Menswear Industry Turns Out to Honor Esquire’s Nick Sullivan
The menswear industry turned out in force Monday night to honor Nick Sullivan who is celebrating his 20th anniversary with Esquire magazine this year.
Thanks to Todd Snyder, who got the ball rolling, the Council of Fashion Designers of America will create the Nick Sullivan and CFDA Menswear Design Scholarship for a deserving student studying menswear.
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From Guy Trebay of the New York Times, Ted Stafford of Men’s Health, Bruce Pask of Neiman Marcus and Jian DeLeon from Nordstrom to fashion attorney Douglas Hand and designers Dao-Yi Chow, Conner McKnight, George Sotelo, John Bartlett and more, a who’s-who of the men’s industry turned out at Jean’s restaurant in NoHo to toast Sullivan and catch up before they jet off to Europe for the upcoming men’s shows.
Steven Kolb, chief executive officer of the CFDA, told the gathering that when Snyder reached out to him to brainstorm about how best to honor Sullivan, he suggested the establishment of a scholarship. Although the CFDA has been offering scholarships for 25 years, this one is different because it’s earmarked for a menswear student — someone who can “be the next Todd,” he said, adding that Snyder has “been so supportive of young talent” over the course of his career.
But Snyder was quick to point out that it was Esquire creative director who was instrumental in giving him the courage to eventually start his own brand. “The little things you did changed my career,” Snyder told Sullivan, and it was his honor to give back and also help clear the way for a student who planned to follow the menswear path.
Sullivan thanked Snyder and the CFDA for “turning what could have been a non-event into something touching,” and he said his goal for the scholarship is that it continues beyond this year and honors other people — in a variety of fields — who have “moved the needle for menswear.”
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