DailyCandy Follows Nine Designers En Route to Spring 2011 Fashion Week and Sells Designers' Fall Collections on Swirl

NEW YORK, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- DailyCandy, the popular women's lifestyle resource, today introduced its first-ever Fashion Week series, profiling nine NYC-based indie designers as they create their spring 2011 collections, to be shown this month in New York. The series chronicles the struggles and triumphs of building a collection for Fashion Week and gives readers an insightful view into some of DailyCandy's favorite indie designers. To complement the experience, Swirl by DailyCandy, the company's apparel and accessories site, will sell five of the designers' current fall collections starting September 8, 2010.

"For months, DailyCandy editors have been playing 'fly-on-the-wall' with these nine talents," said Janet Ozzard, DailyCandy's editor-in-chief. "They gave us great access to their process and their daily lives. This unique close look, combined with the ability to purchase from designers' current lines, makes a great, unified Fashion Week experience for our readers."

DailyCandy's Fashion Week coverage captures the process from mood boards to manufacturing; goes behind the scenes at look book shoots, model castings and runway shows; includes bios, Q&As, and photos from the designers' homes and studios, plus video interviews and their current collections. DailyCandy's Fashion Week blog, The Dossier, will cover the indie aspects of Fashion Week as it unfolds, from interviews with boutique owners and designers to presentations and runway shows to parties and giveaways.

These designers are being profiled:

- Chris Benz, 2004 winner of the CFDA's Emerging Designer Award. An alumnus of Marc Jacobs and J.Crew, Benz is also a delightfully uncensored tweeter.

- Albertus Swanepoel, an award-winning (Coty, 2008 CFDA runner-up, Swarovski accessories award nominee) milliner who collaborates with top designers and has created diffusion lines for Gap and Stetson.

- Eviana Hartman, the Bodkin designer and winner of Ecco Domani's first Sustainable Design Award in 2009. A former writer and editor (Vogue, Nylon), she now has a collaborative line with German brand Hessnatur.

- Samantha Pleet, co-recipient of the 2009 Ecco Domani Sustainable Award with Hartman for her work on Bodkin. Even while managing a menswear line and lower-priced line for Urban Outfitters called Rapscallion, she never forgets to water her garden.

- Tom Scott, a meticulous, Americana-obsessed designer, one of twelve chosen to be in CFDA'S Fashion Incubator program and winner of the 2007 Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award.

- LaQuan Smith, a 22-year-old newcomer from Queens who was featured in Vogue and The New York Times in his debut season. Mentored by Andre Leon Talley, his designs have been worn by Lady Gaga, Tyra Banks, Dakota Fanning, and Alicia Keys.

- Ann Yee, another newcomer. A former knitwear designer for Barneys, LaROK, Elizabeth and James, and Alice + Olivia, Yee's line has already appeared in some of DailyCandy's favorite stores (TG-170, Albertine).

- Whitney Pozgay, the designer of Whit. The former Steven Alan women's wear designer has a playful design sense inspired by France and her family (including her aunt, Kate Spade).

- Dana Lorenz, designer of Fenton/Fallon. The 2010 CFDA nominee maintains both fine (Fenton) and costume (Fallon) jewelry lines, as well as an NYC store. Most recently she partnered with J.Crew to create an exclusive jewelry collection.

Swirl by DailyCandy, the company's apparel and accessories e-commerce site, is hosting a virtual Fashion Week pop-up shop selling DailyCandy's favorite pieces from the fall collections of Samantha Pleet (September 8), Ann Yee (September 9), Whit (September 10), Bodkin (September 13), and Tom Scott (September 14).The designers helped style the shoots at Swirl's studios in New York City. Swirl will release exclusive video of the shoots on Swirl.com during the sales starting September 8.

"Swirl champions up-and-coming designers just as DailyCandy does," said Richard Cusick, GM of Swirl. "We are excited to bring the DailyCandy audience a seamlessly integrated experience with the specially negotiated opportunity to buy select items from our favorite indie designers' fall 2010 collections."

About DailyCandy

DailyCandy, a free e-mail newsletter and website distributing 3.3 million subscriptions daily, is the insider's guide to what's hot, new, and undiscovered -- from fashion and restaurant news to gadgets and travel. DailyCandy publishes 29 editions via e-mail, including 12 local editions covering New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, London, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Philadelphia, Miami, Seattle; one national edition (Everywhere) featuring online picks; and 16 weekly editions comprising 11 local Kids editions (published Mondays); 2 national Kids editions (Tuesdays and Thursdays); DailyCandy Travel (Wednesdays); and DailyCandy Deals (Tuesdays and Thursdays), which features special sales and promotions exclusively for DailyCandy subscribers. DailyCandy Weddings, published Mondays, is a new e-mail and website hopelessly devoted to the bride's big day. ShopTalk delivers great gift ideas online and in e-mail every Tuesday to the NYC, L.A., and Everywhere editions. Swirl, Sample Sales by DailyCandy (swirl.com) features apparel and accessories from the up-and-comers and brands we love at up to 70 percent off. DailyCandy is a unit of Comcast Interactive Media.

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