The Council of Fashion Designers of
America, INC., (CFDA) is a not-for-profit
trade association whose membership
consists of more than 400 of America’s
foremost womenswear, menswear, jewelry,
and accessory designers. CFDA membership
is by invitation only. When the CFDA was
founded in 1962, its initial goals were, and
still are: “To further the position of fashion
design as a recognized branch of American
art and culture, to advance its artistic
and professional standards within the
fashion industry, to establish and maintain
a code of ethics and practices of mutual
benefit in professional, public, and trade
relations, to promote and improve public
understanding and appreciation of the
fashion arts through leadership in quality
and taste, to create partnerships THAT
lead to collaborative design opportunities
for our Members, and to support the
overall growth of American Fashion as a
global industry.” The CFDA Foundation, Inc.,
is a separate not-for-profit organization,
which was created to raise funds
for charity and industry activities.
CONTENTS
3 membership
11 initiatives
31 philanthropy
37 in general
I
letter from THE
PRESIDENT AND THE CEO
n 1962, fashion publicist eleanor lambert
founded the CFDA. She is the person who took
the talented but anonymous designers out of the
back rooms of Seventh Avenue and brought them
into the limelight. Made up of a small group,
including Bill Blass, Arnold Scaasi, and Pauline
Trigere, the CFDA had a mission that was clear
from the start: to recognize and promote fashion
talent in the United States. As we celebrated
our fiftieth anniversary and grew to over 400
members in 2012, it became clear that CFDA’s work today
is consistent with its original mission, and we are proud to
share that work in the pages of this Annual Report.
The year 2012 started with “Impact: 50 Years of the
CFDA,” an exhibition at the Museum at FIT and a companion
book, published by Abrams, that explored the careers of the
CFDA’s most influential Members over the last five decades.
Stars of American Fashion also launched. This anniversary
campaign is supported by 50 generous CFDA Members, who
collectively contributed $2.5 million to create an endowment
as the primary permanent asset of the CFDA. In addition,
each created a star that is part of a CFDA flag hanging in
our new office, at 65 Bleecker Street in New York, that we
moved into in August. Our new home was created for the
CFDA community, allowing the organization to host industry
events in a professional and branded working environment.
Supporting new talent remained a priority. Through our
scholarship programs, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, and
the {FASHION INCUBATOR}, we are helping to create a new
generation of American talent. Our programs continued to
help and recognize working designers, too. The CFDA’ s Business
Services Network and Professional Development series
connected Members to jobs, collaborations, and information.
A second Design Manifesto, and work on the Innovation
Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act, championed
the intellectual-property rights of designers. Underwritten
by our longtime friend Swarovski, the CFDA Fashion Awards
celebrated the work of designers, as voted by the industry.
Philanthropy remained core to our mission. After Hurricane
Sandy hit, the CFDA and Vogue quickly organized Fashion for
Sandy Relief, and raised over $1 million to support the Mayor’s
Fund to Advance New York City and other relief organizations
in the tristate area. Another important effort was the new
international Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign,
featuring Karolina Kurkova.
As we look ahead to the next 50 years, we have no doubt
that the CFDA, its Members, and supporters, will continue
to play an important role in shaping our industry. Together
our work continues.
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG PRESIDENT
steven kolb Chief Executive Officer
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membership
3
Membership in the Council of Fashion
Designers of America (CFDA) is open to
Americans who are designing in the
United Sates or abroad, or international
designers whose businesses are
based primarily in the United States.
Applicants must meet certain criteria
and submit a visual presentation of
their work, accompanied by a detailed
written application and letters
of recommendation. The Admissions
Committee meets annually to review
candidates’ applications before making
recommendations to the CFDA’s
Board of Directors. An affirmative
vote by the Board is required for the
acceptance of each new Member.
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membership
the new members are
Meritt Elliott, Judy Geib, Emily Current, Kerry O’Brien, Gabriela Perezutti,
Rachel Dooley, Lauren Moffatt, Stan Herman, Nili Lotan, Pamela Love, Tabitha
Simmons, Carly Cushnie, Michelle Ochs, Coomi Bhasin, Lisa Perry, Vince Camuto,
Ariel Ovadia, Jeffrey Moteiro, Steven Kolb, Paul Marlow, Jean-Michel Cazabat.
New Member Party
This year, the latest Members were feted at a
cocktail party hosted at the CFDA’s new offices.
The event directly followed the Biannual
Membership Meeting, and gave Members
a chance to see the brand-new space.
Joseph Altuzarra
Joseph Altuzarra graduated from Swarthmore
College with a Bachelor of Arts in art and history in
2005, and prior to that he gained his Baccalauréat
littéraire from Ecole Alsacienne in Paris in 2001. Upon
graduation from Swarthmore, Joseph was a design
intern for Marc Jacobs. Joseph then went on to work
as a freelance design assistant for Proenza Schouler.
His next job was at Nicolas Caito as a patternmaker,
and he held that position until October 2006, when
he then moved on to be a womenswear designer for
Givenchy in Paris, working with Riccardo Tisci. In
March of 2008, Joseph founded Altuzarra. In 2011,
Joseph was the Winner of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion
Fund, and in 2012 won the Swarovski Award for
Womenswear Design at the CFDA Fashion Awards.
Coomi Bhasin
Coomi Bhasin graduated from New Delhi Polytechnic
University with a bachelors in art history and a
bachelors in textile design in 1975. Upon graduation
she became a professor of color concepts and design
in New Delhi before moving to New York. In 1976 she
became the lead textile and ready-to-wear designer
5
for the Cotton Shirt Company, where she created
production designs for ready-to-wear clothing and
formed textile patterns to use in production. In 1986
she became the construction manager and designer
of the Penhorn Plaza Development for Bhasin
Properties. In 1999 she graduated from New York
University with a degree in construction management,
and in 2002 she founded and became the creative
director of Coomi, a fine-jewelry brand.
Vince Camuto
Vince Camuto is the founder and CEO of the
Camuto Group. Born and raised in New York City,
Vince is a self-made man with a determined nature
and strong work ethic. In August 2001, Camuto
established the Camuto Group, which provides
design, sourcing, marketing, and production services
to over 5,400 department stores and independent
retailers throughout the world. He has developed key
partnerships with industry leaders such as Tory Burch,
BCBG Max Azria, Jessica Simpson, Sanctuary Clothing,
Lucky Brand Jeans, and Banana Republic. In 2005 he
launched his namesake footwear line, Vince Camuto,
and has since expanded the brand into handbags,
coats, eyewear, belts, and cold-weather accessories.
Jean-Michel Cazabat
Jean-Michel Cazabat, a native of Gascony in Southern
France, has been designing shoes for over 25 years.
He began his career as a buyer and store manager
for Charles Jourdan, working with him from 1980
to 1985. He then ventured to New York, where he
served as president of Stephanie Kélian, overseeing
operations and developing product for the American
market. In 1996, Jean-Michel returned to Charles
Jourdan as creative director. In 2000, Jean-Michel
launched his own line of colorful, ultrafeminine
women’s shoes, followed by a rock-’n’-roll inspired,
handmade men’s line a few years later. Joining the
Max Oriental Group in 2008, Jean-Michel was given
the opportunity to expand his signature footwear
brand. His latest collections are a reflection of this as he
enters the growing market sector of contemporary and
affordable luxury. In 2011, he opened his first boutique
in New York and a shop-in-shop in Hangzhou, China.
Emily Current & Meritt Elliott
Since 1999, Emily Current and Meritt Elliot have
worked together as celebrity stylists, with W Magazine
noting that “their instinct is dead-on.” In 2008 they
launched their denim line, Current/Elliott, and
Elle magazine deemed the duo “the masterminds
behind the boyfriend jean.” Building upon their
accomplishments as denim designers, the twosome
collaborated with Kate Spade New York in 2011 to
create a capsule collection of handbags, Westward
by Emily and Meritt for Kate Spade New York. The
two designers are known for turning out unique
silhouettes based on American classics, with great fit
and everlasting aesthetics.
Michelle
Ochs,
Carly
Cushnie
Dana Lorenz,
Jeff Halmos,
Joseph Altuzarra,
Monique Péan
Pamela
Love,
Michael
Spirtio
Carly Cushnie & Michelle Ochs
Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs are the designers
behind the label, Cushnie et Ochs. Michelle, the 2007
Designer of the Year award winner from Parsons the
New School for Design, and Carly, the award’s runnerup, formed their company in 2008. Carly was raised
in London and lived in Paris as a student. She brings
an international sophistication that melds with the
diversity and ambition of New York City. Americanraised Michelle balances the aesthetic with precise
discipline and order from an education in military
school. The duo’s first runway show, for spring 2009,
received enough attention that they won the 2009
Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award and sold
the collection exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman. With
its recent fall 2012 collection, the brand has garnered
international press recognition, and sales continue to
grow. Most recently, the duo were finalists in the 2011
CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.
Rachel Dooley
Rachel Dooley graduated from the University of
Michigan with a major in mechanical engineering
and a minor in moral and political philosophy in
May 2002 and then went on to Fordham University
School of Law, where she earned her degree in
2005. Upon graduation, Rachel worked as a law
associate at Kenyon & Kenyon LLP and Willkie
Farr & Gallagher LLP. While working at a law firm,
Rachel founded the contemporary-designer-jewelry
line Gemma Redux, and is the company’s creative
director. She led the brand from start-up to having
over thirty wholesale accounts, and growing direct
sales through gemmaredux.com. The brand garners
frequent press features in major publications
and online, appearances on film and television
shows, and recognition from the fashion industry
by being selected to participate in the 2010–2012
inaugural CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR} and
being sponsored by Circa to participate in the Circa
Accessories Salon at New York Fashion Week in
Lincoln Center in February 2012.
Judy Geib
Judy Geib moved from Reading, Pennsylvania,
to New York in 1980 to be an artist. After making
paintings and objects for 20 years, while holding jobs
in architecture and book design, her studio work
unexpectedly turned into jewelry. Judy had learned
the basics of silver-jewelry-making in high school art
class, and that knowledge, along with a plumber’s
torch and a straightforward how-to jewelry book by
Murray Bovin, gave her the information she needed to
make what she wanted to. Barneys New York took her
first collection of twelve pieces in 2002, and has been
selling Judy’s line exclusively ever since.
built a design-and-production team. Liz and Co.
became a $100 million company in one year. In
1996, Nili was hired as a designer by Ralph Lauren
to work on the men’s team. Additionally, she worked
with John Varvatos to develop seasonal concepts for
the brand. In 2001, she became the vice president of
women’s design at Nautica, launching the Nautica
women’s line. In 2003, she left Nautica to start her
own label, Nili Lotan. The line sells in specialty and
upscale stores across the United States, as well as
in major cities throughout Europe and Japan. She
opened her first retail store in 2006 in New York’s
Tribeca neighborhood.
Brian Wolk,
Francisco Costa,
Claude Morais
of handbags and footwear for the brand. Subsequently,
Jana served as senior design director at Banana
Republic, where she elevated the accessories category,
overseeing the expansion of its handbag and footwear
categories. During her tenure, Banana Republic was
honored with the 2008 ACE Accessories Retailers of
the Year award. Jana graduated from Parsons the New
School for Design, where she studied both in New
York and Paris, with a bachelors in fashion design. In
1997, she received both the Designer of the Year and
the Golden Thimble awards from CFDA. She began
her career working for Ralph Lauren menswear.
Yvan Mispelaere
Pamela Love
New York native Pamela Love received her bachelor’s
from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts,
majoring in film production with a concentration in
art and public policy. After graduating, Pamela applied
her studies and creativity as an artist’s assistant and
as an art director and stylist for photo shoots, music
videos, and films. Throughout these projects, Pamela
often had difficulty finding jewelry that suited her
taste. As a result, in 2006 she began making her own
pieces, working primarily out of the basement of her
Brooklyn home. Now based out of a studio on West
Twenty-ninth Street, Pamela works with an in-house
team that manages all production, public relations,
and online and retail sales. Since 2009, the Opening
Ceremony showroom has represented the line for
wholesale accounts. Most recently, Pamela was a
CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist in 2010 and a
runner-up award-winner in 2011. She was nominated
for the Swarovski Award for Accessory Design in 2012
at the CFDA Fashion Awards.
Paul Marlow
Paul Marlow began his design career in 2002 at
Original Penguin, where he worked with the creative
director for men’s and women’s ready-to-wear
collections. A year later Tory Burch hired him as
design director. While there he was responsible for
conceptualizing and designing women’s ready-to-wear
and accessories collections, overseeing the sourcingand-development team in Hong Kong, and managing
a freelance staff. In 2004 he was hired as a product
development manager for Marc by Marc Jacobs,
where, over the course of two years, he developed
many aspects, including: sourcing fabrics, factories,
and trims for men’s ready-to-wear and accessories;
denim washes for men and women; and washes for
finished garments on an individual factory level.
Additionally, in 2005 Paul became a partner and the
creative director for Loden Dager. While designing
his own line, he also held design positions at Proper
and Limoland. Paul was a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund
finalist in 2010.
In April 2010, Yvan Mispelaere was appointed creative
director at Diane von Furstenberg. Prior to that, he
held positions as head designer or creative director
for leading European brands, including Chloé, Gucci,
Prada, Valentino, Claude Montana, Louis Feraud,
and Genny. Yvan’s notable talent has been recognized
by the French Ministry of Culture, and he is also the
recipient of the Ackermann Award, presented at the
Gwand Festival in Switzerland. Lauren Moffatt
In 2000, Lauren Moffatt moved to New York City,
and by 2002 her namesake line was stocked by
Barneys New York and Louis Boston. A year later the
brand was picked up by Simon Showroom, which
expanded national distribution for the line. In 2005
it was exhibited at trade shows across the country,
including ENK, Coterie, and Designers and Agents
L.A., and quickly gained a following in the Japanese
market. Over the next two years, Lauren launched
an accessories division, an e-commerce site, and a
footwear collaboration with Urban Outfitters. Lauren
has been named designer to watch by both Women’s
Wear Daily and Vogue.
Jeffrey Monteiro
Jeffrey Monteiro graduated from Box Hill College in
Melbourne, Australia, with a degree in clothing design
and manufacturing and a certificate of art and design.
Between 1992 and 2001, Jeffrey held numerous
design positions throughout London and Melbourne,
including the launch of his own line, Jeffrey Monteiro,
in Melbourne in 1996. In 2001, Jeffrey moved to New
York, where he worked as design director at Mayle,
designing ready-to-wear and shoe collections. In
2005, Jeffrey became the design director at Derek
Lam, where he designed Tod’s ready-to-wear and
accessories collections, sourced materials, and created
mood boards. In 2008, Jeffrey focused on his own
namesake line, which was sold at Barneys New York
and boutiques throughout the U.S., Japan, and the
U.K. In 2010, Jeffrey was appointed design director
for the women’s collection.
Nili Lotan
Nili Lotan started a career in fashion in 1980 when
she began working as a senior designer for Adrienne
Vittadini. In 1987, she was hired as vice president
and design director at Liz Claiborne, where she
launched the division Liz and Co. She envisioned,
conceptualized, and implemented the product and
Jana Matheson
LeAnn Nealz
Jana Matheson joined Judith Leiber in 2010 as design
consultant. Prior to that, Jana spent seven years at
Badgley Mischka, where she collaborated on the
design in multiple categories, including gowns, bridal,
separates, and fur, and was instrumental in the launch
LeAnn Nealz grew up in Kansas and moved to Los
Angeles in the late 1970s, where she began her career
as a makeup artist. She extended her talent and began
working as a stylist with some of the most creative
and influential photographers of that time: Herb
6
membership
meetings & Board members
(new members continued)
Ritts, Helmut Newton, Bruce Weber, Wayne Maser,
and Peter Lindbergh. LeAnn’s foray into design was
catapulted by Calvin Klein in the early eighties. It was
under his guidance that she learned the art of a precise
fit and the importance of technical design. In 1990,
LeAnn became the senior design director for Banana
Republic, and over the course of the next twenty years
she held positions at Theory, Pepe Jeans, the Gap,
American Eagle Outfitters, and Juicy Couture.
Kerry O’Brien
Since 2003, Kerry O’Brien has been the ownerdesigner of the Commando brand of intimate apparel
and hosiery, which is sold by the best retailers in
the world. She comes to the fashion industry with a
unique background. Prior to founding Commando,
Kerry worked for ten years in New York City at two
of the world’s largest public-relations agencies.
From 1998 to 2001, Kerry was senior vice president
and director of financial media relations for Weber
Shandwick, where she specialized in media relations
surrounding mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, financial
disclosures, and corporate/CEO positioning. She
managed Fortune 500 accounts, including Aon,
Kodak, Medtronic, and US West/Qwest. Prior to
that she worked at Edelman Financial, where she
was named vice president at age 25, the youngest in
company history. Kerry also worked in the worlds of
media and politics at CNN and ABC News’s Nightline
in New York and in the offices of the Democratic
National Committee and Senate Majority Leader
George Mitchell in Washington, D.C. Kerry is a 1993
graduate of Bentley College and holds a Bachelor of
Science in business communications.
Gabriela Perezutti
Gabriela Perezutti lives in New York City, but her
identity is deeply rooted in her Uruguayan-ranching
upbringing; her family lineage can be traced back
over two hundred years to her native country, which
is located between Argentina and Brazil. Gabriela
attended the British School in Montevideo, and for
her undergraduate degree studied communications at
the ORT University of Uruguay. At age 21, she put her
studies on hold to pursue an international modeling
career working for renowned agencies, appearing on
runways and in Italian Vogue. In 2004, the opportunity
arose to collaborate with two Latin-American partners,
which ultimately resulted in the creation of a women’s
ready-to-wear collection called Candela. Since its
launch, Candela has evolved to also include shoes—now
a significant part of the business. Gabriela is the mother
of beautiful twin daughters, Mia and Olivia.
Lisa Perry
Lisa Perry received an Associate Degree from the
Fashion Institute of Technology in 1981, and received
a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and women’s
studies from Marymount Manhattan College in
1998. In January 2007, Lisa founded Lisa Perry
Style—her namesake sixties-inspired line, which
was sold exclusively at Jeffrey New York. In 2008
she expanded her wholesale distribution to stores
including Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, and
Harrods. She has collaborated with the artists Andy
Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Jeff Koons—or their
foundations—to create art-inspired collections. Most
recently, she signed with William Morris Endeavor to
help create and license a Lisa Perry Home brand.
Ariel & Shimon Ovadia
Tadashi Shoji
The Ovadias have been in the children’s apparel
business since 1986; brothers Ariel and Shimon
started working for the family’s company at an
early age. They have no formal fashion training,
but learned everything hands on throughout the
years. They launched Ovadia & Sons in 2010 and
offer their take on updated classics in sportswear,
tailored clothing, shoes, and accessories. The brand
has quickly garnered a covetable spot within the
top ranks of the menswear world, having been
featured regularly in Women’s Wear Daily, GQ,
The New York Times, and many other leaders in the
press, both nationally and overseas. For 2012, the
brand was named one of GQ’s Best New Menswear
Designers in America. As a result, Ariel and Shimon
received a cash prize and designed a capsule
collection for the Gap.
Tadashi Shoji is the founder and chief designer of
the Tadashi Shoji collection. Born and raised in
Sendai, Japan, he began painting and drawing at a
young age and eventually moved to Tokyo, where
he studied fine art. His talent was soon recognized
and he was recommended for an apprenticeship
with Japan’s leading contemporary artist, Jiro
Takamatsu, who is credited with paving the way
for the modern-art movement in Japan during the
sixties. After earning his degree in fashion design
in the United States, Tadashi began working at a
prominent clothing manufacturer, where he climbed
the ranks for several years. Troubled by the fact that
women had few options for special-occasion dresses
in the contemporary market, Tadashi set out on his
own. In 1982, Tadashi launched his own collection in
Los Angeles. The company has seen steady growth
Tabitha Simmons
After graduating with honors from Kingston
University with a degree in set design and film,
Tabitha began her fashion career as a model. Soon,
her interests became more focused on fashion-styling,
which allowed her to combine personal aesthetic with
an educational background in design. Today, Tabitha
is a contributor to AnOther Magazine, Vogue, Chinese
Vogue, and Italian Vogue. She also collaborates with
many photographers, such as Steven Klein, Craig
McDean, Mario Testino, Mario Sorrenti, and Peter
Lindbergh. Tabitha launched her first shoe collection,
Tabitha Simmons, in 2009, and Footwear News gave
it the Launch of the Year award. Her collection is sold
at select stores worldwide. Most recently, she won the
Swarovski Award for Accessory Design at the 2012
CFDA Fashion Awards.
Rachel Zoe
In addition to her work as a stylist, author, and star
of The Rachel Zoe Project, Rachel has expanded her
career to include fashion designer. Inspired by the
success of her luxury-handbag-design collaboration
with Judith Leiber in 2006, Rachel felt it was time
to embrace her passion for design and launched
Luxe Rachel Zoe, a collection of jewelry, handbags,
scarves, sunglasses, and outerwear exclusively for
QVC. In August 2009, in an effort to further expand
her direct relationship with her audience and share
her knowledge and expertise, Rachel launched
The Zoe Report, a free daily newsletter featuring
her latest obsessions in the ever-evolving worlds of
fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. Recognizing her success
as a fashion designer, she launched her eponymous
contemporary collection in 2011. Drawing on vintageinspired fabrics, patterns, and the spirit of her style
icons from the sixties and seventies, her line introduced
separates, footwear, and handbags evocative of the
modern take on timelessness that she has come to be
known for. Rachel has received numerous prestigious
industry awards, including the Fashion Group
International’s Fashion Oracle Award, the Accessories
Council Fashion Influencer Ace Award, Hollywood
Life magazine’s Star Stylist Award, and the Hollywood
Reporter’s Most Influential Stylist award.
Keren Craig,
Georgina
Chapman,
Tabitha
Simmons
Carlos Falchi,
Lisa Perry,
Jeffrey Banks
Rebecca Minkoff,
Monica Botkier,
Meritt Elliott,
Emily Current,
Mara Hoffman
7
since its inception, and is carried in more than 4,000
major department and specialty stores worldwide.
In addition to a thriving wholesale business, the
brand maintains its own retail operations with two
signature boutiques in the United States. In July 2012,
Tadashi expanded his international reach by opening
boutiques in Shanghai and Beijing.
Tommy
Hilfiger
Mimi So
Kara Ross
NEW BOARD
MEMBERS
10.17 Having been previously nominated and ratified
by the Board, Tommy Hilfiger, Jenna Lyons, Kara
Ross, and Mimi So were elected to the Board of
Directors by the CFDA Members at the Biannual
Membership Meeting.
Mimi So, MIMI SO
Mimi So is Chinese-American, and born and raised
in New York City. She developed a passion for jewelry
and fashion while working with her family in their
atelier. A graduate of Parsons the New School for
Design, her jewelry designs have a definite stylish vibe.
The Mimi So brand is positioned as modern luxurylifestyle jewelry. Her branding is an expression of
“pure-love-luxury,” both spiritual and mysterious,
and with a voice that is rebellious and distinctive. The
collections are known for their clean and asymmetrical
lines, which represent the balance of negative and
positive space in ourselves.
Members’ Lunch
6.12, 7.10, 8.07 CFDA
Members were invited to
attend a series of members-only
lunches, which were held at
Norwood in New York City. This
offered a chance for designers to
engage with other Members
in a nonformal setting.
Majority vote for DVF
to extend her run
as President
3.14 In a majority vote made
by the Board, Diane von
Furstenberg was elected to
serve another two-year term
as president.
Sustainability
Committee
>A Sustainability Committee
has been formed, and will
be led by co-chairs Scott
Mackinlay Hahn and Melissa
Joy Manning. CFDA will
support the efforts of the
committee and the mission
statement, which reads: “The
Council of Fashion Designers
of America (CFDA) will foster
and support sustainability
measures in the fashion
industry through mentorship,
education, and collaboration.
Kara Ross, KARA ROSS
In 2003 Kara Ross founded her namesake company,
which has rapidly grown from its origins in fine
jewelry. Kara Ross is known for a bold and unique use
of exotic skins and gemstones across several jewelry
lines, handbags, and belts. The newest addition to the
brand is the Kara Ross Gemstone Collection, which
debuted in Fall 2010. Kara is a Member of Jewelers
of America and American Gem Society. In January
2008, she won the FGI Rising Star Accessories Award
and most recently, Kara was chosen as one of the
International Designers of Distinction by the Silver
Promotion service and honored with the Women’s
Jewelry Association Excellence in Design Award.
Tommy Hilfiger, TOMMY HILFIGER
For over 25 years, Tommy Hilfiger has brought
classic, cool apparel to consumers around the world.
Under Hilfiger’s guidance, vision, and leadership as
principal designer, the Tommy Hilfiger Group has
become one of very few globally recognized designer
brands offering a wide range of American-inspired
clothing and accessories.
Hilfiger introduced his first signature collection
in 1985 by modernizing button-down shirts, chinos,
A Steering Committee
comprised of CFDA Members
and industry experts who are
knowledgeable and committed
to socially and environmentally
restorative business practices
will lead the charge, with
the aim of inspiring and
empowering designers to
take practical and prosperous
steps toward sustainable
design.” Fellow CFDA Members
Victoria Bartlett, Maria
Cornejo, Pamela Love, and
Tina Lutz were invited to
join the Steering Committee,
which met in December. As this
program develops, the CFDA
will communicate ways in
which the entire Membership
can participate, if interested.
Longtime CFDA
Member Gloria
Sachs had a
Multifaceted Career
>Gloria Sachs’s early work
included designing textiles for
Hans Knoll and Herman Miller,
specifically for Charles Eames
and George Nelson. Her first
commissioned work was from
Phillip Johnson to design the
fabric for the Member’s Lounge
at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York. She continued to
design textiles, her most recent
project was to design special
horsehair fabric for the furniture
of the reception area of the Park
Hyatt Hotel, in the Shanghai
World Financial Center. She
also recently collaborated with
China’s leading architects, Pei
Zhu and Calvin Tsao, and the
renowned historian Wu Hung
on the exhibition “Beijing: The
Olympian City as It Sits on Its
‘Ancient Footprints.’ ”
Additionally, she created
Gloria Sachs Designs Ltd.,
an exceptional company that
exemplified the joining of
business and the fine arts. As one
of the nation’s leading and most
influential fashion designers,
she was one of the few to forge
successful relationships in the
many sectors of business and
the arts. Gloria Sachs served as
a member of the Cultural and
Economic Council for the City of
New York and was one of the first
women invited to be a member
of the prestigious Economic
Club. As president of the Fashion
Group International and a major
leader in the industry, she played
a significant role in expanding
membership overseas.
Jenna Lyons
and other time-honored classics with updated fits and
details. The relaxed, youthful attitude of his first designs
has remained a distinctive hallmark throughout all of
Hilfiger’s subsequent collections. Today, the Tommy
Hilfiger brand continues to bring preppy, all-American
classics to consumers around the world. The business
has grown from a single menswear collection in 1985 to
a global lifestyle brand earning over $5 billion in retail
sales in 2011. There are over 1,100 Tommy Hilfiger
stores in over 90 countries on 5 continents.
JENNA LYONS, J.CREW
Jenna Lyons is currently the president and executive
creative director of J.Crew Group, Inc. Her vision
expands beyond heading up men’s, women’s, and
Crewcuts design; she now also oversees the catalog
and store design, as well as jcrew.com and Madewell.
Under the leadership of Millard Drexler, Jenna’s
creativity and vision have been integral to the recent
turnaround at J.Crew. She has been a driving force
behind the organic launch and evolution of J.Crew
Weddings and Parties, and the J.Crew Collection.
Jenna joined J.Crew as one of the first members of
the design team under founder Emily Woods, where she
has grown up along with J.Crew over the past 20 years.
BiAnnual
Membership
Meetings
4.18 + 10.17 The twice-a-year gatherings are an
opportunity for the CFDA to share plans for upcoming
initiatives and objectives for the organization, as well as
for Members to interact and socialize with one another.
The October event marked the first membership
meeting at the new CFDA offices at 65 Bleecker Street.
8
membership
business services network
BSN Continues to Expand
>The Business Services Network (BSN) is a corporatemembership program now in its seventh year. The network
is a vehicle for CFDA to partner with companies to provide
Members with business opportunities and special values,
benefits, or services. The network is expanding rapidly and
diversely across many platforms.
2012 Corporate
Affiliates
Advanstar
Arnell Group
Christie’s
Fine Art
Storage
Service
Circa
Designers
& Agents
eBay
Marketplaces
Gilt Groupe
JCPenney
Karen Harvey
Consulting
Group
Lexus
Li + Fung
Melissa
OpenSky
Printemps
Samsung
Fashion
Design Fund
Shangpin
Shopbop
Starbucks
Swarovski
TECNAMEDIA
Villency
Design Group
WGSN
Woolmark
Company
CURRENT
MEMBERSHIP
ROSTER
426 as
of 12.31.12
Alexis Bittar
Kenneth
Bonavitacola
Sully Bonnelly
Eddie Borgo
Monica Botkier
Marc Bouwer
Barry Bricken
Thom Browne
Dana Buchman
Andrew Buckler
Sophie Buhai
Tory Burch
Stephen Burrows
Anthony Camargo
Vince Camuto
Kevin Carrigan
Liliana Casabal
Edmundo Castillo
Jean-Michel Cazabat
Salvatore Cesarani
Richard Chai
Julie Chaiken
Amy Chan
Natalie Chanin
Kip Chapelle
Georgina Chapman
Ron Chereskin
Wenlan Chia
Susie Cho
David Chu
Eva Chun Chow
Doo-Ri Chung
Patricia Clyne
Peter Cohen
Kenneth Cole
Liz Collins
Michael Colovos
Nicole Colovos
Sean Combs
Rachel Comey
Martin Cooper
Anna Corinna
Sellinger
Maria Cornejo
Esteban Cortazar
Francisco Costa
Victor Costa
Jeffrey Costello
Christian Cota
Erica Courtney
Steven Cox
Keren Craig
Philip Crangi
Emily Current
Carly Cushnie
Sandy Dalal
Robert Danes
David Dartnell
Oscar de la Renta
Donald Deal
Louis Dell’Olio
Pamela Dennis
Lyn Devon
Kathryn Dianos
Rachel Dooley
Keanan Duffty
Randolph Duke
Stephen Dweck
Marc Ecko
Libby Edelman
Sam Edelman
Mark Eisen
Meritt Elliott
Karen Erickson
George Esquivel
Steve Fabrikant
Carlos Falchi
Pina Ferlisi
Luis Fernandez
Erin Fetherston
Andrew Fezza
Cheryl Finnegan
Eileen Fisher
Dana Foley
Tom Ford
Istvan Francer
Isaac Franco
Amsale Aberra
Reem Acra
Alexa Adams
Adolfo
Waris Ahluwalia
Steven Alan
Simon Alcantara
Fred Allard
Linda Allard
Joseph Altuzarra
Carolina Amato
Ron Anderson
John Anthony
Miho Aoki
Nak Armstrong
Brian Atwood
Lisa Axelson
Lubov Azria
Max Azria
Yigal Azrouël
Mark Badgley
Michael Ball
Jeffrey Banks
Leigh Bantivoglio
Jhane Barnes
John Bartlett
Victoria Bartlett
Gaby Basora
Dennis Basso
Michael Bastian
Shane Baum
Bradley Bayou
Vicki Beamon
Stacey Bendet
Richard Bengtsson
Dianne Benson
Chris Benz
Magda Berliner
Coomi Bhasin
9
Partnerships
Andaz Hotels
Assouline
B2PRO
Fashion GPS
FEDEX
FIRST CORPORATE
SEDANS
DINNER
FOR
CORPORATE
PARTNERS
HAND,
BALDACHIN &
AMBURGEY, LLP
HIRAM
COHEN & SON
JOOR
RETAIL SPACE
PARTNERS
SHOPIFY
E-COMMERCE
SOFTWARE
STYLEQ
STYLITICS
THE
RUNTHROUGH
R. Scott French
James Galanos
Judy Geib
Nancy Geist
Robert Geller
Geri Gerard
Tess Giberson
Flora Gill
Justin Giunta
Gary Graham
Nicholas Graham
Rogan Gregory
Henry Grethel
Ulrich Grimm
Joy Gryson
George Gublo
Prabal Gurung
Scott Hahn
Jeff Halmos
Tim Hamilton
Douglas Hannant
Cathy Hardwick
Karen Harman
Dean Harris
Johnson Hartig
Sylvia Heisel
Joan Helpern
Stan Herman
Lazaro Hernandez
Carolina Herrera
Tommy Hilfiger
Carole Hochman
Mara Hoffman
Christina Hutson
Swaim Hutson
Sang A Im-Propp
Alejandro Ingelmo
Marc Jacobs
Henry Jacobson
Eric Javits, Jr.
Lisa Jenks
Betsey Johnson
Alexander Julian
Gemma Kahng
Claire Chung,
Ashley Bryan,
Sara Arnell
Norma Kamali
Donna Karan
Jen Kao
Kasper
Ken Kaufman
Jenni Kayne
Shaun Kearney
Anthony Keegan
Rod Keenan
Pat Kerr
Naeem Khan
Barry
Kieselstein-Cord
Eugenia Kim
Adam Kimmel
Calvin Klein
Michael Kors
Monica Rich Kosann
Fiona Kotur Marin
Reed Krakoff
Michel KramerMetraux
Regina Kravitz
Devi Kroell
Nikki Kule
Christopher Kunz
Nicholas Kunz
Blake Kuwahara
Steven Lagos
Derek Lam
Richard Lambertson
Adrienne Landau
Liz Lange
Ralph Lauren
Eunice Lee
Judith Leiber
Larry Leight
Nanette Lepore
Michael Leva
Monique Lhuillier
Andrea Lieberman
Phillip Lim
Johan Lindeberg
Marcella Lindeberg
Adam Lippes
Deborah Lloyd
Elizabeth Locke
Dana Lorenz
Nili Lotan
Pamela Love
Tina Lutz
Jenna Lyons
Bob Mackie
Jeff Mahshie
Catherine
Malandrino
Maurice Malone
Colette Malouf
Isaac Manevitz
Melissa Joy Manning
Robert Marc
Mary Jane
Marcasiano
Lana Marks
Paul Marlow
Deborah Marquit
Jana Matheson
Lisa Mayock
Jessica McClintock
Jack McCollough
Mary McFadden
Kimberly McDonald
Mark McNairy
David Meister
Jonathan Meizler
Andreas Melbostad
Gilles Mendel
Gene Meyer
Carlos Miele
Stefan Miljanic
Derrick Miller
Nicole Miller
Malia Mills
Rebecca Minkoff
James Mischka
Richard Mishaan
Yvan Mispelaere
Isaac Mizrahi
Lauren Moffatt
Bibhu Mohapatra
Jeffrey Monteiro
Claude Morais
Paul Morelli
Robert Lee Morris
Miranda Morrison
Rebecca Moses
Kate Mulleavy
Laura Mulleavy
Sandra Muller
Matt Murphy
Blake Mycoskie
Gela Nash-Taylor
Josie Natori
LeAnn Nealz
Charlotte Neuville
Irene Neuwirth
David Neville
Rozae Nichols
Lars Nilsson
Roland Nivelais
Vanessa Noel
Maggie Norris
Juan Carlos Obando
Kerry O’Brien
Michelle Ochs
Ashley Olsen
Mary-Kate Olsen
Sigrid Olsen
Luca Orlandi
Ariel Ovadia
Shimon Ovadia
Rick Owens
Thakoon Panichgul
Gregory Parkinson
Marcia Patmos
John Patrick
Edward Pavlick
Monique Péan
Gabriela Perezutti
Patty Perreira
Lisa Perry
James Perse
Thuy Pham
Robin Piccone
Mary Ping
Maria Pinto
Jill Platner
Linda Platt
Tom Platt
Alexandre Plokhov
Laura Poretzky
Zac Posen
Lilly Pulitzer
James Purcell
Jessie Randall
David Rees
Tracy Reese
William Reid
Robin Renzi
Mary Ann Restivo
Brian Reyes
Judith Ripka
Patrick Robinson
Loree Rodkin
David Rodriguez
Eddie Rodriguez
Narciso Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez
Jackie Rogers
Pamella Roland
Charlotte Ronson
Lela Rose
Kara Ross
Ippolita Rostagno
Christian Roth
Cynthia Rowley
Rachel Roy
Sonja Rubin
Ralph Rucci
Kelly Ryan
Jamie Sadock
Selima Salaun
Angel Sanchez
Behnaz Sarafpour
Janis Savitt
Arnold Scaasi
12.5 CFDA hosted an
intimate dinner for the
Business Services Network’s
corporate affiliates at
Whitehall Bar and Kitchen
in New York City.
Jordan Schlanger
Lorraine Schwartz
L’Wren Scott
Ricky Serbin
Ronaldus Shamask
George Sharp
Marcia Sherrill
Sam Shipley
Tadashi Shoji
Kari Sigerson
Daniel Silver
Howard Silver
Tabitha Simmons
Michael Simon
George Simonton
Paul Sinclaire
Pamela Skaist-Levy
Michael Smaldone
Amy Smilovic
Michelle Smith
Maria Snyder
Mimi So
Peter Som
Kate Spade
Gunnar Spaulding
Peter Speliopoulos
Michael Spirito
Simon Spurr
Laurie Stark
Richard Stark
Cynthia Steffe
Shelly Steffee
Sue Stemp
Scott Sternberg
Robert Stock
Steven Stolman
Jay Strongwater
Jill Stuart
Anna Sui
Koi Suwannagate
Daiki Suzuki
Albertus Swanepoel
Elie Tahari
Robert Tagliapietra
Vivienne Tam
Rebecca Taylor
Yeohlee Teng
Sophie Theallet
Olivier Theyskens
Gordon Thompson III
Monika Tilley
Zang Toi
Isabel Toledo
Rafe Totengco
John Truex
Trina Turk
Mish Tworkowski
Patricia Underwood
Kay Unger
Carmen Marc Valvo
Nicholas Varney
John Varvatos
Adrienne Vittadini
Diane von
Furstenberg
Patricia von Musulin
Marcus Wainwright
Tom Walko
Alexander Wang
Vera Wang
Cathy Waterman
Heidi Weisel
Stuart Weitzman
Trish Wescoat
Pound
Carla Westcott
John Whitledge
Edward Wilkerson
Brian Wolk
Gary Wolkowitz
Jason Wu
Araks Yeramyan
Gerard Yosca
David Yurman
Gabriella Zanzani
Rachel Zoe
Italo Zucchelli
International
Woolmark Prize
Announcement
7.9 Sophie Theallet
was announced as
the U.S. winner of the
International Woolmark
Prize, an initiative by
the Woolmark Company
aimed at promoting
emerging international
design talent from
around the world. Judges
included Woolmark’s
Stuart McCullough,
CFDA Member Narciso
Rodriguez, Linda Fargo,
Malcolm Carfrae (Calvin
Klein), Sally Singer, and
Steven Kolb. Sophie
represented the United
States at the International
Woolmark Prize event in
February during London
Fashion Week, competing
against top designers from
Australia, China, Europe,
India, and Japan.
Lorenzo Martone,
Anne Cashill,
Karina Sokolovsky,
Devin Wenig,
Michele Levy
BSN SUMMER COCKTAIL SOIREE
8.1 At Galeria Melissa on Greene Street in New York City,
BSN partner Melissa and the CFDA hosted an evening of
summer cocktails for all of the BSN Corporate affiliates and
partners to meet in a social setting.
LI AND FUNG
Designers & Agents
Showcase
>Spring/Fall: Each
season, Designers &
Agents (D&A) showcases
CFDA Members at its
tradeshows in New York,
Los Angeles, and Paris.
CFDA participants in
2012 included: Steven
Alan, Victoria Bartlett,
Gaby Basora, Alexis
Bittar, Rachel Comey,
Philip Crangi, Gary
Graham, Eugenia
Kim, Christopher and
Nicholas Kunz, Melissa
Joy Manning, Rebecca
Minkoff, Lauren Moffatt,
Kerry O’Brien, Gabriela
Perezutti, Whitney
Pozgay, Cynthia Rowley,
Selima Salaun, Rebecca
Taylor, Timo Weiland,
and John Whitledge.
Emma
Roberts,
Narciso
Rodriguez,
Julianna
Margulies
Steven Kolb,
Chris Del
Gatto, Waris
Ahluwalia
11.7 Li & Fung joined BSN to collaborate on designer capsule
collections. Narciso Rodriguez for Kohls DesigNation was the
first in the series, which launched on November 7.
circa accessory designer dinner
6.27 A private dinner at Norwood, hosted by Circa, for a small
group of jewelry designers to discuss the key issues that they face
in the marketplace today. The information gathered throughout
the evening will be used to build content for future panel
discussions for all Members who design jewelry.
Nanette Lepore,
Emma Roberts
Circa Jewelry
& Accessories
Business
Development
Forum
8.1 Circa hosted a panel
discussion for CFDA
Members, addressing
“Corporate Culture and
Brand Development,”
specifically for jewelry
designers. The event was
held at the Andaz Fifth
Avenue, and panelists
included Mark Emanuel
(co-owner of David
Webb), Filipa Fino
(creative director of Filipa
Fino Inc., and foundereditor of Fino File), and
Peter Webster (co-owner
and CEO of Roberto Coin
Inc.) The discussion was
moderated by Chris Del
Gatto of Circa.
NANETTE LEPORE FOR VOGUE EYEWEAR LAUNCH
10.18 Luxottica hosted the CFDA/Vogue Eyewear capsule
collection launch party at Sunglass Hut, unveiling the third
CFDA collection featuring limited-edition sunglasses designed
by Member Nanette Lepore. The collection was inspired by
actress Emma Roberts, who was subsequently featured both
in press and social media.
Rodarte for Starbucks
11.12 Designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte launched
Starbucks’s first-ever fashion collaboration. The CFDA Members’
special Starbucks merchandise was the centerpiece of Starbucks’s
2012 holiday campaign
10
INITIATIVES
AWARDS The Council of Fashion Designers, Inc.,is a not-for-profit trade association whose membership consists of more
than 400 of America’s foremost womenswear, menswear, jewelry, and accessory designers. Membership is open to Americans
designing in the United States or abroad, or international designers whose businesses are based primarily in the United
States. Each year, the admissions committee meets to review candidates’ applications before making its recommendations
to the CFDA’s board of directors. An affirmative vote by the board is required for the election of each new member.
11
The Council of Fashion Designers
of America is devoted to supporting
the overall growth of American
Fashion. The following initiatives
help execute this mission: education
and scholarship opportunities for
emerging design talent; the CFDA/
Vogue Fashion Fund, and the { Fashion
Incubator } Program, which provide
business mentoring and support for
emerging designers; the CFDA Fashion
Awards, which showcase the best
in American Fashion; partnership
programs that enable collaboration
between corporate businesses
and designers; and professional
development and legislation seminars.
12
INITIATIVES
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS
Kaisheng Yuan
Hyegin Hamm
Li Shan Ng
Zeying Wang
Yunxiang Zhou
Eric Chang
Tae Kyung Kim
13
CFDA
SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM
> For more than 25 years, the CFDA has supported college
students enrolled in fashion-design programs across the country.
In 1986, an endowed scholarship was established at Parsons
School of Design in memory of CFDA Member and past president
(from 1984 to 1986) Perry Ellis. In 1996, the CFDA Scholarship
Program was created to award annual merit-based-scholarship
grants to students in their junior year of study in a four-year,
full-time, college-level fashion-design program. In 2005, CFDA
Member Joseph Abboud made a personal commitment to
underwrite the CFDA Scholarship Program.
The Clara Hancox Scholarship Fund was established in 2007 to
support the next generation of menswear designers. Clara Hancox
reported for the Daily News Record (DNR) from 1944 to 1993, and
was a great friend to the menswear industry. Each year, the CFDA
selects one aspiring men’s clothing–design student from among
the applicants within its existing Scholarship Program to receive
the Clara Hancox Scholarship Award.
The CFDA Scholarship Program is highly competitive, and
entrants represent the best from the country’s top design colleges
and universities. Since the program’s inception, over 200
scholarships totaling more than $1,100,000 have been awarded.
There are three supplemental design competitions within the
CFDA Scholarship Program, which identify the most exemplary
and innovative design students, based on specific guidelines. The
participating schools select their top students to submit entries for
these very prestigious programs.
CFDA Scholarship
Committee 2012
Ron Anderson
John Anthony
Michael Colovos
Jeff Halmos
Miranda Morrison
David Rees
Sam Shipley
Lisa Smilor
Italo Zucchelli
$5,000 AWARD
WInNERS
Hyegin Hamm
Parsons the New
School for Design
Li Shan Ng
Rhode Island
School of Design
Zeying Wang
Parsons the New
School for Design
Tae Kyung Kim
Fashion Institute
of Technology
>The CFDA Scholarship
Committee reviewed a
total of 107 portfolios
this year. Students
presented their concepts
for womenswear,
menswear, childrenswear,
and accessories. Each
applicant’s collection
included a minimum of ten
to fifteen design looks,
together with mood
or inspiration boards,
fabrics and trim, and flat
sketches. The CFDA,
with the support of its
Scholarship Committee,
awarded $50,000 in 2012.
Scholarships are to be
used toward each student’s
senior year of study.
HONORABLE
MENTIONS
In addition
to presenting
Scholarship
Awards, the
Scholarship
Committee also
recognized
four students.
Raya Clements
Parsons The New
School for Design
Kittiya Punprapun
Academy of Art
University
Alexa Wright
Fashion Institute
of Technology
Natalie Brilmyer
School of the Art
Institute of Chicago
$10,000 AWARD
WInNERS
Eric Chang
Academy of Art
University
Kaisheng Yuan
Academy of Art
University
Yunxiang Zhou*
Parsons the New
School for Design
*Clara Hancox
Scholarship Award
for Menswear
The following
schools were
invited to
participate
in the CFDA
Scholarship
Program in 2012:
Academy of Art
University
San Francisco,
California
California College
of the Arts
San Francisco,
California
Columbia College
of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Columbus College
of Art and Design
Columbus, Ohio
Drexel University
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
Fashion Institute
of Technology
New York, New York
Kent State
University
Kent, Ohio, and
New York, New York
Massachusetts
College of
Art and Design
Boston,
Massachusetts
Miami International
University
of Art and Design
Miami, Florida
Otis College
of Art and Design
Los Angeles,
California
Parsons the New
School for Design
New York, New York
Philadelphia
University
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
Pratt Institute
New York, New York
Rhode Island
School of Design
Providence,
Rhode Island
Savannah College
of Art and Design
Savannah and
Atlanta, Georgia
The School of
the Art Institute
of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
University
of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Virginia
Commonwealth
University
Richmond, Virginia
Eileen Pappas
THE GEOFFREY
BEENE DESIGN SCHOLARSHIP
>In 2007, a generous $2.5
million endowment from the
Geoffrey Beene Foundation
allowed the CFDA to expand
its Scholarship Program and
establish the prestigious Geoffrey
Beene Design Scholarship,
which brings the work of the
legendary American fashion
designer into the classrooms
at the country’s leading design
colleges and universities.
A specialized teaching
curriculum challenges students
to look beyond conforming to
trends and the practicality of
business in order to advance
the art form. Each year, a
Geoffrey Beene Design Scholar
is selected and receives $25,000
to help defray senior-year
tuition and educational
expenses. This competitive
award is based solely on merit,
as judged by a panel of leading
industry experts. The 2012
winner was announced at the
CFDA Fashion Awards in June.
GEOFFREY BEENE DESIGN
SCHOLARSHIP WInNER
Eileen Pappas
Parsons The New
School for Design
HONORABLE MENTION
Jing Jing Xu
Fashion Institute
of Technology
Geoffrey Beene
Design Scholarship
Selection Committee
Alexa Adams
Doo-Ri Chung
Flora Gill
Russell Nardozza
Narciso Rodriguez
Lisa Smilor
Anna Sui
Amanda Tran
THE LIZ
CLAIBORNE
DESIGN
SCHOLARSHIP
> In 2009, CFDA and Art
Ortenberg—Liz Claiborne’s
husband and business
partner—established the Liz
Claiborne Design Scholarship,
a special supplemental award
within the CFDA’s existing
Scholarship Program. This
design award recognizes
the important contribution
that Liz Claiborne made to
the fashion industry, and
brings her innovative design
aesthetic into the classrooms
at the country’s leading design
colleges and universities.
A teaching curriculum
specifically designed for
this program challenges
students to translate and
reinterpret Claiborne’s
concept of design—“fit the
way you live”—to dress women
of the twenty-first century.
The $25,000 Liz Claiborne
Design Scholarship Award is
presented to the student who
best addresses the lifestyle
and needs of women, given
the current culture and world
in which they live and work.
The award is based solely
on merit, as judged by a
prestigious panel of industry
experts. The award must be
used toward the student’s
senior-year tuition and/or
educational expenses. The
2012 winner was announced
at the annual CFDA Fashion
Awards in June.
LIZ CLAIBORNE DESIGN
SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
Amanda Tran
Academy of Art
University
HONORABLE MENTION
Mieko Tominaga
Savannah College
of Art & Design
Liz Claiborne
Design Scholarship
Selection Committee
Norma Kamali
Van Lupu
Rachel Roy
Michael Smaldone
Lisa Smilor
Kay Unger
14
INITIATIVES
PROGRAM partners
Erin Robertson
CFDA /TEEN VOGUE SCHOLARSHIP,
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TARGET
Steven Kolb, Jyothi Rao,
Kieran Dallison, glenda
bailey, Prabal Gurung
GILT GROUPE ALL-STAR SCHOLARSHIP AWARD PROGRAM
> The Council of Fashion Designers of America and Gilt Groupe
partnered to establish the Gilt Groupe All-Star Scholarship
Award, a supplemental opportunity to support the nation’s most
talented design students. Award recipients from the existing
CFDA scholarship programs were challenged to design a cohesive
and versatile collection of womenswear consisting of fifteen
day-to-evening looks, based on specific guidelines, and with
fabrication provided by Gilt.
Participating students were required to research the online
market and specific demographics of the Gilt Groupe shopper.
A panel of esteemed judges, including CFDA Members Prabal
Gurung and Stacey Bendet, of Alice & Olivia; Glenda Bailey,
editor in chief of Harper’s Bazaar; Jyothi Rao, general manager
of womenswear at Gilt Groupe; and Lisa Smilor selected Kieran
Dallison, a senior student at Fashion Institute of Technology
(FIT), as the Gilt All-Star Scholar.
Kieran received a cash award in the amount of $10,000, and
Gilt Groupe worked with him to develop and produce his first
women’s ready-to-wear collection, which was sold exclusively on
gilt.com in June 2012. Three runners-up each received a $2,500
cash award.
Kieran
Dallison
6.7 To celebrate the launch of Kieran’s debut collection
on gilt.com, Gilt and CFDA hosted an event at the Mondrian
SoHo, where his looks were unveiled.
>The CFDA/Teen Vogue Scholarship Program is as an exclusive
opportunity for full-time sophomore fashion-design students
who attend one of the CFDA’s participating schools. All awards
are based on merit, and moneys are applied to the students’ tuition
and/or educational expenses.
Target makes a significant donation annually to help endow
this program. To recognize Target’s unwavering dedication to the
support of emerging design talent, the top winner—the Target
Fashion Scholar—is awarded $25,000. In addition, Target arranges
for supplemental learning opportunities on the Target Fashion
Scholar’s behalf, including a trip to its headquarters in Minneapolis
to work with the Target design team. The winner attends, and is
announced at, the annual CFDA Fashion Awards in June.
Five additional students are selected to win awards in the
amount of $5,000 each. All winners are chosen based on design
talent and answers in the entrants’ written applications.
The 2012 CFDA/Teen Vogue Scholarship Selection Committee
was composed of representatives from CFDA, Teen Vogue, and
Target, as well as CFDA Members Eddie Borgo and Lela Rose.
10.19+ 10.22 Thanks to the generous support of Target, last year’s
winner, Jesse Rhoads, attended Teen Vogue’s Fashion U weekend.
2012 Target
Fashion Scholar
Erin Robertson
Massachusetts College
of Art and Design
The five winners
of the 2012
CFDA/ Teen Vogue
Scholarship
Sijun Guo
Academy of Art
University
Yijia Jiang
Academy of Art
University
Cherng-Hann Lee
Academy of Art
University
Nicholas Mejia
Parsons the New
School for Design
Kadence Tang
Parsons the New
School for Design
CFDA/ Teen Vogue
Scholarship
Committee
Amy Astley
Gloria Baume
Andrew Bevan
Eddie Borgo
Laura Cashill
Jane Keltner de Valle
Lela Rose
Lisa Smilor
CFDA HOSTS FIRST Fashion Education Summit
DIET COKE DESIGN CHALLENGE
Gustavo Alonso,
L’Wren Scott
Jeanette
Carrel,
Vince
Voron,
Zac Posen,
Cynthia
Rowley
15
> Through a new partnership with the CFDA, Diet Coke
hosted a competition that encouraged design students
at CFDA’s participating schools to create an original
graphic element, which would inspire consumers to
“Stay Extraordinary.” Diet Coke and the CFDA selected
the top 20 designs, which were then judged by CFDA
Members Zac Posen, Cynthia Rowley, and L’Wren
Scott. Miami International University of Art and Design
student Gustavo Alonso was selected as the winner and
awarded a $10,000 scholarship. Gustavo was flown
to New York during New York Fashion Week to have
his T-shirt design revealed at an exclusive event. Two
additional students were selected as runners-up to win
scholarship awards in the
amount of $2,500 each,
and seventeen finalists
each received a prize of
$250. The winning design
was featured on a T-shirt
and sold at Target stores
nationwide in September.
1.20 The CFDA hosted its first
Fashion Education Summit,
designed to bring together
faculty members from the 21
participating schools and select
CFDA members who are actively
involved on the scholarship
committees. This was the first
time that representatives from the
leading design schools across the
country were brought together
to exchange ideas and discuss
the current status of fashion education. Held at the W Hotel Union
Square, in New York, the morning’s event was moderated by Lisa
Smilor and included panelists John Anthony, Dana Buchman,
Victoria Bartlett, Mara Hoffman, Norma Kamali, Miranda
Morrison, Kari Sigerson, Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava, John
Patrick, David Rees and Ron Anderson of Ten Thousand Things,
Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos of Shipley & Halmos, and Russell
Nardozza of Geoffrey Beene, who discussed what industry experts
are looking for in today’s graduates. The afternoon session included
a presentation called “Synthesis: Advancing Fashion Design
Education with Industry,” by Steven Faerm, assistant professor
of fashion design at Parsons the New School for Design, and was
followed by breakaway group discussions and presentations.
Sam shipley,
lisa mayock
CFDA /VOGUE
FASHION FUND
FASHION FUND TRAVELS ABROAD
PROGRAM OVERVIEW, SUPPORTERS,
and INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
>The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund was established in September
2003 to grant significant financial awards to one or more designers
each year, as well as to provide business mentoring based on the
award recipients’ specific goals and needs. A selection committee,
made up of ten industry experts, meets to determine the finalists
and winners based on their talent and ability to succeed in business.
Under separate direction, a business-advisory committee provides
targeted feedback on the finalists’ overall business plans. In March,
an advertisement was placed in Women’s Wear Daily to solicit
applicants. To be eligible, designers must meet several prerequisites
demonstrating their exceptional design talent, and confirming their
capacity for future distinction in the fashion industry.
Ten Finalists Announced
>More than 130 designers showed interest in the Fashion
Fund. From this initial group, the selection committee chose
46 to advance to phase two of the application process. After
reviewing each of the 46 portfolios and written applications, the
committee met in mid-July to select the ten finalists. Following
the announcement, the finalists were each interviewed by the
selection committee, at which time they were required to also
present looks from their past and current collections. Throughout
the following months, the selection committee made visits to
each finalist’s design studio to assess day-to-day operations, while
conducting a more in-depth interview with the candidate.
The CFDA is
pleased
to recognize
the following
companies as
official 2012
sponsors
of the fund:
Partner
J.Crew
Underwriters
American Express,
Appleman Foundation,
Carolina Herrera,
Coach Foundation,
kate spade new york,
Neiman Marcus,
Nordstrom, the
Limited Stores,
the Ralph Bartel
Foundation, Theory,
thecorner.com/yoox
group, Tiffany & Co.,
Tommy Hilfiger,
W Hotels, Vogue
2012 Finalists
A.L.C.
Andrea Lieberman
Assembly New York
Greg Armas
Giulietta
Sofia Sizzi
Illesteva
Daniel Silberman,
Alina Silberman
& Justin Salguero
Jennifer
Fisher Jewelry
Jennifer Fisher
Jennifer Meyer
Jennifer Meyer
Suno
Max Osterweis
& Erin Beatty
Tabitha Simmons
Tabitha Simmons
The Elder Statesman
Greg Chait
Wes Gordon
Wes Gordon
2011 CFDA/ Vogue
Fashion Fund
award-winners
worked on
specific business
objectives with
their mentors.
ALTUZARRA,
joseph Altuzarra
mentor:
Tom Murry,
president and
CEO, Calvin Klein
pamela love
Mentor:
Frederic de Narp,
president and
CEO, Harry Winston
creatureS
of the wind,
shane gabier
& chris peters
Mentors:
David Neville
and Marcus
Wainwright,
Rag & Bone
Billy Reid, Simon Spurr,
Prabal Gurung, Gregory
Parinkson, Albertus
Swanepoel, Anna
Wintour, Tommy Hilfiger,
Shane Gabier, Chris
Peters, Pamela Love,
Alexa Adams, Monique
Péan, George Esquivel
Americans
in paris
>With the generous underwriting
of Tommy Hilfiger, the CFDA/Vogue
Fashion Fund hosted Americans in Paris,
a showroom for previous participants
in the fund during the Paris spring and
fall shows. The initiative was created as a
global showcase for emerging American
designers, providing them with invaluable
global exposure, as well as the sales,
marketing, and media support necessary
to expand their respective businesses.
Embassy Cocktail Party
3.2 Charles H. Rivkin, ambassador of the
United States of America, hosted an intimate
cocktail party at the American Embassy
in Paris in honor of the ten participating
designers and Tommy Hilfiger. Hilfiger
partnered with the designers to create a
limited-edition one-off trench coat inspired
by Americans in Paris. The ten trench coats
were sold in Hilfiger’s flagship stores in
Paris and New York, and through its European
online store. One-hundred percent of the net
profits from sales were donated to the fund.
Designer Dinner
9.28 Steven Kolb and Vogue’s Meredith Melling
Burke and Mark Holgate hosted a private
dinner in honor of the twelve participating
designers at the Fat Radish in Paris.
3.3—3.5
Participating
Designers
Albertus
Swanepoel
Billy Reid
Creatures of the Wind,
Shane Gabier and
Christopher Peters
George Esquivel
Gregory Parkinson
Monique PÉan
Ohne Titel,
Alexa Adams
and Flora Gill
Pamela Love
Prabal Gurung
Simon Spurr
9.29—10.1
Participating
Designers
A.A., Antonio Azzuolo
Albertus Swanepoel
Creatures of the Wind,
Shane Gabier and
Christopher Peters
Cushnie et Ochs,
Michelle Ochs and
Carly Cushnie
Fenton/Fallon,
Dana Lorenz
Irene Neuwirth
Libertine,
Johnson Hartig
Organic, John Patrick
Suno, Max Osterweis
and Erin Beatty
CHINA EXcHANGE PROGRAM
Uma Wang,
Steven Kolb,
Meredith
Melling
Burke, Jenné
Lombardo
J.CREW COLLABORATION
>As the lead underwriter of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund,
J.Crew worked with the 2011 winner Joseph Altuzarra and
runners-up Pamela Love and Shane Gabier and Christopher
Peters of Creatures of the Wind to create limited-edition
capsule collections. The collections launched individually from
April to June 2012 through J.Crew’s online store and catalog,
and at select retail locations.
>With the generous support of Silas Chou,
the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund launched
the China Exchange Program to help foster
emerging talent between the United States
and China. Uma Wang, a womenswear
designer based in Shanghai, spent a month
in New York working alongside companies
such as Barney’s New York, Google, Reed
Krakoff, Nanette Lepore, NYCEDC, Theory,
Michael Kors, J.Crew, American Express,
and Vogue. In May 2012, Proenza Schouler
sent a representative on its behalf to Beijing,
Shanghai, and Guangzhou to conduct market
research of luxury-apparel brands. Proenza
Schouler designers Jack McCollough and
Lazaro Hernandez traveled to Beijing in
October. The trip was a unique opportunity
for Jack and Lazaro to immerse themselves
in Chinese culture while exploring an
entirely new market. The exchange program
provided a platform to learn about Proenza
Schouler’s positioning as American designers
in China by engaging with key leaders of the
Chinese fashion industry, including press,
retailers and clients.
Uma Wang welcoming Party
5.1 CFDA Members welcomed Uma Wang,
a Chinese fashion designer, with a lunch held
at Norwood Private Club in New York City.
16
INITIATIVES
CFDA /VOGUE FASHION FUND
Greg Armas,
Andrea
Lieberman
Andrea
Lieberman,
Mickey
Sumner
Naomie
Harris,
Sofia
Sizzi
Adam Pavao,
Greg Armas,
Sarah Ruba
Erin
Beatty,
Caroline
Trentini,
Max
Osterweis
Victoria
Beckham
Gwen
Stefani,
Katy
Perry
Jennifer
Meyer,
Sophie
Auster
Lulu Gainsbourg,
Greg Chait
Tabitha
Simmons,
Amanda
Seyfried
L.A. Fashion Show
10.25 The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Fashion Show and Tea
took place once again at the historic Chateau Marmont in West
Hollywood. Hosted by Vogue’s Lisa Love and Mark Holgate, the
afternoon party showcased the ten finalists’ work in an outdoor
fashion show followed by a tea. The event was made possible with
the support of beauty.com, Audi, J. Brand, and American Express.
TIFFANY
DESIGN
CHALLENGE
COCKTAIL
party
Hilary
Rhoda,
Jennifer
Fisher
Justin Salguero,
Sky Ferreira,
Daniel Silberman
Tobey Maguire,
Jennifer Aniston,
Isla Fisher
17
Rita Ora,
Wes Gordon
10.16 In honor of Tiffany &
Co.’s hundred-and-seventy-fifth
anniversary, and its contribution
to the American classic film
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) and
Baz Luhrmann’s soon-to-bereleased Great Gatsby (2013),
the ten finalists were asked to
create a one-of-a-kind look,
accessory, or piece of jewelry
inspired by the style of either of
these iconic films. The finalists
each received $20,000 and were
able to pick their own muse.
Their looks were unveiled at a
party hosted by Anna Wintour
and Diane von Furstenberg.
Jenna
Lyons,
Mark
Holgate
Miranda
Kerr
Max
Osterweis,
Erin
Beatty
Marcus
Wainwright,
Tory Burch,
David Neville
Emma Stone
Justin Salguero,
Jourdan Dunn,
Karlie Kloss ,
Daniel Silberman
winners
announced
Steven Kolb, Anna Wintour, Christopher Bailey, Tabitha Simmons,
Jennifer Meyer, Greg Chait, Diane von Furstenberg, Emma Stone
11.13 The selection committee made its final decisions during
a November 13 breakfast meeting held at the CFDA office;
confidential ballots were cast by each member to determine the
winner and runners-up. The results were announced that evening
at the awards dinner, held at Center 548 in New York. The guest
list included an array of American designers, including former
winners and runners-up. Christopher Bailey was the keynote
speaker of the evening, and actress Emma Stone presented the
awards to this year’s winners. Greg Chait of The Elder Statesman
received $300,000 and a specially designed swan created by the
artist Rachel Feinstein; Jennifer Meyer and Tabitha Simmons
received $100,000 and bronze eggs, also designed by Feinstein.
The award recipients will also meet regularly with a business
mentor, who was selected based on the designers’ specific needs,
business expertise, and resources.
Winner
Greg Chait of
the Elder Statesman
Runners-Up
Jennifer Meyer
Tabitha Simmons
2012 Selection
Committee
Ken Downing
Mark Holgate
Jeffrey Kalinsky
Steven Kolb
Reed Krakoff
Derek Lam
Jenna Lyons
Andrew Rosen
Diane von
Furstenberg
Anna Wintour
2012 Business
Advisory Committee
Wen Zhou
3.1 PHILLIP LIM
Rodrigo Bazan
ALEXANDER WANG
Daniella Vitale
BARNEYS NEW YORK
Tom Murry
CALVIN KLEIN INC .
Caroline Brown
CAROLINA HERERA
Paula Sutter
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG
Diego Scotti
J.CREW
Linda Heasley
THE LIMITED
Ralph Bartel
THE RALPH BARTEL
FOUNDATION
Andrew Rosen
THEORY LLC
Federico
Marchetti
YOOX GROUP
THECORNER.COM/
YOOX GROUP
A longtime supporter of
emerging fashion talents
around the globe, thecorner
.com sold spring/summer 2013
merchandise from each CFDA/
Vogue Fashion Fund Finalist
and created a special ministore
dedicated to their combined
collections. Thecorner.com also
carried one exclusive design
from each finalist’s spring/
summer 2013 collection, which
launched on November 13, 2012.
Chelsea
Clinton
CFDA/VOGUE
FASHION FUND
ORIGINAL
SERIES THE
FASHION FUND,
ON VOGUE.COM
Working with Breakthru
Films, the CFDA/Vogue
Fashion Fund provided
an intimate look at the
finalists throughout
the process. The
docuseries debuted in
October on Vogue.com.
FASHION FUND SHOPS
AT NORDSTROM
Nordstrom, a longtime supporter
of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund,
will be selling items from each
finalist’s spring/summer 2013
collection. All ten collections will
hang together in CFDA/Vogue
Fashion Fund shops exclusive
to Nordstrom in these locations:
Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles
(the Grove), Chicago, and Dallas
(at Northpark); one additional
shop will be at the treasure&bond
store in New York.
18
INITIATIVES
FASHION INCUBATOR
PARTICIPATING
DESIGNERS
>The CFDA {FASHION
INCUBATOR} is the newest
program to support emerging
designers. Located in the heart
of the Garment Center, at 209
West Thirty-eighth Street, the
{FASHION INCUBATOR}
provides a creative,
professional environment
to foster promising young
talent. By offering low-cost
design-studio space, business
mentoring, educational
seminars, and networking
opportunities, the program
helps participants to reach
their full potential and become
an integral part of the New
York fashion community.
Participating designers
were chosen by members
of the selection committee,
comprised of industry experts,
including retailers, editors,
and business leaders.
2012—2014
PARTICIPATING
DESIGNERS:
ARI DEIN
Arielle Shapiro
BURKMAN BROS
Ben & Doug Burkman
DANIEL VOSOVIC
Daniel Vosovic
EMANUELA DUCA
Emanuela Duca
ISAORA
Marc Daniels
& Ricky Hendry
JONATHAN SIMKHAI
Jonathan Simkhai
NUMBER:LAB
Luis Fernandez
& Greg Lawrance
REECE HUDSON
Reece Solomon
& Max Stein
Eric Gural, Seth
Pinsky, Diane von
Furstenberg,
Mayor Michael
Bloomberg,
Carolyn Maloney,
Joel Powers
MAYOR BLOOMBERG HOSTS PRESS
CONFERENCE AT { FASHION INCUBATOR }
2.13 In February, Mayor Bloomberg selected the {FASHION
INCUBATOR} as the location for a press conference during New
York Fashion Week to discuss the economic impact of the fashion
industry on New York City. The mayor was joined by CFDA
President Diane von Furstenberg, New York City Economic
Development Corporation President Seth Pinsky, and U.S.
Representative Carolyn Maloney.
19
TIMO WEILAND
Alan Eckstein
& Timo Weiland
partnership with W Hotels
Worldwide, which will
bring significant support
by helping designers grow
their businesses through
travel awareness, as
well as far-reaching digital
and brand-marketing
channels. Additional
financial support in 2012
was provided by Shopify.
SELECTION
COMMITTEE
Beth Buccini
& Sarah Easley,
KIRNA ZABÊTE
Lisa Smilor,
CFDA
Kevin Harter,
BLOOMINGDALE’S
Samina Virk,
TARGET*
Michael Isaacman,
MACK WELDON
Gary Wassner,
HILLDUN CORPORATION
Eric Jennings,
SAKS FIFTH AVENUE
Cindy Weber Cleary,
INSTYLE
Tony King,
KING & PARTNERS
*denotes affiliation
at time of selection
Aslaug
Magnusdottir,
MODA OPERANDI
BUSINESS
MENTORS
Lisa Metcalfe,
LAUNCH USA
Steven Alan,
STEVEN ALAN
Kyle Andrew,
KATE SPADE
Joseph Ferrara,
FERRARA MANUFACTURING
Jeffry Aronsson,
ARONSSON GROUP
Melissa
Gellman Weiss,
SHOPBOP.COM
Renee Barletta,
KCD WORLDWIDE
Kevin Harter,
BLOOMINGDALE’S
Robert Bergman,
BERGMAN
& ASSOCIATES
WHIT
Whitney Pozgay
Kate Lanphear,
ELLE *
Ari Bloom,
ARI BLOOM CONSULTING
SPONSORS
Aslaug
Magnusdottir,
MODA OPERANDI
Malcolm Carfrae,
CALVIN KLEIN
The {FASHION INCUBATOR}
program is generously
underwritten by Target,
with support from New
York City Mayor Michael R.
Bloomberg, New York City
Economic Development
Corporation (NYCEDC),
and Newmark Holdings.
In 2012 the {FASHION
INCUBATOR} announced a
Roopal Patel,
NEIMAN MARCUS*
Nicole Phelps,
STYLE.COM
Ronnie DeMichael,
ROCAWEAR
Paul Donaher,
LAIRD + PARTNERS
Shan Reddy,
REDLINE CONSULTING
Joseph Ferrara,
FERRARA
MANUFACTURING
Sally Singer,
T: THE NEW YORK TIMES
STYLE MAGAZINE *
Douglas Hand,
HAND BALDACHIN
& AMBURGEY, LLP
Jayne Harkness,
CONSULTANT
Christine Park,
CP CONSULTING
Roopal Patel,
ROOPAL PATEL
CONSULTING
Andrew Pollard,
CONSULTANT
Shan Reddy,
REDLINE CONSULTING
David Rees,
TEN THOUSAND THINGS
Jean Francois
Ricat,
CONSULTANT
Daniel Silver,
DUCKIE BROWN
Brooks Thomas,
BROOKS THOMAS GROUP
April Uchitel,
CONSULTANT
Gary Wassner,
HILLDUN CORPORATION
Theresa Wong,
THERESA WONG
Dao-Yi Chow,
Prabal
Gurung
Waris Ahluwalia,
Tom Scott,
Sang A Im-Propp
Maxwell
Osborne,
Dao-Yi Chow
Alice Ritter
CELEBRATION
FOR INAUGURAL CLASS
4.25 To celebrate the completion of the program by the
inaugural {FASHION INCUBATOR} class, the CFDA hosted
a party for the designers in the penthouse of the Mondrian
SoHo. The brand campaigns that the designers created with
masters in fashion photography students from the School of
Visual Arts adorned the walls, while business mentors, program
partners, and key industry gathered to celebrate the designers’
accomplishments and wish them continued success.
Danna
Kobo,
Rachel
Dooley
Justin
Giunta
Yuvi
Alpert
Bibhu
Mohapatra,
Waris
Ahluwalia
Natalie Levy,
Grant Krajecki
Joel Diaz,
Christina
LaPens
Business Mentor
Roopal Patel
Business Mentor
Shan Reddy,
Natalie Levy
Business
Mentor
Jospeh
Ferrara
Business Development Programming
>Monthly lectures and seminars address the key issue and
factors relevant to the growth of the designers’ businesses, with
subject matter including, but not limited to: development of
a business plan, branding, marketing, production, sales, legal,
finances, and raising investment capital.
Business
Mentor Nick
Wooster,
Maxwell
Osborne
The 2012
{FASHION INCUBATOR}
programming
included:
“Costing and
Line-Planning”
Lisa Metcalfe and Gary
Wassner
“Media Training”
Tim Braun and
Kathleen Friery
“Social-Media
Strategy
Consultations”
Socialyte Collective
“PR 101”
Elizabeth Musmanno,
Musmanno Group
“PR 101”
Hamilton South
and Lynn Tesoro,
HL Group
“PR 101”
Pierre Rougier,
PR Consulting
“E-commerce Design
and Development”
Tony King, King & Partners
Additionally, the
designers attended
all ProfessionalDevelopment
programming.
20
INITIATIVES
FASHION INCUBATOR
Whitney
Pozgay in
her new
studio
Annabelle
Tollman
OPEN HOUSE
>In May, the {FASHION
INCUBATOR} welcomed
the new class of designers.
The CFDA hosted an open
house on June 7 and invited
top retailers, editors, bloggers,
and stylists to visit the
{FASHION INCUBATOR}
and meet the ten designers
in their new studio spaces.
Bon Duke,
Prabal
Gurung
SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS
>The CFDA continues our partnership with the School
of Visual Arts’s masters in fashion photography program.
For the fall 2012 and spring 2013 terms, the program
opportunity was expanded from the ten {FASHION
INCUBATOR} companies to also include eight CFDA
Members. The fashion-photography students work
with the designers to create a brand campaign and short
film. Designers and photographers have full creative
freedom to develop a concept and format that is most
beneficial and relevant to articulating each designer’s
brand message. In addition, DNA Model Management
is supplying some of the top up-and-coming men and
women to take part in the projects.
Emanuela
Duca, Dirk
Standen
Daniel
Vosovic,
Linda Fargo
NYU STERN CONSULTING CORPS
Ricky
Hendry,
Fred
Howard,
Marc
Daniels
21
> Continuing the program with New York University’s
Stern Consulting Corps, wherein Stern MBA students
are paired with {FASHION INCUBATOR} designers to
work on financial materials, the spring 2012 semester
was dedicated to the development of investor-ready
business plans and pitch presentations. Combining the
2010–2012 and 2012–2014 classes of the {FASHION
INCUBATOR}, the NYU program nearly doubled in size:
sixteen companies participated with sixteen industry
advisors and fourteen MBA students.
Andrew
Rosen
PITCH DAY
Ben
Burkman,
Doug
Burkman
5.4 The 2012–2014 designers
worked for a total of five
months with MBA students
on financials, projections,
and ultimately an investorready business plan. To
conclude the NYU program,
the designers participated in
pitch day, where they were
charged with presenting their
business to a panel of investors,
including Brian Cohen,
Kikka Hanazawa, Lawrence
Lenihan, and Andrew Rosen.
The session was moderated by
New York Angel and business
mentor Joseph Ferrara. The
panel selected the company
that they felt had the strongest
pitch, and Shopify awarded the
winner $10,000. Additionally,
several members of the CFDA
{FASHION INCUBATOR}
Advisory Board generously
donated money to be awarded
to the MBA students who
participated: $3,000 for those
who worked with the winning
company, $1,500 awarded
to the Advisor’s Choice,
and $1,500 awarded to the
Designer’s Choice. Andrew
Rosen matched the Advisory
Board’s donation, for a total of
$10,000 in moneys awarded to
the NYU Stern MBA students.
Luis Fernandez,
Arielle Shapiro,
Whitney Pozgay,
Reece Solomon,
Daniel Vosovic,
Christian Cota
WGSN BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT
> As part of the {FASHION INCUBATOR}’s
business-development focus, WGSN hosted a breakfast
presentation for the designers to introduce them to
the resources that its Web site provides. WGSN is the
leading online trend-analysis and research service,
and provides creative and business intelligence for
the apparel, style, design, and retail industries. The
designers were given a free subscription to WGSN for
the duration of the two-year program.
W HOTELS: DOMESTIC SHOWCASES
AND INTERNATIONAL INSPIRATION TRIPS
>In 2012, the {FASHION
INCUBATOR} announced
a new partnership with W
Hotels Worldwide. More than
a significant contribution of
financial support, W Hotels
will also bring a new element of
global exposure to {FASHION
INCUBATOR} designers
through its portfolio of 42
hotels and retreats around
the world, as well as its deepreaching digital and brandmarketing channels.
9.5 Announcement Party
On September 5, the W Hotels
hosted a media breakfast
event in its Times Square
property’s penthouse to
announce the partnership with
the {FASHION INCUBATOR}.
Top editors, retailers, and the
program’s business mentors
gathered at the hotel to learn the
details and meet W Hotels VIPs.
12.1–12.3 Atlanta Showcase
As part of the partnership’s
goal to bring {FASHION
INCUBATOR} designers out
of New York City and into
markets that are important to
growing their businesses, W
Hotels hosted the first showcase
at its Buckhead property in
Atlanta. Burkman Bros,
Daniel Vosovic, Emanuela
Duca, and Whit participated.
Alan Eckstein, Timo Weiland, Reece Solomon,
Max Stein, Daniel Vosovic, Emanuela Duca,
Steven Kolb, Carlos Becil, Greg Lawrance,
Doug Burkman, Arielle Shapiro,
Ben Burkman, Ricky Hendry, Marc Daniels,
Luis Fernandez, and Whitney Pozgay
22
INITIATIVES
CFDA FASHION AWARDS
The CFDA
Fashion Awards
>Each June, the
international fashion
community gathers in
New York to celebrate the
best in American fashion
at the CFDA Fashion
Awards. Held annually
since 1981, the Awards
are the highest honor
that can be bestowed
on a member of the
fashion community.
Awards are given for
design excellence in
womenswear, menswear,
and accessory design,
as well as extraordinary
accomplishments in
journalism, creative
vision, personal style,
and lifetime achievement.
Additionally, each year the
CFDA honors emerging
design talent for their
achievements with the
Swarovski Awards.
Max Osterweis,
Erin Beatty
Antonio
Azzuolo,
Simon
Spurr
Todd
Snyder
Simon Spurr,
Patrik Ervell
NOMINEES AND HONOREES ANNOUNCED
Scott Schuman,
Garance Doré
3.14 CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg and Nadja
Swarovski feted the 2012 CFDA Fashion Awards nominees at
a party at the designer’s studio. Diane thanked Nadja for her
unwavering support of American fashion. Subsequently, Steven
Kolb, CEO, and Diane announced the nominees and honorees,
as well as the show’s host, Seth Meyers.
Awards
Program
>Trey Laird artdirected the CFDA
Fashion Awards
Journal. The journal
includes images shot
by Craig McDean,
with nominees
and honorees all
photographed in New
York locations specific
to their own lives and
interests. The cover
features a new take
on the CFDA logo in
its signature red color,
and was designed
to commemorate the
fiftieth anniversary
of the organization.
23
Pamela
Love
Jack
M c Collough,
Dakota
Fanning,
Lazaro
Hernandez
Partik
Ervell,
Olympia
Scarry
Marc
Jacobs,
Michael
Kors
Ashley
Olsen,
Tommy
Hilfiger,
Mary Kate
Olsen
Seth
Meyers
Zoe
Saldana
Scott
Schuman,
Garance
Doré
Billy Reid,
Simon Spurr
John
Waters
CFDA
FASHION
AWARDS,
LINCOLN
CENTER
Kate
Bosworth
6.4 This year’s CFDA Fashion
Awards marked a special
night for the organization.
Not only did the 2012 awards
gala, at Alice Tully Hall in
Lincoln Center, pay tribute
to the winners and honorees,
the event also commemorated
the organization’s fiftieth
anniversary. The show was
hosted by Saturday Night Live’s
head writer and “Weekend
Update” anchor, Seth Meyers.
For the first time in its history,
the event was digitally broadcast
the next day exclusively on
Style.com, and was sponsored
by Lexus. For the eleventh year,
the evening was generously
underwritten by Swarovski.
Nadja Swarovski,
Lily Collins
Kenneth
Cole,
Andrew
Rosen
Reed
Krakoff
Kieran Dallison,
Amanda Tran,
Jesse Rhoads,
Eileen Pappas
Joseph
Altuzzara,
Phillip Lim,
Tabitha
Simmons
Max
Osterweis,
Liu Wen,
Erin Beatty
Todd
Snyder,
Ana
Ceballos
Matt
Bomer
Jessica
Chastain
Erin Wasson,
Shaun White,
Antonio Azzuolo
Irene
Neuwirth,
Busy
Phillips
INITIATIVES
partnerships
CFDA
Members
at the
Metropolitan
Museum
of Art
Coco
Rocha
Decoded
Fashion Panel
4.30 Decoded Fashion
was a full-day fashionand-technology forum,
connecting the world’s
most innovative start-ups
and most noteworthy
technologies to the
fashion, beauty, and retail
industries to accelerate
innovation and increase
the bottom line. The
forum included a CFDA
designer panel and
discussions ranging from
streamlining checkout to
content-driven commerce.
OpenSky
Cocktail Party
“CINDY SHERMAN” AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
5.11 In May, CFDA Members were invited to attend a private
tour of “Cindy Sherman” given by curator Eva Respini. This survey
of the artist’s brilliant career brought together over 170 pieces
of Sherman’s work. Members enjoyed hearing the illuminating
stories behind some of her most famous photographs.
2.1 The CFDA and
OpenSky celebrated
the launch of the CFDA
store at opensky.com/
cfda. It debuted with
designs from Diane von
Furstenberg, Waris
Ahluwalia, Dana
Lorenz, Selima Optique,
and Albertus Swanepoel.
Over the course of the
year, additional Members
were featured each week
in the CFDA store.
Introduction of
Cultural Enrichment
Programming
MADE IN MIDTOWN
10.17 The CFDA partnered with the Design Trust for Public
Space to hold a press conference at the CFDA {FASHION
INCUBATOR}. The conference announced the findings in the
study “Making Midtown: A New Vision for a Twenty-first Century
Garment District in New York City.” CFDA Board Member
Yeohlee Teng and CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR} graduate
Dao-Yi Chow of Public School spoke on the importance of the
Garment District to their companies and design processes.
The “Making Midtown” study proved the connection of
proximity and creativity, established the Garment District
as an innovation hub, and helped stay the planned rezoning.
Phase two of “Making Midtown” concluded the study and
presented four recommendations: promote locally designed and
produced clothes, improve the Garment District’s public realm,
sustain a diverse mix of uses in the district (including garment
manufacturing), and establish a New York City fashion-innovation
center to showcase local design and production. Phase one of
the study is available online at madeinmidtown.org; for a copy
of the book, Making Midtown, please contact the CFDA.
25
12.6 The newly
formed CFDA Cultural
Enrichment Program
welcomed its first
component of the series
with a private tour for
Members of “Regarding
Warhol: Sixty Artists,
Fifty Years.” This
retrospective brought
together over 45 works
by Warhol, alongside 100
works by over 60 other
artists. The Cultural
Enrichment Program
is designed to inspire,
motivate, and enhance
the creativity of the
CFDA’s Membership.
The organization hopes to
continue with many other
cultural outings in 2013.
Steven Kolb, Lisa Mayock,
Jeff Halmos, Scott
Mackinlay Hahn, Rogan
Gregory, Billy Reid
METS COLLABORATION WITH THE CFDA
7.24 The CFDA and the New York Mets partnered to create
an exclusive Mets-apparel collection in celebration of both
organizations’ fiftieth anniversaries. Menswear designers
Billy Reid, Yigal Azrouël, Scott Mackinlay Hahn and Rogan
Gregory of Loomstate, and Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos
of Shipley & Halmos were chosen to design items for the
special collection. To celebrate the launch, the Mets invited
the entire CFDA membership and their families to watch the
game against the Washington Nationals.
The CFDA and Details Magazine
Auction Off Limited-Edition Pocket Squares
12.4 Details commissioned ten
Members of the CFDA to create
limited-edition pocket squares. As
part of the initiative, each designer
produced eleven pocket squares,
which were unveiled and auctioned
off at an event in New York on
December 4. The remaining pocket
squares were available for purchase
through men’s apparel e-tailer
bonobos.com for $100 each. Participating designers included
Scott Sternberg, Billy Reid, Michael Bastian, Marcus
Wainwright and David Neville, Richard Chai, Robert Geller,
and Tommy Hilfiger. All proceeds from the sale of the pocket
squares were directed to the CFDA Foundation, Inc.
“HATS: AN ANTHOLOGY” BY STEPHEN JONES
3.27 A private tour of “Hats: An Anthology by Stephen
Jones” at the Bard Center in Manhattan was arranged for
CFDA Members. The exhibition, which featured several of
our own designers, was displayed with the wit and whimsy of
the British milliner-to-the-stars, and revealed the boundless
creativity of Jones’s hat design.
Anna Carter,
Diane von
FurstenberG
Tory Burch,
Kirsten
Gillibrand
Target & Neiman
Marcus Holiday
Collection Launches
NRDC “CLEAN BY DESIGN” BREAKFAST
HOSTED BY CFDA AND VOGUE
4.16 Key industry leaders gathered at the Lambs Club to show
support for Clean by Design, an initiative from the National
Resources Defense Council in association with the CFDA and
Vogue. The program, which seeks to significantly reduce the
negative impact that the industry has on the environment, aims
to get designers, retailers, and brands to better understand their
supply chain and promote improvements at the factories they use.
12.1 Neiman Marcus and
Target teamed up for an
unprecedented partnership
in which they asked 24
CFDA designers to create
two items each for a limitededition holiday collection.
To celebrate the partnership,
Target and Neiman Marcus
pledged to donate a total of
$1 million to the CFDA.
Melissa Joy Manning,
Victoria Bartlett,
Pamela Love
CFDA Members
at DVF Store in
Shanghai
LEXUS ECO CHALLENGE WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT
9.10 The winners of the third-annual CFDA/Lexus Eco-Fashion
Challenge were announced at Milk Studios during New York
Fashion Week. The 2012 winners were Victoria Bartlett, Pamela
Love, and Melissa Joy Manning, who each received $25,000 to
be used toward the production of their fall 2013 collections. This
year the judges included Paulette Cole, Simon Collins, Julie Gilhart,
Jenné Lombardo, Zanna Roberts Rossi, and Lisa Smilor.
CFDA MEMBER PRIVATE TOUR OF “JOAQUIN SOROLLA
AND THE GLORY OF SPANISH DRESS” HOSTED
BY OSCAR DE LA RENTA AND ANDRÉ LEON TALLEY
Oscar de
la Renta,
André
Leon
Talley
1.17 For the second year in
a row, the CFDA partnered
with the Queen Sofia Spanish
Institute to host a private
tour and discussion of the
exhibition, “Joaquin Sorolla
and the Glory of the Spanish
Dress.” After viewing the
exhibition, Members enjoyed
a lively discussion between
host Oscar de la Renta and
the curator, André Leon Talley.
MEMBERS
TRIP TO CHINA
7.7–7.15 Deputy Director Lisa Smilor joined
eight CFDA Members’ brands on an eight-day
educational trip to Shanghai and Beijing:
Gemma Kahng, Janis by Janis Savitt, Kara
Ross, Melissa Joy Manning, Monique Péan,
Nicholas K, Nicole Miller, and Tracy Reece.
Presentations were made by the commercial
officer of the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai,
the commercial officer of the U.S. Embassy
in Beijing, leading legal and PR firms, and
the director of merchandising for the Gap,
which has recently entered the Chinese
market. Additionally, “field trips” to various
popular shopping areas and malls were
conducted, including Q & A opportunities
with the managers of Diane von Furstenberg’s
Shanghai location and Alexander Wang’s new
store in Beijing. Meetings with distributors
and multibrand retailers were arranged in
both cities. The trip confirmed that there
is a lot of potential for American brands to
develop their business within China.
Members on trip
GEMMA KAHNG
JANIS by JANIS SAVITT
KARA ROSS
MELISSA JOY MANNING
MADE POSSIBLE BY
The trip was made
possible by a State Trade
and Export Promotion
(STEP) grant from the
U.S. Small Business
Administration, which
underwrote more than 80
percent of the expenses.
Empire State Development
arranged for informational
presentations, including:
Jam Fashion Group
Overview of mainland
China Distribution
and Retail Systems
(Distributors, Department
Stores, Retailers, Licensors)
U.S. Department of
Commerce, Shanghai
Overview of East China
MONIQUE PÉAN
NICHOLAS K
NICOLE MILLER
TRACY REESE
Gap China
Retail in China: Views
and Trends of the
Chinese Retail Market,
and Gap’s Experiences
in Entering China
BICG Fashion Group
(leading PR firm in China)
Brand Introductions in
mainland China and the
Role of PR: How it Differs
from the U.S. Model
Baker & McKenzie
Overview of IntellectualProperty Issues for
Foreign Brands Entering
China and Brand-Name/
Logo-Registration issues
U.S. Department of
Commerce, Beijing
Overall China Trends,
5-Year China Plan,
Consumption Growth,
Logistics, and
E-commerce Growth
26
INITIATIVES
50th anniversary
Steven Kolb,
Patricia Mears,
Diane von
Furstenberg,
Valerie Steele
“IMPACT: 50 YEARS OF THE CFDA” OPENING PARTY
2.9 The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
(MFIT) feted the opening of “Impact: Fifty Years of the CFDA”
with a party hosted by the CFDA at the museum. Over 75
Members came out to celebrate.
“IMPACT: 50 YEARS OF THE CFDA” The Presidents Speak
3.6+4.10 CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg and
former CFDA President Stan Herman participated in the series
“The CFDA at 50: The Presidents Speak” at the Museum at FIT.
Both discussed their journey from young designers to seasoned
industry veterans. The lecture series was a component of the
CFDA’s fiftieth-anniversary celebrations.
Impact: 50 Years of the Cfda Published By Abrams
2.12 The CFDA, in partnership with Abrams, published Impact: 50 Years of the CFDA
as part of the organization’s fiftieth-anniversary celebration. Anchored by Museum at
FIT Deputy Director Patricia Mears’s illuminating essay on the history of the CFDA and a
foreword by New York Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn, the book explores the impact of
America’s most influential designers through over 300 personal statements and images.
“IMPACT: 50 YEARS OF
THE CFDA” PRESS PREVIEW
AT THE MUSEUM AT FIT
Kasper, Diane von Furstenberg, Oscar de
la Renta, Mary M c Fadden, Stan Herman
27
2.9 “IMPACT: 50 Years of the
CFDA” opened with a press
preview in the early hours of
February 9. The exhibition
and all of its components
were on display for members
of the press and the majority
of CFDA Board Members.
CFDA President Diane von
Furstenberg introduced the
exhibition and, in a heartfelt
speech, acknowledged her
fellow designers as part
of her extended family.
The exhibition opened to
the public on February 10.
WWD MILESTONEs
9.10 In celebration of the CFDA’s 50 years, a special WWD
Milestones section honored the accomplishments and impact
that the CFDA has had on the fashion industry. The publication
traced landmark moments, including FIT’s CFDA exhibition and
the 2012 CFDA Fashion Awards. WWD editors discussed the past,
present, and future of the CFDA, as well as copious charitable
endeavors and the commitment to supporting emerging designers.
3.1 Phillip Lim
Adrienne Vittadini
Anna Sui
Anne Klein
BCBG Maxazria
Bill Blass
Billy Reid
Calvin Klein, Inc.
Carole Hochman
Carolina Herrera
Claire McCardell
(Sponsored by
Michael Kors)
David Yurman
Derek Lam
Donna Karan
Diane von
Furstenberg
Elie Tahari
Geoffrey Beene
Giorgio di
Sant’ Angelo
(Sponsored
by Diane von
Furstenberg)
Halston
J. Mendel
J. Crew
John Varvatos
Judith Leiber
Juicy Couture
Kate Spade
Kay Unger
Kenneth Cole
Lincs
Liz Claiborne
Marc Jacobs
Michael Kors
Mimi So
Mollie Parnis
(Sponsored by
Carole Hochman)
Nanette LePore
Natori
Nicole Miller
Oscar de la Renta
Pamella Roland
Rag & Bone
Ralph Lauren
Reed Krakoff
Stan Herman
Stuart Weitzman
Theory
Tom Ford
Tommy Hilfiger
Tory Burch
Tracy Reese
Trina Turk
VERA WANG
2.10 This was the first museum
exhibition to celebrate the
CFDA. Approximately 100
garments and accessories
designed by the CFDA’s most
impactful creators of the last
fifty years were on view from
February 10 through April
20, 2012. Visual images and
acknowledgment of the nearly
600 designers who have been
members over the last five
decades existed in rotating
projections, a digital timeline,
designer directory, and runway
videos. Each living designer
selected to participate in
the exhibition chose a single
object or ensemble that best
represented his or her impact
on the fashion world. Work by
historical CFDA Members was
selected by exhibition curator
Patricia Mears. Conceived by
CFDA President Diane von
Furstenberg, “Impact: 50
Years of the CFDA” was an ode
to the illustrious designs of the
CFDA’s many Members.
“IMPACT: 50 Years
of the CFDA”
Goes on Tour
>Due to the success of the
exhibition, “Impact: 50 Years
of the CFDA” went on tour to the
Boca Raton Museum of Art from
January 29 to April 21, 2013.
The Stars
of American
Fashion
>The CFDA’s 50th Anniversary is coming to an
end and, as we look forward
to the next fifty years, we
are proud to have created
an endowment called the
Stars of American Fashion.
Fifty CFDA members each
designed a star and contributed
$50,000 to the fund. The end
result is a CFDA Flag created
by Laird and Partners that
now hangs in our new office. “IMPACT: 50 YEARS
OF THE CFDA” OPENS
at THE MUSEUM AT FIT
INITIATIVES
Professional development & legislation
Venture Capital
Pitch-Coaching
Panel
Discussion
at CFDA HQ
PR & COMMUNICATIONS
10.23 As a conclusion to the {FASHION INCUBATOR}’s PR
101 series, which took place over the summer, CFDA hosted
a panel discussion on public relations and communications
as it relates to a more established designer brand. Panelists
included Malcolm Carfrae, executive vice president of global
communications for Calvin Klein; Ed Filipowski, president
of KCD Worldwide; and Leslie Rubisch, global image and
communications director of Alexander Wang. Topics included
identifying a strong and consistent brand vision, pitch
strategies, digital PR, New York Fashion Week, managing
your publicist, celebrity placement, and social media.
Panel
Discussion
at Andaz
Fifth
Avenue
4.20 David S. Rose,
described by Businessweek as “the Pitch Coach,”
has vast experience
teaching entrepreneurs
how to effectively sell
their business to venture
capitalists and angel
investors. As the founder
and chairman emeritus of
New York Angels, he hears
more than 500 pitches
a year, and routinely
sees otherwise-great
companies turned away
because their fundraising
proposals completely
missed their target.
In a private coaching
session for the CFDA
Membership and
{FASHION INCUBATOR}
designers, David walked
participants through the
steps to best prepare and
deliver a presentation
that will give a company
the greatest chance of
being funded.
NYU STERN
Workshop
>In September 2012 the CFDA
extended to its Members the
ten-week NYU Stern workshop,
in which they were each paired
with a second-year MBA student
to work on a customized businessdevelopment project. Participating
CFDA Members included Marcia
Patmos, Melissa Joy Manning,
Robert Geller, Rogan Gregory,
Scott Hahn, Sam Shipley,
Jeff Halmos, and Tess Giberson.
QUICKBOOKS & OPERATIONS
4.2 Clair Dickinson, the client relationship manager at
Hilldun Corporation, lead a discussion about properly utilizing
Quickbooks, and how the program can streamline operational
procedures and processes for designers. The discussion covered
making a good invoice, coordinating inventory with the warehouse,
handling returns and allocations, creating purchase-order
contracts, and factoring. It was held at Soho House New York.
Fashion Law Clinics
1.27, 3.9, 4.27 The
Fashion Law Institute
at Fordham University
continued to host a series
of legal clinics exclusively
for CFDA Members.
These clinics were
available to Members
who had a specific issue
that they were seeking
advice on; it gave them
the opportunity to
schedule meetings with
volunteer attorneys who
were assisted by advanced
fashion-law students.
Panel
Discussion
at Soho
House
New York
JOOR SALES PANEL
5.16 Joor hosted a panel discussion—the second in its series—on
“How to Build a High-Performing Sales Organization.” The event
took place at Soho House New York, where panelists included Beth
Bugdaycay, founder and CEO of Rebecca Taylor; Monica Botkier,
creative director of Botkier; Lynn Rossetti of Steven Alan; Theresa
Wong, former vice president of sales for Vince menswear and
Dsquared2; and Uri Minkoff, founder and CEO of Rebecca Minkoff.
Storytelling
Workshop
at Mondrian
Soho
International
and Domestic
Trademark Seminar
GROWTH: THE POWER OF INVESTMENT
4.17 The CFDA and Fireman Capital Partners hosted
a panel discussion moderated by journalist Teri Agins
that addressed investment opportunities and covered
why, when, and how—from financial partnerships to
banking options. The CFDA Membership and {FASHION
INCUBATOR} designers heard from private-equity
partners, received legal and branding advice, and were
spoken to by a fashion entrepreneur who had recently
gone through the investment process. Panelists included
William D. Busko, managing director of Consensus
Advisors; Hamilton South, founding partner of HL Group;
Todd Finger, Esq, capital partner at McDermott, Will &
Emery; Peter Kim, founder and CEO of Hudson Clothing.
It was hosted by Marla A. Sabo, partner at Fireman Capital.
29
3.19 The U.S. Department
of Commerce, the office
of U.S. Senator Kirsten
Gillibrand, and the
CFDA hosted a seminar
for Members to
discuss domestic and
international trademarks.
Topics included fonts
and colors, mascots, logos,
dates, and brand rules,
among many others.
Seminar took place at
the Bryant Park Hotel.
KAREN HARVEY WORKSHOP FOR MEMBERS
8.21 Karen Harvey hosted a two-day storytelling-training
workshop at the Mondrian SoHo to empower CFDA Members
by teaching them how to further articulate, translate, and
differentiate their story for different audiences, ranging from
press to buyers to investors.
Employment Law
>Douglas Hand,
founding partner of
Hand Baldachin &
Amburgey LLP, hosted
and moderated a
panel discussion, titled
“Workplace Regulation:
Employment Law &
Practical Advice,” that
covered elements of labor
and employment law
most germane to CFDA
Members who have
employees ranging from
designers, graders, patternmakers, merchandisers,
stylists, in-house PR,
licensing executives,
and financial and
administrative personnel.
Topics included
harassment, wage notice,
termination issues,
intern programs, the
independent contractor/
employee distinction, and
the exempt/nonexempt
employee distinction.
Ellen Weir, vice president
and senior employment
counsel at Ann Taylor;
Jules Halpern, founder
and principal of Halpern
Employment Law
Advisors; and Bonnie
Klugman, partner at
Becker, Glynn, Muffly,
Chassin & Hosinski
addressed the Members
and participated in a
robust question-andanswer session afterward.
Robert
Geller,
Alexis Bryan
Morgan
Erin
Fetherston
Chris
Benz,
Dana
Lorenz
Jeffrey
Costello,
Robert
Tagliapietra
Deborah
Lloyd, Anna
Corinna,
Dana Foley
Maria Cornejo,
Brenda Halkias,
Monique Péan
EBAY and CFDA
YOU CAN’T FAKE FASHION
PRESS PREVIEW AND DINNER
3.15 Following the sold-out 2011 summer collection, the CFDA
and eBay re-connected for a second round of the You Can’t Fake
Fashion campaign. Seventy-six CFDA Members each customized
a tote bag to be sold on ebay.com as part of an initiative to raise
awareness about counterfeits. The launch of the program was
celebrated with a press preview at CorkScrew wine bar and a private
dinner for participating designers at the Lion in the West Village.
Innovative Design
Protection Act
9.19 The Senate Judiciary
Committee Passed
the Innovative Design
Protection Act. On
September 19, the Senate
Judiciary Committee
passed the Innovative
Design Protection Act
(IDPA), sponsored by
Senator Charles Schumer
(Democrat, NY). The bill,
which will now proceed to
the Senate floor, provides
copyright protection for
fashion designs. This
is an important step in
the legal protection of
designers’ creations.
The Fashion
Law Institute
>The CFDA has teamed
up with the Fashion
Law Institute to provide
valuable legal assistance
to independent and
emerging designers in
the fashion industry.
With the help of the
institute, we are able to
offer educational and
legal consultations for
designers who previously
had no access to industry
legal advice.
DESIGN MANIFESTO REDESIGN
>For the second consecutive year, the CFDA commissioned a
Design Manifesto poster and journal that were distributed as
part of the organization’s mission to fight counterfeiting. The
2012 design was created by Pascal Dangin, founder and CEO of
Box Studios, and features a graphic that looks like thread going
through a needle. The manifesto debuted at Member Prabal
Gurung’s fashion show, and was also mailed to over 800 associates
of the CFDA. “Originality is the ability to think independently
and creatively,” said Steven Kolb in a letter that accompanied the
manifesto mailing. “We hope our Design Manifesto serves as a
positive influence for all working designers!”
30
PHILANTHROPY
31
The CFDA Foundation, Inc., is
a separate not-for-profit
organization that was created
to raise funds for charitable
initiatives and campaigns on
behalf of the American fashion
industry’s designers. The CFDA’s
main philanthropic efforts include
Fashion Targets Breast Cancer
and the CFDA/ Vogue initiative,
a philanthropic collaboration
with Vogue magazine that raises
moneys via 7th on Sale for HIV
and AIDS organizations.
32
Philanthropy
FASHION TARGETS BREAST CANCER
FTBC Introduction
> Fashion Targets Breast Cancer® (FTBC),
a charitable initiative of the CFDA Foundation,
marshals the goodwill and services of every element
of the fashion industry. Fashion designers, leading
retailers, models, celebrities, fashion photographers,
and media, advertising, and PR firms come together
to raise public awareness and funds for the breast
cancer cause, in the U.S. and internationally.
New Web Site
> In September,
FTBC launched a new
e-commerce site, fashion
targetsbreastcancer.com,
designed and operated by
Villency Design Group.
The site is the exclusive
retailer of the 2012 FTBC
T-shirt, and sells the
T-shirt worldwide.
Runway Relief
Grant Recipients
>In 2012, FTBC donated
grants to the Ralph
Lauren Center for Cancer
Care and Prevention,
SHARE: Self-help for
Women with Breast
or Ovarian Cancer, and
Maimonides Medical
Center. Each program
focuses on patient care.
Elson & Company
>In the fourth year
of a partnership with
CFDA, Elson & Company
continued to sell its
exclusive, limited-edition
home rugs designed
by CFDA Members.
Titled the Fashion
Underfoot II collection,
it provides 10 percent
of the sales from each
carpet to benefit FTBC.
Dr. Christina
Giuliano, Karolina
Kurkova, Donna
Marie Manasseh
KAROLINA KURKOVA
T-shirt CAMPAIGN
>For the first time in many years, FTBC launched
an International T-shirt campaign, which featured
Karolina Kurkova in the newly designed Target T-shirt
that incorporates the original FTBC logo designed by
Ralph Lauren. The campaign was photographed by Greg
Lotus and styled by Lori Goldstein. The shirt is for sale at
fashiontargetsbreastcancer.com for $34.99.
To show her support for FTBC, Karolina visited
Maimonides Breast Cancer Center (a recipient of an FTBC
grant in 2011) in Brooklyn, where she met with patients,
doctors, and other hospital staff while receiving a tour of the
new eco-friendly facility.
33
Commando
>For the second year in a row,
CFDA Member Kerry O’Brien of
Commando donated $5 from every
item sold at herlook.com to FTBC.
>For the third consecutive year, Nine West partnered with the
CFDA to raise awareness and donations for FTBC through the
Nine West Runway Relief initiative. Nine West created an exclusive
collection for the cause, including a Runway Relief tank, boots,
jewelry, sunglasses, a backpack, and hat. Runway Relief partnered
with Fiat to decorate a fleet of Fiat 500 cars with FTBC and Runway
Relief branding. The cars were used to shuttle models, editors,
bloggers, and VIPs around during Fashion Week in September.
Additionally, to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Runway
Relief auctioned off a Fiat (donated by the manufacturer) on
eBay to raise money for the cause. Nine West worked with Hanky
Panky and Jet Jeans by John Eshaya to create exclusive cobranded
products with proceeds benefiting Runway Relief recipients.
The campaign, photographed by Nigel Barker, ran in national
magazines, including Vogue, Elle, and InStyle. The top models of
the campaign contributed to the cause during New York’s spring
Fashion Week, where each step they took off the runway in the
Runway Relief booties equaled a monetary donation to FTBC.
Participating models included Chrissy Teigen, Ariel Meredith, and
Catrinel Menghia.
This season, Nine West took the program to the next level by
developing a Runway Relief PSA video featuring Members Diane
von Furstenberg, Charlotte Ronson, and Tracy Reese. In
addition to raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the cause,
the 2012 campaign generated nearly 300 million page views.
FTBC International Participation
INTERNATIONAL INTRODUCTION
demonstrating through photography the different
ways that they use the products. From October 1 to
14, Rethink posted images taken by the 24 contest
participants, showcasing twelve products; the public
voted for their favorite photos. FTBC tees were styled
by Lolitta Dandoy of fashioniseverywhere.com
(@lolittadandoy; 5,000 unique views per month),
who received 2,821 votes; and Amy Nelson of
amyflyingakite.com (@amyflyingakite), who got 1,764
votes. In all, the contest received over 11,000 votes,
and 15 million media impressions were garnered for
the entire October promotional campaign.
The success of FTBC as a brand led the CFDA
Foundation to license the FTBC symbol and campaign
model for use in other countries. FTBC campaigns
have been produced in Argentina, Australia,
Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Greece, Iceland,
Ireland, Japan, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.
International campaigns have received continued
support from a variety of retailers, partners and
sponsors, including: Avon, Brown Thomas, DuPont
Lycra, Hering, Holt Renfrew, Marks & Spencer,
Miele, Target Australia, TopShop, Unibanco, and
Visa. Sublicense agreements with companies such
as Kimberly Clark have raised additional awareness
and funds. In all of our FTBC partner countries, top
designers from specific markets have participated.
With the proceeds from these worldwide FTBC
campaigns, the CFDA Foundation helps to fund
programs that provide access to reliable resources,
breast cancer–prevention education, innovative
information, and health care.
In 2012, El Exito continued to sell the limited-edition
FTBC T-shirt, which Esteban Cortazar designed in
three different colorways. The sales from the shirts are
donated to the Fundación Ellen Riegner de Casa, an
organization providing treatment, care, and financial
assistance to low-income breast cancer patients in
Colombia.
Australia
Cyprus
In 2012, FTBC continued its work with the National
Breast Cancer Foundation in Australia. For more
information, visit nbcf.org.au.
FTBC Cyrpus benefits the European Breast
Cancer Coalition.
Colombia
Greece
Brazil
FTBC Brazil is the first and largest international
partner, and hosts numerous events and creates
dozens of new FTBC products each year. All money
raised thru FTBC Brazil is donated to the Brazilian
Institute for Cancer Control. Recently, FTBC donated
close to $3 million dollars to create a large-scale
building-refurbishments-and-expansion program.
Canada
This year, along with traditional media outreach
in support of its pink product and service partners,
Rethink Breast Cancer developed a unique socialmedia promotional campaign called Battle Pink!
Writers, on-air talent, stylists, and bloggers competed
in a first-ever creative battle royal during the month of
October that raised awareness and funds for Rethink
Breast Cancer. Rethink asked style mavens, fitness
fanatics, It girls, and media personalities to take
these products and face off in a creative challenge,
All funds from FTBC Greece benefit Stohos-Prolipsi, a
not-for-profit foundation that provides free-of-charge
breast examinations to women in Greece.
Ana Rita Clara, Adelaide Sousa, and Astrid Werdnig,
well-known TV presenters and models in Portugal
who had all participated in past campaigns, supported
FTBC again to help promote the three sets of lingerie
that form the basis of the campaign, along with
specially packaged boxes of FTBC Lingerie Wash. The
campaign launched with a cocktail party in September
and ran through December. TV appearances,
print and outdoor ads, and a strong presence on
Facebook all helped to promote the campaign, and
the possibility of buying the FTBC international
shirt online added to the renewed FTBC presence
in Portugal this year. Funds from the campaign will
be used to support Laço’s first-ever research grant:
Research to Make a Difference, which will be awarded
annually to a research project in Portugal focused on
identifying the causes of breast cancer.
United Kingdom
Breakthrough Breast Cancer, launched in 1996, is
the U.K.’s largest breast cancer charity. Through
selling the famous Fashion Targets Breast Cancer
T-shirts and lots of other must-have fashion pieces,
the campaign has raised over £12 million for the work
of Breakthrough, which is committed to helping save
lives of women in the U.K. through lifesaving research
and a unified approach to defeating breast cancer. Its
mission is simple: Save lives by enabling and ensuring
access to improvements in breast cancer prevention,
diagnosis, and treatment. To find out more, go to
breakthrough.org.uk.
Ireland
Since launching in 2005, FTBC Ireland has featured
handbags by Orla Keily, Marc Jacobs, and Tory
Burch, which were sold by the retailer partner Brown
Thomas. Of the moneys raised from the sales of the
FTBC product, 90 percent went to funding the Irish
Cancer Society’s Action Breast Cancer program, which
provides services for women diagnosed with breast
cancer. Ten percent of the moneys raised benefit
Europa Donna Ireland, a patient-advocacy group
that campaigns for better breast cancer services
Portugal
In 2012, Laço relaunched Fashion Targets Breast
Cancer in Portugal with a dynamic new lingerie retail
company called Dama de Copas (“Queen of Hearts”).
SUPPORTERS
ABE GURKO
FAIRCHILD
PUBLICATIONS
MICROSOFT
GLAM MEDIA
THE NEW
YORK TIMES
GREG LOTUS
NICHE MEDIA
HANKY PANKY
NINE WEST
HARRY JOSH
PAPER MAGAZINE
HEARST
PEREZ HILTON
HENRI BENDEL
PRIME PICTURES
COMMANDO
INDUSTRIA
SUPERSTUDIO
QVC
CONDÉ NAST
JURLIQUE
CURVEXPO
KAROLINA
KURKOVA
AG/ARNELL GROUP
ALTRUETTE
BEAU NELSON
BETSEY JOHNSON
B2PRO
BUNKER MEDIA
CARLOS MIELE
EBAY
ELSON &
COMPANY
LORI GOLDSTEIN
M.PATMOS
SIDEWAYS
TIME INC.
VILLENCY
DESIGN GROUP
ZOE REPORT
34
Philanthropy
HEALTH Initiative
Health Initiative Update
>The message of Health as Beauty continues, with top
modeling agencies and many leading casting directors
pledging not to hire models under the age of sixteen for shows. At the recommendation of the Model Alliance, the CFDA
updated the guidelines of the initiative to include having
photographers cleared for first looks to respect models’ privacy.
Jessica Stam
Public-Relations
Roundtable
8.28 CFDA Members’
public-relations
representatives
came together for a
roundtable discussion
about the Health
Initiative and its
guidelines. Late-night
hours and wait times,
not casting models
under sixteen years of
age, providing healthy
food backstage, and
sending the message
of health were leading
discussion points.
Vogue Takes the
Health Initiative
International
Ambassador Program Continues
>The Ambassador Program, launched in 2011, continues as
experienced models serve as mentors to their younger peers. Jessica Stam spoke at IMG’s Model Prep event and gave insight
and advice on the industry. Past mentors include DNA models
Stella Tennant, Marilyn Agency’s Sara Ziff, IMG model Lily
Aldridge, and Next’s Karlie Kloss and Elettra Wiedemann.
Alina Cho, Karolina
Kurkova, Monique Péan,
Elettra Wiedemann,
Arianna Huffington
>The Health
Initiative, a pact
between the nineteen
international editors
of Vogue to encourage
a healthier approach
to body image within
the industry, was
announced. Vogue is
uniquely positioned
to engage with
relevant issues in
order to make a
difference, and the
Health Initiative will
build on the successful
work that the CFDA,
with the support of
Vogue in the U.S. and
the British Fashion
Council in the U.K.,
has already begun.
QVC PARTNERS WITH FTBC
>QVC partnered with the CFDA to support FTBC for the third
year in a row, with a Vogue magazine–designed Fashion’s Night Out
tote bag that was available on qvc.com. QVC donated $10,000 to
FTBC from moneys raised by the sale of the tote.
“A Well-Balanced
Life” panel discussion
2.7 The CFDA joined forces with Vogue to host a pre–Fashion
Week panel discussion titled “A Well-Balanced Life,” which was
held in the Robert Restaurant at the Museum of Arts and Design.
The panelists, including models Elettra Wiedemann and Karolina
Kurkova, Huffington Post editor Arianna Huffington, and
jewelry designer Monique Péan, engaged in a lively discussion
moderated by CNN’s Alina Cho. Participants spoke on a wide
variety of topics, ranging from Kurkova’s first Vogue cover to
Huffington’s daughter’s experience with anorexia, and ultimately
stressed the need for balance, education, and awareness.
35
Linda Fargo,
Michael Kors
Oscar de
la Renta
Anna
Wintour,
Dwyane
Wade
Olivier
Theyskens,
Andrew
Rosen
Karlie
Kloss
Stacey
Bendet
The Scene
Downtown
Fourth
consecutive
Fashion’s
Night Out
Celebration
Francisco
Costa with
models
>The CFDA, in partnership with Vogue and NYC & Company,
was proud to celebrate the fourth-annual Fashion’s Night Out
in 2012. With stores in over 500 cities nationwide participating,
this year marked FNO’s biggest turnout yet. In honor of the
celebration, participants in New York shopped under the glow
of the Empire State Building, which was, for the first time, awash
in FNO red. Eco-conscious shoppers visited the Ford Fusion eco-design pop-up based in the heart of the Meatpacking District,
while makeup-lovers received free mini-makeovers aboard the
Maybelline New York Makeover Truck. As in the past, 40 percent
of the proceeds will benefit the New York City AIDS Fund in the
New York Community Trust. FNO had already raised more than
$1.5 million in the first three years of the initiative.
36
IN GENERAL
The CFDA’s
New Offices
>In the summer of 2012, the CFDA moved into new offices
at 65 Bleecker Street. After more than fifteen years at 1412
Broadway, the CFDA needed to increase work space to
accommodate a growing organization. Robin Zendell of Retail
Space Partners was the broker, and Douglas Hand of Hand
Baldachin & Amburgey LLP served as legal counsel. The new
office is on the eleventh floor of the landmark Bayard-Condict
Building, located between Broadway and Lafayette Street.
The historical building is the only design by Chicago architect
Louis Sullivan in New York City.
The new space allows for board meetings, Member
meetings, professional-development clinics, and events to
be held in the offices. It is also available for Members to use
for their own business needs. The open–work space design
plays on the six-foot windows and incredible views. The main
colors are CFDA’s red, black, and white. Upon entering the
office, visitors immediately see the CFDA mission statement
and eight-foot Trova, the CFDA Fashion Awards statue. Wall
art includes the design manifesto, CFDA’s seven books, and the
Stars of American Fashion flag.
The CFDA
partnered with
retailer Design
Within Reach
and architects
Sayigh + Duman
to design the
space. CFDA
could not have
developed this
space without
the help of
our partners.
They include:
Robin Zendell
of Retail Space
Partners, LLC
Sayigh + Duman
(architects)
Leasehold
improvements
(design and
construction)
Team CIS
(capitalimprovement
services)
USM Modular
Furniture
(cabinetry
and tables)
Design Within
Reach (chairs and
kitchen tables)
Vitra (sofas)
Flos (desk lamps)
Humanscale
(ergonomic
monitor arms)
HP (computers:
servers, desktops,
and laptops)
Samsung
(conferenceroom TV)
Benjamin Moore
(red paint)
Ralph Lauren
(cool, neutral paints)
John Esty Framing
(Frames for
Office Artwork)
Hand Baldachin
& Ambergey
(Lease Negotiation)
DIGITAL EXPANSION
>The CFDA continued to expand its digital presence in 2012.
Growth included a new Web site and social-media platforms that
encompassed a digital audience of almost 1.5 million followers.
CFDA.COM RELAUNCHed
>C
FDA.com was relaunched by digital advertising agency
Sideways. Bigger and bolder images, social integration, and the
addition of a news and blog section are some of the new features.
A content-forward approach has driven the message of the CFDA
to a broader audience, too. Expanded Member profiles have been
an integral focus, giving prominence to their stories and equal
placement to all CFDA Members, past and present. Video integration
on the new site has allowed CFDA to create richer content with film
production companies such as Spreadhouse, Marcus K. Jones, and
others. The new site, now optimized for search and social media,
makes the CFDA an active participant in fashion online.
37
Social
Media
> Social media continued to grow to
a digital audience of almost 1.5 million
followers across the CFDA’s platforms.
New additions for 2012 included Google
Plus and Pinterest. Digital media has
become an integral communication
tool to support our Member designers,
as well as the fashion industry as a
whole. Content creation for our digital
media has included designer profiles,
event coverage, New York Fashion
Week reportage, and video features.
Pinterest
13,000 + Followers
Facebook
95,000+Likes
Twitter
155,000 + Followers
Youtube
200,000+Video views
Instagram
44,000 + Followers
Google Plus
1.3 million + Followers
tweet and meet
> In 2012 we held our first digital
networking event, cohosted by
Stylecaster, at the Standard in New
York. Thirty of our digital friends
attended Tweet & Meet, including
model Coco Rocha.
Tumblr
95,000+Followers
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Diane von
Furstenberg,
President
Michael Kors,
Vice President
Marcus Wainwright,
Vice President
Selima Salaun,
Treasurer
Vera Wang,
General Secretary
Tory Burch
Kenneth Cole
Philip Crangi
Oscar de la Renta
Stan Herman
Lazaro Hernandez
Tommy Hilfiger
Carole Hochman
Marc Jacobs
Norma Kamali
Reed Krakoff
Derek Lam
Ralph Lauren
Jenna Lyons
Jack M c Collough
Tracy Reese
Narciso Rodriguez
Kara Ross
Mimi So
Yeohlee Teng
Isabel Toledo
David Yurman
EMERITUS BOARD
Linda Allard
Jeffrey Banks
Leigh Bantivoglio
John Bartlett
Dana Buchman
David Chu
Francisco Costa
Louis Dell’Olio
Marc Ecko
Carlos Falchi
Carolina Herrera
Alexander Julian
Donna Karan
Kasper
Calvin Klein
Richard
Lambertson
Mary M c Fadden
Nicole Miller
Robert Lee Morris
Mary Ann Restivo
Patrick Robinson
Kate Spade
Cynthia Steffe
Monika Tilley
Patricia
Underwood
John Varvatos
Gerard Yosca
STAFF
Steven Kolb,
Chief Executive
Officer
Lisa Smilor,
Executive Director
CaSandra Diggs,
Deputy Director
of Finance &
Administration
Kelly M c Cauley,
Director of
Communications
Sacha Brown,
Educational
Initiatives Manager
Emilie Fife,
Programs
Coordinator
Neil Gilks,
Senior Project
Manager
Kristine Keller,
Digital
Communications
Manager
Erin Kent,
Executive Assistant
to Chief Executive
Officer & Executive
Director
Lucy Malii,
Office Manager
Sara Maniatty,
Programs Manager
Sophie Marx,
Communications
Manager
Johanna Stout,
Professional
Development
Manager
INTERNS
Jamily Balbino,
Communications
Katelyn Cervini,
Professional
Development
Miloni Choksi,
Communications
Lauren Cooper,
Communications
Kelsey Fairhurst,
Communications/
Graphics
Justine Hwang,
Professional
Development
Leigh King,
Communications
Stacey Levine,
Professional
Development
council of fashion designers of america
65 Bleecker Street, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10012
Kyle Newton,
Communications/
Graphics
Dillon Petito,
Communications
Lauren Wolfen,
Business Affairs
Aileen Wang,
Communications/
Graphics
Please send
financialstatement
inquiries
to CaSandra
Diggs at c.diggs
@ cfda.com
C o uncil of fashion designers of A m e ri ca
65 Bl e e cke r St reet, 11th Floor
N e w York , NY 10012