Earlier this year, Kerby Jean-Raymond started using the name Your Friends in New York for his dual-pronged response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial project saw the Pyer Moss designer gathering PPE for hospital workers and providing $50,000 in grants for small businesses affected by the crisis.
Today, Jean-Raymond announces the second phase of Your Friends in New York, a multidisciplinary project to support a new generation of creatives and a new way of engaging with fashion, backed by Kering.
The idea started when Jean-Raymond and Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault met in 2019 and was delayed in its launch because of COVID-19, but now it’s official. Your Friends in New York will serve as a “connective tissue,” per the release, with multiple branches: One will produce live events and experiences, another will serve as an incubator for new talents, a third will support philanthropic work, and the final branch will create merchandise to promote YFINY. Jean-Raymond’s own brand, Pyer Moss, will be included under the Your Friends in New York aegis, with the promise that his next fashion show will take place alongside a multiday series of events tied to the YFINY platform.
