The COVID-19 pandemic forced Casa into an untenable situation. With no e-commerce and no foot traffic, it was another beloved New York institution struggling to keep the lights on. David set up a GoFundMe and a social media campaign in April. So far they have raised almost $30,000 for the store. “It’s like a family,” says Ahmed between sales. “Everybody is helping each other because of COVID. We got together with model agencies and the fashion industry and they are helping us.”
The latest who are helping keep Casa Magazines afloat is Valentino.The brand is releasing its Vlogo Signature Book, chronicling the way its logo design has been interpreted by 16 magazines, at Casa Magazines with a store takeover. A portion of proceeds of sales from the book will be donated to Casa Magazines.
A window showing imagery from the Valentino book at Casa Magazines
Photo: BFA / Courtesy of Valentino
Lots of people come to Casa for partnerships, but many are turned away. The reason Valentino got Ahmed and Wasim’s stamp of approval is because some of the brand’s New York employees are regular customers. “I think it was Blair [Trader, the director of public relations and advertising] or Bianca [Sleight, the manager of special events and partnerships] who first wrote to us—and they’re actually customers at Casa,” David explains. “Obviously it was exciting.”
The store’s windows will be papered with imagery from the book, replacing this week’s Joe Biden display. (That’s partly out of necessity—Ahmed and David report that most Biden covers sold out quickly.) Of the many images, Ahmed chooses a picture by photographer Amber Pinkerton and fashion editor Nell Kalonji that ran in Love as his favorite. “This,” David says, pointing to the Polaroid snap with a red heart scrawled on the page, “is so Mohammed. Ali is fond of more of the crazy graphics and overt [style]. Mohammed is a bit more conservative.”
The pair expect the Valentino book to sell well, noting that during the past year it’s the innovative, thoughtful publications that have performed best. “As long as there is a magazine business we will be in the business,” assures Ahmed.
The post Valentino Partners with Casa Magazines on a New Book Project appeared first on Honk Magazine.
from Honk Magazine https://ift.tt/3lk9u7R
via gqrds
No comments:
Post a Comment