The Rockport Companyhas partnered with Dylan's Candy Bar for an exclusive event to support Fashion’s Night Out in New York City on Sept. 8, 2011. Entitled “May Each Step You Take Be Sweet,” and co-hosted by celebrity stylist and Rockport style ambassador Annabel Tollman and Dylan’s Candy Bar Founder/CEO Dylan Lauren, the event will showcase a Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) student competition for the best designed versions of Rockport shoes, to be made almost entirely of candy.
“To celebrate Fashion's Night Out, we wanted to partner with a brand like Dylan’s Candy Bar that resonates with fashion-minded consumers for this incredible celebration of fashion,” says Daniel Tschuemperlin, Senior Vice President, Product & Brand Management, Rockport. “Additionally we were excited about the unexpected combination of shoes and candy. As part of our overall strategy to elevate our fashion agenda to consumers worldwide, we thought that partnering with the RISD for a candy shoe design contest for two of our key Fall 2011 styles would further create an out-of-the-box concept that is both creative and fun for consumers and the fashion set alike.”
Seventeen RISD students will go head to head to design candy versions of Rockport's Janae Pump for women and Day 2 Night Wingtip for men, utilizing some of the 7,000 candies found at Dylan's Candy Bar. The designs will be showcased in the windows of Dylan's Candy Bar's New York City flagship store during the week before Fashion's Night Out through the end of September, and the winner will be chosen on September 8th during the event. The judging committee will consist of Ms. Tollman, Ms. Lauren, Mr. Tschuemperlin, and Lisa Pevaroff-Cohn, vice-Chair, RISD Board of Trustees. The winning student will receive a $5,000.00 stipend to further his or her design studies courtesy of Rockport as well as a year’s supply of Rockport shoes and a one-year membership to the Dylan’s Candy Bar Candy of the Month Club.
