AmEx Takes NY Fashion Week Live on the American Express Fashion Network

American Express wants to be the card women
don’t leave the runway without.

The brand today kicks off an ambitious multi-faceted program for New York Fashion Week, with myriad bells and whistles. As part of its “American Express Fashion Network,” the brand will provided streaming, live runway videos via its AmericanExpress.com/style micro site. (A preview of the site can be viewed, right. Click to enlarge.)

Also posted will be exclusive content such as designer and celebrity interviews from the Bryant Park Tents, and trend digests from hosts and correspondents Robert Verdi (the stylist you might best remember from that elegant snarkfest "Fashion Police") and Roshumba Williams (the fashion model discovered by Yves Saint Laurent, who made her on-camera name as a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight in 2002). The site will stay up, providing archived content and new shows, throughout the duration of  New York Fashion Week.

The site will be promoted through online advertising, as well as a partnership with Youtube, whereby the Google-owned video sharing site will create its own dedicated fashion channel to feature highlights from the American Express Fashion Network.

The online initiative expands on last season’s American Express’ Skybox program for the September 2007 Fashion Week, in which elite card members (that's Gold Card and above, honey!) were given access to a special viewing area, complete with catered food and drink, overlooking the two main runways.

In addition to continuing that program, the company has also added a card member-only collection presentation from designer Peter Som, as well as a series of private parties, and a $500,000 donation to the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund that supports young, up and coming design talent.

“Fashion is important to us because it represents a distilled sense of identity, and really empowers women, so it resonates well with our card member base,” said Jessica Igoe, director of sponsorship marketing for American Express, New York.

Igoe added that correspondent, and model, Roshumba Williams was also selected for her ability to appeal to the female demographic.

“She represents someone who is confident and has strong experience in the industry and is recognizable for our target audience, particularly working women,” Igoe said. “The program has a key focus on our female consumers, especially working women. We’re trying to help [that woman] find either live experiences like Fashion Week runway shows, or retail experiences that instill confidence.”

And obviously, if that confidence  gives the courage to break out that AmEx and buy a few pairs of brand new Louboutins, hey, all the better!

Check it all out here.