New York Fashion Week Kicks Off by Awarding Emerging Businesses

NEW YORK—Shoppers can now customize clothing for a perfect fit through new body scanning technology. Emerging business, Acustom, utilizes the technology to help customers create their own designs, from the fabric down to the thread. Acustom was 1 of 11 New York City-based fashion-related companies that won extra support to develop their businesses Wednesday, including a monthlong showcase at STORY, a Chelsea-based retailer.

“For any woman that ever had trouble finding jeans, we are here to help,” said Jamal Motlagh, founder of Acustom. The scanner will be at STORY for people to experience, preorder, and shop.

STORY, which opened a year ago, is a magazine-esque retail space that changes like a gallery and sells things like a store. Every four to eight weeks, STORY changes all of its merchandise and recreates the store around a new story-based theme.

In total, three retail and eight technology companies were winners of Project Pop-Up NYC, an economic initiative designed to boost the city’s fashion industry. The businesses will receive public relations and marketing support, mentoring from industry leaders, and exposure at key industry events in the city.

“When someone says Paris is the fashion capital of the world, you can tell them no, it’s us because we have double their number [of headquarters],” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at the award ceremony on Wednesday.

New York City is the headquarters for over 900 fashion companies, according to Bloomberg.

The mayor said New York fashion is quality-focused.

“Some say that manufacturing is moving to China—that may be true if you want to make a million white T-shirts for the cheapest price,” Bloomberg said. “But we recognize value and creative people.”

The event highlights the semiannual New York Fashion Week, which begins Thursday. Fashion Week is estimated to generate $865 million for the city.

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