The Dockers® Brand Teams With Alexander Wang and Emerging Menswear Designers to Introduce a New Limited-Edition Collection, Celebrating the Endurance and Versatility of Khaki

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- This September, the Dockers® brand is partnering with celebrated apparel designer Alexander Wang—as part of his being named GQ's Best New Menswear Designer in America—and a diverse group of five other influential American menswear designers to unveil a limited-edition collection.  The highly anticipated assortment allows each designer the opportunity to reinterpret the iconic khaki pant in a fresh, modern way, while using the Dockers® brand's time-tested expertise in working with the fabric as a source of collaborative inspiration.  In addition to Wang, who received the honor earlier this year for his T by Alexander Wang collection, the khaki leader is teaming with designer brands Riviera Club, Miller's Oath, Warriors of Radness, and CFDA members Patrik Ervell and Michael Bastian in the creation of unique head-to-toe khaki looks.

Beautifully detailed, the resulting collection created by the winner and nominees of GQ's Best New Menswear Designers in America project showcases the Dockers® brand's own khaki heritage, incorporating both utilitarian and sartorial details with each designer's clearly defined aesthetic.  Highly collectible, the collaborative range will be introduced for purchase through an event hosted by actor Donald Glover from NBC's hit comedy "Community" at the Bloomingdale's store at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue in New York City.  This in-store event is open to the public and will coincide with the third annual Fashion's Night Out shopping extravaganza in New York City on September 8.  The full collection will be available for purchase that evening as well as at select Bloomingdale's stores nationwide and in Dubai; on www.bloomingdales.com; and on www.dockers.com in the USA, France, and the United Kingdom starting in October.

"It was a huge honor to win the GQ Best New Menswear Designer in America award this year, and we've enjoyed the process of collaborating with GQ, Dockers® and Bloomingdales," says winning-designer Alexander Wang.

This year marks the first time the Dockers® brand has teamed with the nominees of GQ's Best New Menswear Designers in America project to create a collaboratively designed collection that marries the singular vision of each of the designers with Dockers® khaki heritage and expertise.  The highly influential-New York-based designer Alexander Wang is the fourth annual recipient to be recognized through this competition, which celebrates the groundbreaking work of up-and-coming American menswear fashion designers.  This is also the first year in which each of the nominated designers contributed a collaboratively developed look to the larger, limited-edition Best New Menswear Designers in America collection. The Best New Menswear Designers in America project was founded by GQ in conjunction with The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 2008.

"The idea was to showcase and celebrate khaki's iconic place in the apparel landscape. As part of that process, we started with the same essential khaki cloth, and through wash, finish, and cut, worked with each of the designers to create six truly unique khaki propositions," offers Doug Conklyn, Dockers® senior vice president of global design.  "The end result is a really diverse range that demonstrates the versatility, modernity, and adaptability of the khaki medium while also staying true to the aesthetic of each of our varied design partners."

Steven Kolb, chief executive officer of CFDA, agrees, saying, "It is so interesting to see how these talented American designers working with the Dockers® brand have uniquely interpreted the iconic American khaki for Bloomingdale's.  Each is so independently creative, and as a group they truly live up to GQ's ideal as the best new menswear designers today."

"At Bloomingdale's, we consistently seek to find and nurture emerging design talent," says Kevin Harter, Bloomingdale's vice president of men's fashion direction. "As always, the GQ Best New Menswear Designers in America program is a great way for us to do that, adding an exclusive collaboratively designed collection to our diverse product assortment. This year's offering is especially unique because for the first time it features work from each of the nominated designers—including Alexander Wang and our new partner, the Dockers® brand. The resulting collection looks especially fresh in that it shines a spotlight on the renewed interest and versatility of the time-honored khaki pant."

As part of the project, the nominated designers were invited to visit and tour the extensive—and otherwise private – Levi Strauss & Co. archives, located in the company's global headquarters in San Francisco.  Using this museum-like apparel archive that houses garments for all Levi Strauss & Co. owned brands—including Dockers® khakis—the nominees teamed with Doug Conklyn and the Dockers® design team to survey the brand's extensive khaki heritage, referencing vintage Levi Strauss & Co. khaki and chino styles, some of which date as far back as the 1920s.  The subsequent GQ Best New Menswear Designers in America x Dockers® collection speaks to the khaki leader's storied heritage while injecting it with each of the designer's individual perspectives on what makes the perfect chino.

As a result, the GQ Best New Menswear Designers in America x Dockers® collection consists of a carefully curated assortment of 13 menswear tops and bottoms.  Beautifully crafted, the survey's khaki pants consist of:

• GQ Best New Menswear Designer in America winner for 2011 Alexander Wang's urban take on the khaki trend: a pant featuring directional seaming details. The pants are cut from a khaki twill that was "slate gray" garment dyed for a weathered look and feel.
• Nominee Patrik Ervell's crisply pressed khaki pant, featuring a series of stitched-down pin-tucked pleats that create volume at the top, evolving into a severely tapered leg.
• Nominee Michael Bastian's military-inspired, smart, slim chino cargo style. The look was inspired by a photo of Bastian's two uncles from World War II.
• Nominee Riviera Club's distressed heavy weight khaki is inspired by the Jack Kerouac novel Big Sur. The pant is fully lined in a striped oxford shirting fabric that is visible when cuffed.
• Nominee Miller's Oath's beautifully pressed chino that comes creased, cuffed and detailed with functional yet dressy, fit-adjusting waist-side tabs and a higher waist.
• Nominee Warriors of Radness's surf-inspired, front-pleated muscle pant that sports a fabric hook-and-loop, side-fastening waistband and elasticized cuffs. The pant is reminiscent of a style bodybuilders popularized during the 80s.

Rounding out the assortment is a series of collaboratively designed tops that compliment each of the designer's khaki pants. Highly collectible, the GQ Best New Menswear Designers in America x Dockers® collection ranges in price from $75 for cotton T-shirts to $200 for the majority of the khaki pants, including Wang's street-smart offering.  The range will be carried at Bloomingdale's stores in New York City at 59th Street, Soho and Roosevelt Field; Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and San Francisco, California; Aventura, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; and Dubai.  The collection will also be available online at www.bloomingdales.com and on Dockers.com in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France starting in October.

About the Dockers® Brand

The Dockers® brand has embodied the spirit of khaki for more than 25 years. Since its introduction in 1986, the Dockers® brand has been perfecting khakis—and the essential goods to go with them—for men and women all over the world. No compromises in quality. Just versatile, essential style.  Day to night. Monday to Sunday. Wearing the pants has never looked so good. For information on the Dockers® brand and its products, please call 1-800-DOCKERS or visit www.Dockers.com.

About Bloomigdale's

Bloomingdale's is America's only nationwide, full-line, upscale department store and a division of Macy's, Inc. It was founded in 1872 and currently operates 41 Bloomingdale's stores and four Bloomingdale's, The Outlet Stores in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Minnesota, Georgia, Florida, Nevada, and California. In addition, Bloomingdale's has an international presence with a location in Dubai. Be sure to follow Bloomingdale's on Facebook or Twitter, and for more information, or to shop any time, visit www.bloomingdales.com.

About the CFDA

The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA) is a not-for-profit trade association that leads industry-wide initiatives and whose membership consists of more than 400 of America's foremost womenswear, menswear, jewelry, and accessory designers. In addition to hosting the annual CFDA Fashion Awards, which recognizes the top creative talent in the industry, the organization offers programs which support professional development and scholarships, including the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, the Geoffrey Beene Design Scholar Award, the Liz Claiborne Scholarship Award, and the CFDA/Teen Vogue Scholarship. Member support is provided through the Business Services Network, a high-profile group of companies offering designers strategic opportunities. The CFDA Foundation, Inc., is a separate, not-for-profit organized to mobilize the membership to raise funds for charitable causes. Through the Foundation, the CFDA created and manages Fashion Targets Breast Cancer; raises funds for HIV/AIDS organizations with 7th on Sale; addresses the issue of model health with The CFDA Health Initiative; and is a key participant in other programs, such as the annual Fashion's Night Out. For more information, please visit www.CFDA.com.

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About GQ

GQ is the leading men's general-interest magazine, with a monthly readership of 6.6 million readers. It is available in print, online at GQ.com, and as an app at iTunes.com and BarnesandNoble.com. The magazine is published by Condé Nast, a division of Advance Publications. Condé Nast operates in twenty-five countries and is the world leader in exceptional content creation.

SOURCE Dockers

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