Cologne developed into the capital of men’s fashion in the Federal Republic; twice a year, it was the site of International Men’s Fashion Week [Internationale Herrenmodewoche]. The German Institute for Men’s Fashion [Deutsches Institut für Herrenmode], under executive director Herbert Piedboeuf, played an important role in Cologne’s fashion industry rise. The Institute, which had been founded in Berlin in 1927, moved to Cologne shortly after Piedboeuf was appointed in 1969. The Institute held press conferences and fashion shows and elected the “Tie Wearer of the Year” in order to create greater public awareness of men’s fashion. Its efforts were also aided by a shift in conceptions of masculinity during the 1960s and 1970; this shift encouraged many men to develop a more pronounced fashion sense.