion and beauty intersect."  

Maybelline New York is available in over 129 countries worldwide. Offering more than 200 products, Maybelline New York combines technologically advanced formulations with on-trend expertise to create accessible cosmetics with a spirited style. For more information, log onto www.maybelline.com also available in Spanish.  Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline.

SOURCE Maybelline New York