On the Road... Tokyo Calling... Posen's End Note...

ON THE ROAD: DKNY, which fetes its 20th anniversary this year, is cooking up something special to give back to New York, its base and constant source of inspiration. The brand is teaming up with nonprofit food rescue program City Harvest this fall, and will transform 15 of its trucks in colors from DKNY’s fall campaign, including splashes of apple green, teal, purple and cobalt. To benefit City Harvest, DKNY also collaborated with Dog-Eared jewelry, and created a special “Make a Wish” necklace, which will be sold at DKNY’s New York stores as well as DKNY.com. All net profits from each necklace sale will go to the organization. DKNY plans to further raise awareness on Sept. 15 at a party it will host to celebrate Vanity Fair magazine’s anniversary. The store will feature tasting stations from New York restaurants.

TOKYO CALLING: Rei, Yohji and Junya may have defected to Paris Fashion Week long ago, but the Japanese runways are alive and kicking — albeit featuring designers flying way under American radars. On Tuesday, Japan Fashion Week aimed to change all that as the next round of shows approach Sept. 1 to 7. The organizers held a party at Aloha Rag on Greenwich Street in New York, bastion of those never-heard-of-labels. There, a crowd of downtown types said “aloha” to looks by emerging Tokyo talent, such as Ylang Ylang, Mercibeaucoup, Ato and Mikio Sakabe. Styles ranged from knits to outwear, and the collective ethos followed the Japanese masters’ quirky and avant-garde tradition.

POSEN’S END NOTE: Thanks to American Express, Zac Posen will have the final word of the New York spring collections. On Sept. 12 at 9:30 p.m., the financial and travel giant will take over the tents at Bryant Park for a private card-members-only show featuring Posen’s designs. “Zac is one of the most creative designers around,” said Jessica Igoe, director of marketing and sponsorships for American Express. “At retail, he’s definitely a card member favorite, so we’re very excited to present our clients this opportunity.” The event will begin with a reception, followed by a reprise of the designer’s spring show in the main tent. Afterward, Posen will take questions from the crowd. “This program is our way of enhancing the access our card members have to designers,” added Igoe. Beginning at 10 a.m. today, American Express card holders can purchase tickets to the event. Proceeds from ticket sales will contribute to the $500,000 donation American Express will make this year to the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.