If you were at this seasons PROJECT show in New York City I’m sure you would agree that it was a great show for several reasons. The vibe was right, the people were great, things were moving and people were happy. The Sand Box Studios test shot wall, really sets the mood of the show for me.

I was setting up to interview Andrew Pollard, President of PROJECT. He is the visionary behind the growth and exciting movement of the PROJECT Market Place.

I curated a bloggers PROJECT, this was the 3rd time I’ve curated this project. It’s really my way of building and supporting the blogging community. PROJECT has given me the platform to express my thoughts and ideas through this initiative. I am so thankful to the blogs and bloggers who continue to support this movement.

Blogger Project: William Yan, Freshness Mag, Slamxhype, Selectism, Highsnobiety, Two Inch Cuffs, Por Homme, Denim Therapy, The Denim Guy.

When I was not hanging out with the bloggers I was spending my time interviewing the movers and shakers at the PROJECT Market Place. Nick Wooster was next up on my list and we talked about his latest collaboration with Orlebar Brown.

The collection was great! The display was like a work of art… Come back later to find out the inspiration behind the collection.

Stephon Torrence well dressed and busy as usual.

A great collection of books. ( more details later)

I interviewed Ronnie Fieg from KITH

Barbour had some great pieces. This scarf was amazing.

This piece had me so excited. A miniature watch chair!! How fantastic is this piece?

LEXDRAY Bags are amazing.

Lexdray

Sir & Madame

Interview after interview

BKC

Ouigi from the BKC

Camo bags from Logan Zane

Waxing Barbour jackets on the spot.

Blind Barber Pop up space at PROJECT

Made by PROJECT

I interviewed Fred the water.

Nick Wooster got a cut.

Nick Wooster looked sharp.

See you guys at the next show in Las Vegas.

Photo’s by The Unknown Collective.

If you get a chance pick up the latest issue of Antenna Magazine. I make a few appearances with my brother William Yan!

* I styled myself ha!

A few months ago I had a chance to talk with Apparel News about the Blogger Project. I am excited to be curating the Project again next week at the New York PROJECT show.

Check out the interview below:

Lifestyle blogger Marcus Troy gives California Apparel News the scoop on connecting fashion bloggers to brands.

“Personally, I’ve always had this dream of putting together a trade show for bloggers….  my blogger friends were always wanting to know ‘How do we reach brands?,’ and brands were always wanting to know ‘How do we meet bloggers?,’ so I wanted to connect both of them.”

Instead of creating a trade show for bloggers, Troy brought his idea to the trade show PROJECT, which launched The Blogger PROJECTat their New York and Las Vegas shows this year.

“I decided to start curating this project and do it on the trade show floor for blogger friends, and peers, and people I respect in the blogging and fashion world,” he said. “They liveblog from the show and document what they’re seeing, and it gives brands the opportunity to meet their favorite bloggers.”

The onsite blogging also helps the consumer take part in the show.

“For everyone who doesn’t attend, it gives them a view on what we’re seeing,” he said. “Consumers don’t have access to touch, and see, and feel products like we do, but since they’re able to become voyeurs, they can give feedback on what’s happening currently because the internet has given them that power.”

Troy handpicked the bloggers for the project, which includedWilliam Yan, Por Homme and The Madbury Club, among others.  He also worked with PROJECT’s visual director on the décor, and look, and feel of the lounge, which was furnished by the furniture company Strawser & Smith with sleek metal chairs and repurposed leather couches.

In addition to providing content for brands and insight into the show, Troy says the onsite blogging creates a partnership between the bloggers and designers.

“What I’ve noticed, being a blogger myself, is that if you’re face is not well-known, brands might not know who you are, so being at this dedicated space, it just made for a better platform, like, ‘You’re so-and-so from Selectism or Denim Therapy,’” he said. “It was a lot more personal approach.”

Next year, Troy plans on doing The Blogger PROJECT again, this time adding some new bloggers in the mix.

“I want to introduce the world to some new bloggers, which is important,” he said. “It’s a tradeshow about the trade, so why not incorporate all these elements that are part of our trade.”

PROJECT runs Jan. 16, 17, 18 and Feb. 13, 14, 15 in 2012.

For more info on how trade shows are incorporating digital media, see this week’s story: New Media Technologies Put Trade Shows on Path to Innovation.

A few months ago I was interviewed by Night Life Magazine which you can find in print and online. Check it out below.

Born and raised in Montreal, Marcus Troy has taken his enthusiasm for fashion and culture and turned it into a full-time job. Having spent some time working in the industry, he started a blog three years ago as a showcase for his varied interests; this was before the web became saturated with fashion and lifestyle rants. Being a keen student of fashion trends with an entrepreneurial zeal, Troy quickly realized the importance of staying ahead of the curve.

Unlike many bloggers, he was not interested in acting as a news site or a mere aggregator of cultural ephemera. Troy sought to transcend what he saw as the trappings of the conventional blogosphere by producing his own creative content and engaging his readers through various forms of social media. His blog features an assortment of self-produced fashion shoots, videos, reviews, random musings and updates from his near-constant travels to factories, trade shows and other industry events.

“When I first started, it was really fun to go out and hunt for things. I remember sneaking into showrooms and taking snapshots of new sneakers with my cell phone,” said Troy. Eventually, the fashion industry realized that there was an opportunity to be had by engaging with bloggers like Troy who could provide advice about fashion trends and consumer interests.

“Now we get press releases, everything is written specifically for us. If Brand X decides to send something to all the blogs at midnight, it’s really become a race to be the first one to put it online. There is competition. I want to go further and actively collaborate,” he said.

These days, Troy finds himself busier than ever carving out a unique online niche for himself. Having forged relationships with fashion brands worldwide to create everything from custom products to advertising campaigns, he recently unveiled his own smart phone app. Of the experience, he said “I wanted to be the first one out of the gate with an app of my own. In a digital world, it is a new way to connect with my audience.” This creative drive has made Troy an interesting example of a new generation of Montrealers who have harnessed the power of the web to turn their passions into careers.

The Marcus Troy Experience | marcustroy.com

TOP OF THE POPS
Marcus Troy gives us the lowdown on the who, what and where of his top online destinations for interesting cultural insights.

Joshua Kissi & Travis Gumb | streetetiquette.com
A great menswear blog redefining what it means to be young and dapper.

Vincent Tsang | onandbeyond.com
A great lifestyle blog featuring amazing photographs of products, places and things.

William Yan | williamyan.com
New York Street style shots at their finest. William Yan explores the streets of NYC to capture its people and their beautiful style.

Eric Johnson |badtofu.com
A tastefully curated blog about products, places and living. The photography is immaculate and inspirational.

Sean Quincy | goodhabit.tumblr.com
A photography blog by one of New York City’s up and coming artists. Great visuals to digest on a daily basis.

Phillip Annand | madburyclub.com
A great digital space that allows you to digest content differently than at any other place on the web.

LINK

My brother WIlliam Yan shot me outside of Project NYC.

Shirt: Club Monaco

Bow tie & Pocket Square: Regular TY

Pants: Cargo pants by J Brand

Shoes: Ronnie Fieg for Sebago

Bracelets: The 5th one & DBK

Watch: Nautica

I’ve always had dreams of creating a Tradeshow of sorts for bloggers and their favorite brands. I’ve always felt the importance and necessity to build up the community that I am so closely involved in.

This year I teamed up with the Project Trade show to bring this dream to fruition. I curated a special space at The Project Show for some of my favorite blogger friends. Strawser & Smith provided all the furniture for The Blogger Project. It was clean, minimalistic and decorated with metal chairs, leather couches, amazing light fixtures and a beautiful wooden table. The bloggers had the opportunity to work with Splashlight Studio to produce beautiful content for their blogs live on the spot.

I wanted to give brands an opportunity to meet and engage with some of their favorite bloggers and I also wanted to give these bloggers the opportunity to work with some their favorite brands and document the week from their eyes.

The outcome was fantastic and the reception was overwhelming. I called upon Selectism, The Madbury Club, William Yan, Denim Therapy, The Denim Guy, Por Homme and Aveder Outfit to be part of this first Blogger Project Experience curated by me.

A special thank you to all the bloggers who made this experience possible. Thank you to amazing Project team and staff for believing in the vision.

vimeo

Last year my friends from DC shoes were in Montreal for some product meetings and we made plans to possibly meet up in the city for some drinks. We met up that night in their hotel and my friend Hommy Diaz, Global Lifestyle Merch & Design Manager showed me some new items they had coming out in the spring. He pulled out a smooth looking black shoe out of his bag that he called THE STUDIO.

The silhouette of this shoe and material story really sparked my interest. I felt like it was a great departure from what I knew of DC shoes. It looked classic, felt great and the minimalistic branding got me really interested in telling this story. I got really excited when I saw the Black Studio shoe, so I guess Hommy neglected to tell me about the several other great color ways. After he pulled all of them out of his bag, I knew I had to share this story with all of you about the Bounce Suede material, the heritage Pill branding and 7 colors to represent the 7-point star in the iconic DC logo. And I knew I could not do it alone. So I decided to enlist several friends that I respected to help me tell the Studio shoe story.

I decided to call upon 6 Cultural participants that I know and respect to help me tell this story through a visual essay that I call MY STUDIO SESSION. I chose these individuals based on their involvement in creating original content, passion for photography and good taste. I thought it would be a great idea for them to interpret their vision of the shoe through imagery and visuals. As content creators and cultural participants we often use the world as our STUDIO when documenting our lives and or creating content online. I wanted to take it a step further and have these well-respected individuals pick a colour that resonated with them and go out into the world and use THE STUDIO DC Life shoe as their personal subject.

In this visual essay you will see the vision of Joshua Kissi, Vincent Tsang, Eric Johnson, Phillip Annand, William Yan, Sean Quincy and yours truly Marcus Troy.

Welcome to our Studio Session presented by DC LIFE.

My Studio Session Picture.

Visit the full project here

http://marcustroy.com/mystudiosession

This project would not have been possible without Shane Stirling and Bobby, Brendan & Matt from the UC. A special thanks to Hommy Diaz and DC LIFE for believing in the vision.

I touched down in New York City a few weeks ago to work on the follow up to the Mavericks Projects. I was put up and the beautiful Soho Grand Hotel. (this is the view from my room)

When you check into the Soho Grand, they offer you a complimentary glass of Champagne, Rosé to be specific. What a great touch after a flight!

This is a picture of the first room I checked into. I got a nice email while I was at dinner informing me of an upgrade.

Being Monsieur Troy, sure has its perks.

I was greeted with this  delectable package.  Dalia & William Yan can attest to the great taste of these desserts.

It was such a great experience staying at the Soho Grand.

This is my second time staying at the Soho Grand and both times were great, the upgrade sure helped! You can also try their other property which is the Tribeca Grand which is also awesome. A special thanks to Ariel and shout out to Pia & Jeanie for the great accommodations.

Style: Boutique

Atmosphere: Busy, Great Ambiance, Great Night Life.

Staff: Extremely Polite & Friendly ( front desk especially)

Average room price: $250/plus taxes

Wifi: Free

Rooms: Comfortable/ Medium size

View (my room): Incredible

Beds: Very Comfortable

Room service: Great

Concierge: Jeanie ( Well connected)

Assistant Manager: Pia

Marcus Troy Rating: 9.8/10

310 West Broadway
New York, NY 10013-2225, United States
(212) 965-3000