The Poppy Caravan debuts its 2022 series of highly anticipated fashion pop-up events on April 4 and April 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Starlight Ballroom & Foyer of the Mr. C Hotel Miami in Coconut Grove, Florida. The event will feature a mix of upscale and emerging fashion labels along with accessories and home décor products. Participating brands include Emily & Ashley, Las Sureñas, Mignonne Gavigan, Byrdie Golf Social Wear, Marysia, Buggy, Ala Von Auersperg, Peraline, Cappello Hats, Wolford, Buru, Elysian, Sue Sartor, Camilla Webster and Nitika Moran.
Conceived by founders Stephanie Landess and Paula Edwards during the pandemic lockdown and launched shortly following the gradual lifting of quarantine, the event was met with both uncertainty by the organizers and anticipation by the public as everyone struggled with how to effectively navigate health precautions and federal and state mandates regarding outdoor activities. But The Poppy Caravan was an immediate hit among its featured brands as well as attendees for offer- ing an elevated shopping experience that’s more like a garden party as opposed to the formalized set-up of the traditional trunk show.
This initial positive reception allowed Landess and Edwards to confidently move ahead with their booked dates in Charleston, South Carolina, followed by stops at Sun Valley, Idaho; Nantucket, Massachusetts in the summer and the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach in the winter.
Key to the appeal of The Poppy Caravan is how each event is a direct reflection of Landess and Edwards’ shared interests and extensive experience in travel, managing and hosting events, as well as their innate talent for recognizing potential in unique brands. Five years ago, the two met in New York, where Landess is based and Edwards has a second home. Landess has worked with countless high-profile organizations — including The School of American Ballet and The Nature Conservancy — with a specialization in develop- ment and marketing strategy for special projects and events, and Edwards has been an event plan- ner and worked with major hotel chains. In 2018, Edwards was thinking of proposing a pop-up event for a PGA Tour at her local Kiawah Island Club and ran the idea by Landess, who had set up a pop-up in Manhattan in the past.
When the lockdown was announced, Landess temporarily relocated to South Carolina and ended up living on the same street as Edwards. The two became fast friends and constantly discussed their professional goals. While Edwards’ original plan didn’t transpire, the two kept exchanging ideas until they eventually decided to team up and create The Poppy Caravan.
The concept grew out of Landess and Edwards’ desire to build a community of women, mothers and sisters in select cities where they could bring in a carefully curated mix of brands that celebrates all things style, home and family. Together they scoured Instagram for inspiration — not just for their favorite labels, but also for rare fashion and home brands without a brick-and-mortar store looking to be showcased in a prestigious platform. While they try to abide by certain rules — like no brands in direct competition with each other, and prioritizing lines that are largely unfamiliar to the locals of a host city in order to provide something fresh and exciting — they do allow for certain exceptions, such as accepting local vendors who might provide something seasonally relevant.
“We work hard to create a chemistry, not competition among participating brands,” Landess said.
The first part of The Poppy Caravan’s formula is dependent on this meticulous balance of recognized and new, unusual yet relevant brands that Landess and Edwards bring to each host city with attention to the local demographic interests. While those standards are factored into each event, Landess and Edwards trust their instincts that there is a universality to what shoppers and the public at large want.
“We love gathering people together to have fun and it’s been a joy seeing multi-generations of women — married, partnered, single, divorced, widowed or empty-nester — and their friends and families come together at our festive events,” Edwards said.
The success is a strong confirmation of Landess and Edwards’ belief that there is a sizable market for their unique format. Last year’s crowds were just as eager to discover The Poppy Caravan’s treasures — from small objets d’art to big ticket purchases — as they were to do so in more congenial and gracious surroundings.
And because both Landess and Edwards are regularly involved with charity organizations, they decided to add this component to the events. To give back to the community, The Poppy Caravan donates 10% of the sales to a local nonprofit in the location of the event. For the Miami-based event, the recipient is the Healthy Bellas Foundation, a prominent nonprofit organization with deep roots in the Miami Latina population and dedicated to creating opportunities and programs for young adults with special needs.
“We wanted to bring women together in unity and we hope this is just the beginning of working together with this worthy cause,” Landess and Edwards said.
In order to keep providing new and exciting offerings at each event, Landess and Edwards are also actively seeking new brands to showcase even as they continue to travel from city to city. After Miami, The Poppy Caravan is scheduled to continue to its key destinations in the United States, and plans are already underway to either expand the scope of the merchandise or add more city stops. But Landess and Edwards promise that no matter what, they intend to maintain the same personal touch that makes The Poppy Caravan events such gracious, friendly and one-of-a-kind gatherings.
