Fashion from the Runway to the Highway

A recent Wall Street Journal article connects New York’s Fashion Week to Detroit and Bavarian automakers. Today, car companies are sponsoring  Fashion Week and the hit reality show Project Runway. Although General Motors and BMW may be reaching for hipness with these fashion connections, the ties between the fashion industry and the automobile industry are nothing new.

"Collaborations between the two industries date back to the 1920s when
General Motors hired colorists to help them cater to female consumers,
who early market research had determined were making purchasing
decisions for products ranging from cars to Victrola record players,
according to historian Regina Blaszczyk."

Regina Lee Blaszczyk offers a deeper understanding of the relationship between business and style in Producing Fashion: Commerce, Culture, and Consumers.