Carolyne Roehm recalls that the CFDA is "at its best"

Decades have passed since Carolyne Roehm succeeded Oscar de la Renta as president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, but from her point of view, the first edition of 7th on Sale remains the crowning achievement of the organization.

Following a unanimous vote by the Board of Directors in a special election in January 1989, his appointment necessitated the end of his 14-month term. De la Renta, for whom she worked earlier in her career, had already served for three years in the management position and had agreed to become vice-chairman of the board of directors. But he wanted other creators to have the chance to become president.

At that time, Roehm told WWD that everything was so new to her that she had no immediate plans and that her philosophy was to "learn the ropes first, then act." ". Annual dues for new members then cost $400, and recruits included Isaac Mizrahi, Steve Fabricator, Leon Max, and Kazuyoshi Hino, among others.

Reached in Colorado in August, Roehm said her friends and mentors de la Renta and Bill Blass wanted her to take over as president, as they had each done. “They had their own particular reasons and I didn't understand them. Maybe they thought that because they could control me. I was the child. I don't know," Roehm said with a laugh.

Anyway, she had already been "very frustrated" as a member with the speed of the CFDA's actions. “I'm from Missouri and we have this expression, 'Talk is cheap. These are actions that prove. We were going to these [CFDA] meetings and everybody yak, yak, yak,” Roehm said. "And everyone was always talking over everyone else until you finally felt like shaking them and saying, 'Stop it'."

At the end of the 80s, the AIDS crisis took hold in New York and affected many designers and designers in the fashion industry. “Several of us were [based] at 550 Seventh Avenue. We saw each other in the elevators. It was really shocking the first time you saw a young man with lesions on his face and knew what it was. It was just very, very sad."

The death of Perry Ellis in May 1986 heightened growing concern and prompted the CFDA to become more determined to act. It was later revealed that Ellis had died of an HIV-related illness. In March 1990, the death of Halston, who had tested positive for HIV two years earlier, was another major loss for the industry.

Before agreeing to consider the presidency, Roehm said she told Blass and de la Renta the only condition was that they would support her saying for an AIDS stipend. When the idea was brought up, Donna Karan and Isaac Mizrahi wholeheartedly agreed and suggested 7th on Sale.

Acknowledging that “everyone was in the right place” insofar as the CFDA knew they had to do something collectively, Roehm said “somehow they got caught up in it. in the next collection or whatever." Afterwards, when a board meeting was held over the event with Karan, Mary McFadden and others it seemed to go nowhere, Roehm said she broke down in tears. "I didn't know what else to do," she said. "I said, 'I can't believe that after saying we were going to do it, we're still discussing it like it's not signed, sealed and delivered. "Later that day I got a call from Mary and a few others, who said, 'No, no, no, we're going to support you on this. We're going to.'”

Karan and Roehm visited Ed Finkelstein at Macy's to explain what the CFDA wanted to do as an organization, and the concept and location of the sale. "He paused and said, 'First of all, I have to say this – I don't think a designer should be selling clothes. Stores should sell clothes,” Roehm reminded. “It kind of stopped us. But then he said, "After I say that and get rid of it, Macy's will do anything to help me." And that's how it all started."

A WWD article prompted Vogue's Anna Wintour to reach out, according to Roehm. Ensuring the support of the "biggies", like Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, was essential, so she took them to lunch at...