BEING A MEMBER HAS ITS BENEFITS...
* BENEFIT and learn from contemporary trend and business information, industry sources and market
data.
* BENEFIT and increase your visibility in the competitive business environment and receive advantages
for you and for your employees.
* BENEFIT and connect with fashion’s leaders and decision-makers. Our global talent pool of executives,
entrepreneurs and professionals from every sector of the industry include your counterparts in design,
marketing, finance, manufacturing, retail, media, education and consulting.
SERVICES FOR MEMBERS
* FGI Trend Reports – seasonal fashion trend information from the American and European RTW
Collections including apparel, accessories and beauty.
* FGI Bulletin – newsletters featuring industry reports, business insights, event coverage, member
highlights and career advice.
* FGI Membership Directory – published annually, this powerful networking tool lists our worldwide
membership by region and classifies each by business, specialty and job for easy identification.
* www.fgi.org – The FGI online community at your fingertips 24/7 brings industry professionals together
and provides information on of-the-moment topics, announcements and regional calendars. The
“member’s only” houses the Fashion Access Network (FAN) with the FGI Executive Job Bank, Member
Profiles and Contacts, Discussion Forum, links and more.
* The Fashion Group Archives – a resource library of slides, photographs, publications, transcripts,
films and videos, organized chronologically with over 75 years of fashion.
* " FGI Benefits Style" – a members only program of perks, privileges, special offers and no-fee events.
INDUSTRY EVENTS
* Comprehensive "Best of Shows" Ready-to-Wear Presentations of runway trends from the New York,
London, Milan and Paris Collections.
* FGI Business Symposium Series featuring prominent business leaders and futurists addressing retail,
manufacturing, distribution and financial issues.
* “Frontliners” are intimate and interactive panel discussions with industry experts sharing insights and
‿
ideas; “the people and topics that move the industry forward
* Night of Stars benefit gala is a star-studded celebration of creativity in design honoring outstanding
contributions in fashion, beauty, film, architecture and business.
* FGI Rising Star event introduces the next generation of innovative professionals and future CEO's.
* FGI Connect networking events promote career development and resource sharing.
”
* Exclusive “members only events.
MEMBERS ENJOY REDUCED TICKET PRICES TO ALL FGI EVENTS.
ALL REGIONS PRODUCED SIMILAR EVENTS.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEMBERS
* Conceive and develop FGI events!
* Write for the FGI Bulletin!
* Plan the annual FGI Regional Directors Conference!
* Create a Career Day for students, the future of our industry!
SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE. ACQUIRE NEW SKILLS! INTERACT WITH INDUSTRY PEERS!
JOIN AN FGI COMMITTEE
1930 - 2007
FGI History
It all began in 1928 when 17 women, gathered by Edna Woolman Chase,
Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, met for lunch in a modest midtown New York
restaurant.
They had three things in common: Each held a job of consequence in
the business of fashion, each held all the others in high regard and
together they held a belief that fashion needed a forum, a stage, or
a force to express and enhance a widening awareness of the American
fashion business and of women’s roles in that business.
The Fashion Group®, conceived at an informal luncheon in 1928 became an organization in 1930,
with a place, a purpose, by-laws, officers and women eager to be members.
Some of those Founding and Charter members were:
Elizabeth Arden
Margaret Case
Julia Coburn
Lilly Dache
Jessica Daves
Nan Duskin
Edith Head
Eleanor LeMaire
Claire McCardell
Virginia Pope
Clare Potter
Eleanor Roosevelt
Helena Rubinstein
Dorothy Shaver
Adele Simpson
Carmel Snow
Miss Tobé
Their first office space was donated by Louis Fairchild in his Women's Wear Daily
building on East 12th Street. The second office space was at 572 Madison Avenue,
donated by Harper’s Bazaar. Then in 1934, from the minutes of the Board meeting of
October 18: Discussion as to how to meet the rent of the contemplated space in 30
Rockefeller Center included a Fashion Group party using talent within the membership
lampooning fashion, to be known as The Fashion Follies™.
Today, The Fashion Group® offers membership to both men and women.
The Fashion Group Archives
Fashion Group's greatest treasure is the Fashion
History Slide Archives that are the largest and most
comprehensive anywhere in our world.
Beginning with its charter members in 1930's, with
such women as Edna Woolman Chase, Dorothy
Shaver, Claire McCardell, Elizabeth Arden, Helena
Rubinstein, Carmel Snow and Eleanor Roosevelt, The
Fashion Group has preserved its own history and
made this Archive, the most authentic to be found in
our industry.
Its records had been preserved in the original office
headquarters in Rockefeller Center. The legacy
continued in its subsequent location, the landmark
Scribner Building, and in its present location where
this huge collection of slides and historic documents
is organized and catalogued in the Fashion Group
Archive Room.
Room
The New York Public Library
Because of the overwhelming number of files
catalogued, The New York Public Library in New York
City has acquired and catalogued most of the
Archives, with the exception of the slides. They call it
"the core of a Fashion Information Center serving the
information needs of one of New York's major
industries."
Found in their prestigious Special Collections, home
for Rare Books and Manuscripts, are The Fashion
Group's printed materials and documents, collected
over 6 decades, such as Newsletters and Trend
Reports, transcripts of meetings, manuscripts, and
original texts of reports and speeches by fashion
industry leaders, social commentators, economists,
writers, artists, political personalities and stars of the
performing arts.
They include:
•
Publications....bulletins and newsletters covering The Fashion Group events and personalities,
reflecting the tempo of the times, the status of women, sociological trends and the state of the industry
and the world.
•
Fashion trend reports dating back to 1931, starting with personal coverage of the French Couture by
Edna Woolman Chase, then Bettina Ballard, then Jessica Daves of Vogue and Carmel Snow of Harper's
Bazaar.
•
Black & white photo collection of several thousand European and American designers and
manufacturer's garments, (including intimate apparel, children's wear, interior design), from 1940's
through 1970's; Fashion Group events and industry luminaries.
The Fashion Group Archive Room
The Archive Room is open to all members, nonmembers, designers, stylists, students, researchers
and fashion historians and is the home of FGI Archival
SlidexCollections.
Organized by season, year and designer, the Slide
Collections begins with 1954 and cover the European
collections (Couture and Pret-a-Porter) and the
American collections (designers and mainstream
manufacturers). The earliest (50's & 60's) are the
rarest and most unique; the latest are this season's!
There are specialty historical archives of accessories,
beauty and cosmetics, intimate apparel, swimwear,
fabrics, street fashion, designers, models and more.
A Valuable Resource
Many people have found the FGI Archive Room to be a valuable research library and an invaluable
resource for images, catalogs, brochures, promotion pieces, presentations, editorial pages, TV
documentaries, retrospectives, anniversaries. More historical materials can be located at The New York
Public Library in their Special Rare Book Collections. Access to the The Fashion Group Archive Room is
free to all members, there is a fee for non-members, depending on the usage --- editorial, promotional,
educational. The Fashion Group Archive Department is also available to research your specific needs.
For More Information
For more details contact The Fashion Group Archive
Department at (212) 302-5511 and speak with
Jean Meek-Barker.
Access to The Fashion Group Archive Room is by
appointment only.
NEW YORK region
EXECUTIVE MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
Candidate must have held an executive, managerial, entrepreneurial
or professional position(s) in a fashion related industry for at least 3 years
committee
Approval
name/date
Completed and signed application should be forwarded to The Fashion Group International, 8 West 40th Street, 7th Fl., New York, NY 10018 for review.
Or fax to 212.302.5533. FGI membership becomes effective after approval of the application by the New York Membership Committee and upon receipt of
initiation fee and membership dues. New York Membership Committee meets monthly. For assistance, call FGI Membership Services Department at 212.302.5511.
Please tell us how you were introduced to FGI:
I was referred by current member __________________________________
I attended FGI event (name/date) _________________ I visited www.fgi.org ___ I read about FGI in (name) _______________
Other (please detail) _____________________________________________________________________________
(print clearly)
name ________________________________ signature _____________________date ________________________
title/position _________________________________ employment length from _____________ to _____________
company __________________________________ type of business______________________________________
business address__________________________________________________________________________________
city, state, zip code _______________________________________________________________________________
business telephone (
) ____________________________ fax (
) _________________________________
email address _____________________________________________________________________________________
please include both addresses and indicate if mailings should be sent to your Business ______ or to your Home _____
home address____________________________________________________________________________________
city, state, zip code _______________________________________________________________________________
home telephone (
) ______________________________ home fax (
) ____________________________
Briefly describe the responsibilities of your position and how your work relates to the fashion industry:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Prior Experience (necessary to complete if current position length is less than 3 years, or iinclude
nclude resume)
company _________________________________ title/position ___________________________________________
employment length from _______________ to _______________
Describe responsibilities: ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
please include your payment with your completed application
Fees
INITIATION, a one time fee for new members: $75 plus ANNUAL DUES: $210 per year
Method of Payment: for your own protection, do not send cash
___ check or money order enclosed payable to The Fashion Group International
___ MasterCard (16 digits)
___ American Express (15 digits) ___ Visa (13 or 16 digits)
credit card number: ___________________________________ expiration date: ________ amount enclosed
ed $__________