FGI Rising Stars 2009

FEATURE 12th Annual Rising Star Awards 3 LOOKING BACK Henri Bendel

2009

12th Annual Rising Star Aw a rd s

4 BEAUTY SYMPOSIUM Beauty Game Changers

AND THE WINNER IS… Accessories

5 UPCOMING EVENTS

Claudia, Laura and Alejandra Laviada for Pantera

6 RTW COLLECTIONS Trend Report, Fall/Winter 2009/2010

Julie Birns for Prescriptives, Estée Lauder Companies

7 BRIGADOON REVISITED 8 BULLETIN BOARD NEW MEMBERS

• Beauty / Fragrance Corporate

• Beauty / Fragrance Entrepreneur • Fine Jewelry Ariane Zurcher for Ariane Zurcher Jewelry

• Beauty / Fragrance Corporate From left: Rising Star Julie Birns for Prescriptives with presenter Amy Synnott, beauty director, InStyle

THE PUBLICATIONS C O M M I T T E E

Home / Interior Design Wayne Ludlum for Vestalife

• Men’s Apparel Carlos Campos for Carlos Campos Sergio Davila for Sergio Davila

Chair Adrienne Youngstein Gruberg, Creative Strategist, AY & A

Cathy Gins for Aromawear, LLC

Accessories From left: Presenter Ann Watson, VP & fashion director, Henri Bendel, and Rising Star Claudia Laviada for Pantera

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Retail Alexandra Adame & Nikki Fontanella for The Dressing Room Boutique & Bar

Co-Chairs Wendy D'Amico

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Creative Consultant

Women’s Apparel Christian Cota for Christian Cota, Inc.

Wendi Winters Freelance Writer, Reporter and Public Relations Consultant QuantumStep, Inc.

Fine Jewelry From left: Rising Star Ariane Zurcher, Ariane Zurcher Jewelry, with jeweler Paul Morelli, presenter

Committee Arlene Eisner, Cover New York Joyce Kauf, Web Content Strategist Katie Kretschmer, Editor / Contributing Writer Dominique Pasqua, Creative Director, PasquaDirect Stacy Lomman, Contributing Writer Jerry Dellova, Contributing Writer Foreign Correspondents Christine Jackson Yolanda Serra Graphic Design Debora DeCarlo, DDC Graphics Photography Miriam Driot, FGI Director of Special Events

Beauty / Fragrance Entrepreneur From left: Rising Star Cathy Gins, Aromawear, with presenter Jane Lauder

Photography Editor CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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Home / Interior Design: From left: Interior decorator Chris Madden, presenter, with Rising Star Wayne Ludlum, Vestalife

Rising Star Awards

“The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.”

— Carl Jung With every passing year, Fashion Group International raises the bar on what is considered “innovative and creative,” the two qualities upon which entrants for the Rising Star Awards are judged. In turn, with each passing year, the finalists up the ante a notch, or more. For the last 12 years, the world of fashion has seen the best-of-the-best new, creative minds crescendo into a bright and dynamic future, propelled by these fame-making awards. This year’s entrants “played” with so many manifestations of the creative process it made voting more challenging than ever.

The ceremonial luncheon was held on January 29 in Rockefeller Center’s renowned Rainbow Room. Fashion Group International’s president Margaret Hayes began the festivities by reminding the sold-out audience of the importance of this award in regard to the FGI Mission Statement.

Retail From left: Rising Stars Alexandra Adame and Nikki Fontanella, The Dressing Room Boutique & Bar, with presenter Barbara Hulanicki, founder of BIBA

Ms. Hayes thanked the generous sponsors of this year’s event, InStyle magazine and bebe; and expressed FGI’s gratitude to Movado, which provided the awards.

Keynote speaker Tory Burch spoke of the trials and tribulations of starting a fashion business. Burch, the 2005 Rising Star Awards recipient for Retail, noted how, even in the best of markets, “launching a brand is a risky undertaking.” She described it as a “lengthy process…we ask ourselves, does the world really need another fashion label?”

Her solution for this question: “Find a void to fill,” and get through the difficulties that every market presents by being extremely focused. In developing her own collections Tory says, “if there is a question about a particular piece, it is edited out.”

The concepts of innovation and creativity often include drama and edginess, all translating into the “new.” This year’s winners showed us “new” in the experimental, if not all out provocative.

Men’s Apparel: From left: Rising Star Sergio Davila for Sergio Davila, with presenter Alex Badia, fashion director DNR and Rising Star Carlos Campos for Carlos Campos

The simply must haves were splashed all over the Corporate Fragrance category. The Entrepreneurial Fragrance category turned-out a demonstration of the nature-meetsglamour friendliness or wearable aromatherapy for you or the person who breathes near you. The simply I wants showed up well-fastened within the Women’s Apparel exhibits, and chilled-out new ways to shop were displayed in the Retail section. In the Men’s Wear category, there was a tie for the winner’s laurels. We saw knitted jackets and waistcoats achieving the elusive: bulky knitwear behaving like tailored suiting fabrics.

And, Accessories showed us the love we all have for the perfect handbag.

If you are an FGI executive member, this reporter encourages you to vote in next year’s Rising Star Awards. Follow up by treating yourself to a ticket to the awards luncheon for an experience you won’t soon forget.

–– Dominique Pasqua Creative Director, PasquaDirect pasquadirect@yahoo.com

Women’s Apparel From left: Rising Star Christian Cota for Christian Cota, with designer Phillip Lim, presenter

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ooking Back

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charismatic shoe genius, Jerry Miller, grandson of the theatrical shoemaker, Israel Miller. (The statues of Ethel Barrymore, Mary Pickford, Rosa Ponselle and Marilyn Miller, atop the original I. Miller building on 46th street, still look out over Broadway.) Jerry, whose madcap ideas knew no bounds, dressed his “shoe girls” in leather shorts and transparent shirts (sans underpinnings)—a dress code that required a contingent of New York’s Finest to maintain crowd control at the store’s entrance.

About a year or so into my life as a fashion copywriter at Macy’s, I began to pick up snippets of news about Henri Bendel and its new young president, Geraldine Stutz. Mesmerized by the brilliance and chic of this dazzling 30-something, my one-and-only heart’s desire was to be a part of the magical and alluring aura that was beginning to float around Bendel’s. Determined, I called week after week to inquire about openings. Nothing available. Then, in a stroke of luck—or destiny—I was summoned to an interview at Norman, Craig & Kummel for a copy position on the Revlon account.

Yes, my writing skills qualified me for the job, but Helen Van Slyke, who managed the Revlon business, thought that at the tender age of 22 I was probably not tough enough to navigate the treacherous shoals of that notoriously difficult account. However, she had a dear friend and colleague for whom she thought I’d be a perfect fit.

Fast-forward three months to find me in seventh heaven in my new position as advertising and promotion director at Henri Bendel.

Gerry Stutz was about three years into the renovation of what had been for years a fashionable carriage-trade store, now faded and in decline.

The iconic Street of Shops was not yet finished, but the Bendel guidelines were all in place: nothing over a size 10; no labels other than the Bendel label in or on anything and, while certain designers could sell their lines to other retailers, any pieces carried by Bendel had to be exclusive to the store.

Time progressed and Gerry used her charm, style, unfailing eye and the investigative skills of a modern-day Sherlock Holmes to troll the little hidden shops and ateliers of Paris and London, and discover and bring to America the likes of Sonia Rykiel, Jean Muir, Zandra Rhodes and Thea Porter among others. Stateside, Ellen Brooke for Sportswear Couture, John Kloss, Clovis Ruffin, John Anthony, Eric Lund, Jacques Tiffeau, Donald Brooks and later, one of Gerry’s greatest finds, Stephen Burrows, were turning out the glorious little coats and dresses, sportswear and evening things found only, in the world, in Cachet, Savvy, Young Bendel and Bendel’s Fancy.

At the same time, the eagle-eyed Bendel team scouted the world for the rare and the fanciful, the

elegant and the unusual for the completed boutiques along the Street of Shops. The Paper Shop had a corner for the elite among bespoke stationers, Mrs. John L. Strong. The Jeweler, all glitter and shine, tempted shoppers with Kenneth Jay Lane’s immaculate copies of Paul Flato’s 1920s clips, Seaman Schepps’ link bracelets and shell earrings and David Webb’s Maltese crosses and panther cuffs. For only the most exclusive and special cosmetic lines and Bendel’s private-label fragrances—10 West, Sans Gene, Jasmine and Checkmate, and their companion soaps and dusting powders—there was the Gilded Cage, with its own entrance. There, too, were collections of vintage mirrors, crystal perfume flacons, and silver-capped powder (formerly sugar) shakers. The little gallery, Vernissage, offered small paintings and unique objets d’art. The Bag Shop, The Glove Shop and Bendel Legs beckoned with their “made for Bendel” wares. And then there was Shoe Biz At Bendel, a department leased by the irrepressible and

Among so many forever memories: The dire consequences that could have resulted from an ad I wrote for a quirky little sheared kangaroo coat priced at “650 beans.” Monday morning at 10 West found a clutch of customers, accompanied by reporters from The New York Times and The Herald Tribune (the ad had appeared in both papers), eager to claim a coat for the advertised “price.” Mencken’s Dictionary of American Slang was promptly produced to prove that yes, “beans” was a synonym for dollars, putting a fortunate end to the little standoff. On a sunnier, oh-so-cool note, was a letter from the managing director of The Plaza Hotel who was so delighted by the “Eloise-esque” campaign for Growing Up at Henri Bendel, he invited me to a Palm Court tea. And then there was the fan letter from the organizers of the Pendleton Round-Up after an ad likened a little, western-influenced cashmere shirt to one worn by the competitors in that legendary event.

Especially memorable: Bendel’s own fur factory, on the 9th floor, where the courtly and elegant Swiss-accented Mr. Gossweiler used the most luxurious of furs to fashion precise and perfect little narrow-bodied coats and jackets. (For Gerry, he made a sumptuous little sable stole with interchangeable linings that matched her evening dresses.) Gene Rogers, who single handedly ran the receiving department (just the basement, really), always turned a blind eye to the young fashionistas poring over (and setting aside for purchase, once some payment activity was posted on ever over-extended charge accounts) the just-arrived shipments of coveted Rykiel sweaters, Fiorentina shoes and the new and revolutionary Rudi Gernreich “no-bra” bras. And without doubt unforgettable was the cheerful, smiling, helpful-in-rain-or-shine presence of Buster, the famous Henri Bendel doorman in his Bendel-brown, Johnny-On-The-Spot uniform. Oh, Buster.

–– Wendy D'Amico Creative Consultant, Wendy7d@aol.com

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B E A U T Y P L A Y

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From left: Geri Schachner, VP Global Communications, The Estee Lauder Companies; John Demsey, group president, The Estée Lauder Companies; Nicky Kinnaird, founder and president, Space NK

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From left: Nicky Kinnaird, founder and president Space NK; Pauline Brown, managing director, The Carlyle Group and Moderator Karen Young, CEO, The Young Group

From left: Nicky Kinnaird from Space NK; Pauline Brown from The Carlyle Group; John Demsey from The Estée Lauder Companies; Gina Drosos from P&G; Karen Young from The Young Group; Caroline Pieper-Vogt from Clarins and Jeanine Milillo from Peclers Paris

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s it all doom and gloom in the beauty industry?

On April 30, the same day The New York Times reported that the economy is shrinking at its fastest rate since the 1950s, The Fashion Group assembled a panel of industry experts to share their strategies—and successes—in responding to the challenges of a deep recession. “Innovation” was the word most frequently used by all these beauty game changers. While innovation is at the heart of the industry, the focus was on new approaches that go to the buying soul of the consumer.

Jeanine Milillo, the North American managing director of Peclers Paris, set the perspective for the changing dynamics of the beauty industry. Peclers Paris, a prestigious trend forecasting agency, examines a myriad of socio-cultural factors that influence the market and customer buying. Their research shows that successful marketers need to establish a balance between the:

Panel members included Gina C. Drosos, president, global personal beauty, P&G; Nicky Kinnaird, founder and president, Space NK; John Demsey, group president, The Estée Lauder Companies; and Pauline Brown, managing director, The Carlyle Group. The beauty symposium was moderated by Karen Young, CEO, The Young Group.

• past and future

In her introduction, Young brought up the topics that would factor into how to play the game including: • Creating a “wow” experience • Understanding that the brand is defined by the relationship with the consumer • Recognizing the importance of transparency in this age of tweets and blogs 4

• rational and emotional • local and global • intimacy and communication While these may be paradoxical, there is no question of the critical importance of the “sustainable new esthetics” of recycling and responsible use.

“Everything is on the side of the customer,” explained Kinnaird, adding that everyone has to “work to the n t h degree” to get those dollars.

Believing that mediocrity breeds mediocrity, she advised that you need to give the customer those “extra little treats that engage her emotionally,” which translates into creating theatre in the store, online and in every channel to create that bond with the customer. Why shouldn’t the customer be demanding? “It’s up to us to excite and entice her.”

In her quest for the “holy grail of beauty,” Kinnaird looks at every possible source of innovation and inspiration, from the raw material to the packaging to the makeup artist. “If we don’t give the customer innovation, she can walk away,” Kinnaird warned.

“First and foremost, you have to know what drives your brands. You have to identify the core DNA and focus on that,” advised Demsey. This year, Estée Lauder had two of its most successful launches with Perfectionist and Perfectionist Time Zone, which he attributed to the fact that anti-aging has been the strength of the company for the past 60 years. As another example, he pointed to the fact that M.A.C always goes back to its makeup-artist roots.

While Demsey would like to believe that everyone needs the products the panelists sell, it is impulse buying that makes companies profitable. In order to get that sale, you have to give customers an “extra layer”—a reason to buy. Whether it’s entertainment, a sense a fun or true transformative value, Demsey was emphatic that it would “make a huge difference.”

Even in this “background of tumult,” they posted impressively successful fragrance launches with Sensuous and Sean John.

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“You have to reframe the value proposition,” explained Demsey, who advocates new ways to get customers into the store—blogs, online, and store catalogues. “You really want them to come into the store so you can build the sale.”

“Act boldly,” was Drosos’ advice. She offered three prescriptions for selling in an ailing economy: • Play to your strengths. P&G focused on understanding the customer to identify opportunities • Find provocative new ways to bring strategies to life • Take a long-term view. There have been 25 years of economic downturns in the last 100 years As a way of playing to their strengths, Drosos noted that P&G continues to innovate in “ways that delight our customers” and is pro-active in communicating these innovations to customers.

She explained that P&G has found that price is not the most important factor as long as customers feel they are getting “great value,” which comes from the product benefits and brand experience.

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However, price is still a factor. Drosos cited the importance of driving cost savings across the business to keep price points down, even if customers are not aware of these activities.

Drosos spoke proudly of P&G’s cost-saving efforts that support sustainability, echoing one of Percler Paris’ key findings. P&G has reduced 1.3 billion miles of transportation and 40 percent of their carbon emissions which is “ fantastic for the consumer and the environment.”

While retailers and manufacturers look for immediate sales and profits, private equity firms pursue a different strategy. Having held strategic positions at Avon and The Estée Lauder Companies, Pauline Brown understands both perspectives. For equity firms, the economy is more of a “game intensifier” than “game changer.”

Brown uses different criteria for beauty than other sectors. She cites characteristics that make beauty companies “very appealing for any investor,” including: • High margins, which enable companies to pay down debt and invest in growth • A history of recession resistance Although this may be changing, it is still different than other sectors

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In the case of private equity investing, the game is not over when you buy the company, but when you sell it. Beauty industries offer multiple exit strategies which Brown believes continue to make them very attractive for the foreseeable future. “Beauty is in its ascent in both its messaging and growth,” which Brown predicts gives it “a lot more runway ahead.”

While some questions were more applicable to some panelists than others, Young asked everyone if they tweet. The responses were mixed as was the answer to whether companies should use Twitter.

The general consensus was that social media had an essential role—but it had to be brand appropriate.

An avid proponent of social media, Demsey believes social networking and social media is having a “dramatic transformation” on how people discover your brand and how you communicate.

While M . A . C was the first company to tweet backstage during fashion week, Demsey admitted it is “exhilarating, engaging, exciting and frightening at the same time.”

The game changers recognize that the game is being played by rules that are evolving by the day rather than the year. To win at the game, you need to be savvy about your brand, your customer and the story you tell.

• IPOs have been “warmly welcomed” –– Joyce Kauf

• Quality of assets

Web Content Strategist

UPCOMING EVENTS Please note, these dates and ticket prices are tentative. If you do not receive your invitation, please call the FGI office at 212.302.5511 to confirm time, date and ticket price.

Event information can also be found at www.fgi.org.

JUNE 10TH FRONTLINERS

Executive Reinvention in the New Business Environment: Directing career evolution for business & creative leaders Sponsored by Karen Harvey • JULY 13TH FRONTLINERS

The Shopper Stimulus Package: Re-engaging the Consumer to Drive Traffic & Increase Sales Sponsored by GQ •

OCTOBER 22ND 26TH ANNUAL NIGHT OF STARS

• NOVEMBER TBA FGI R-T-W PRESENTATION SPRING/SUMMER

• NOVEMBER TBA 10TH ANNUAL CAREER DAY

• DECEMBER TBD SANTA CLAUS EVENT

SEPTEMBER TBC FRONTLINERS

Luxury and The Web-as-a-Service: Beyond Networking and Advertising Luxury Frontliner Sponsored by Hyphen Corp.

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Trend Report Fall/Winter 2009/2010 In a surprising (well, given the tenor of the times, maybe not so surprising) departure from the expected points of view on “It” bags and shoes, hem lengths and silhouettes, the fashion pros seated for the panel discussion at FGI’s fall/winter 2009 RTW report didn’t care to talk about trends at all.

On stage, FGI creative director Marylou Luther welcomed moderator Norma Kamali and panel members Kate Betts, editor, Time Style & Design; Sarah Brown, beauty editor, Vogue; Julie Gilhart, fashion director, Barneys; and Ann Watson, fashion director, Henri Bendel. In her introduction of Kamali, Luther noted that it must have been Kamali’s “extra sensory fashion perception” that brought her a Travel & Leisure award for the snappy little $30 (that’s right, $30) trench coat she designed for Wal-Mart just as consumers were clamoring for bargains and retailers were slashing prices. Among other prescient ideas in the line: sleeveless sheaths done before you-know-who made them fashion-famous. And, trench coat aside, everything in the collection is $20 and under.

Wearing the aforementioned trench—carried off with her inimitable sense of personal style—Kamali opened the discussion by making her position crystal-clear.

Acknowledging that the audience had just seen, on screen, clothes of extraordinary talent, skill and engineering, she said, “We will not be doing a service to everyone here, if, in this dialogue, we do not address the huge changes in the world, our country and industry.

And,” she continued, “if we don’t change the way we make clothes, how and where we make them, how we sell them and how we talk about them, we’ll be in serious trouble.”

On that note, Kamali asked Julie Gilhart what, in her position, was weighing on her mind. “The main thing” Gilhart replied, “is to maintain your integrity,” citing transparency, “as in, where is this made and who’s making it; are we wasting things? I don’t want to talk about trends,” she said, “but about something really beautiful, made by somebody really talented who cares about making women beautiful in a way that doesn’t harm anything else.”

Kamali, conceding that she, too, was “afraid we’d have to talk about trends,” turned to Kate Betts, who pointed out that fashion does tell you a lot about the culture, and in the current seismic cultural shift, there’s a move away from fashion, glamour, red carpet and fake marketing. It’s not about trends anymore; it’s about educating consumers about style. And with a nod toward Kamali’s trench, she said, “It could be thirty dollars or three thousand.

It doesn’t matter. It’s about how you feel.” As Gilhart added, “Once you learn style, you never go back.”

As the discussion turned to beauty, Vogue’s resident expert remarked that the season is a great one for beauty; hair and makeup are as important as the clothes. “It’s a season of extremes,” she said, citing 6

looks ranging from the “wiped-out face to the very dressed-up face,” where beauty is an expression of style and individuality: “a great, instant update.”

With clothes and accessories more expensive than ever, careful decisions have to be made. If you’re buying less, make it count. Brown also touched on consumer awareness. Consumers care about what’s in a product. They don’t want it wrapped in layers of plastic. They want to feel good about their purchases.

To that end, she said the big brands have to change the way they make products. A perfumed cream in a glass jar just doesn’t cut it anymore. The good news is that, through advances in technology, we’re seeing a spate of new products that are one step away from being drugs, many of which really work, her research tells her. At the end of the day, she claims we’ll all look better than our grandmothers.

Iconic among retailers, Henri Bendel’s Geraldine Stutz is widely recognized for the innovative Street of Shops concept she developed in the ’60s. The concept has been updated for today in the series of pop-up shops the store recently introduced. Fashion director Ann Watson, commenting on the need to show and sell things in a different way, said that in her experience, customers don’t want to see everything out there. Instead, Bendel’s offers intimacy, a story, and ways to help women look beautiful. “When this is over,” she said, “smaller stores will have the edge.

You’ll see a burst of innovation.”

Kamali moved on to the Internet: Who uses it and how. “We use it to sell clothes and to give customers the opportunity to try before they buy,” she said. Her customers can order an item, get it within 48 hours, and they have 48 hours to decide and buy on approval; an initiative proven to be highly successful.

According to Gilhart, Barneys uses the Internet as a tool to educate customers about their special lines and products; the heritage, legacy and craftsmanship of the 150-year old leather goods firm, Goyard, is one example. The Barneys customer

has money, Gilhart said, so they want the shopping experience to be special. Brown weighed in, pointing out that social media has as powerful a voice as magazines. Consumers who tweet and blog convey opinions that have a huge impact on business. Betts concurred, saying that consumers want to know everything about a brand. They can smell a lie and then broadcast it all over the world.

Wrapping up the discussion, the panelists considered the critical question: How are women responding to the economic news. The upshot seems to be that, yes, while they are shopping in their closets, they’re still shopping—just not as much. There are certain must-have things of the moment that will inspire. And the experience of shopping will never go away.

As for the Trend Overview itself, it was a tour de force on the part of Luther and her committee; a brilliant presentation, as Kamali earlier remarked, of talent, skill and engineering in dazzling collections of beautiful clothes.

The show opened, in a classic Luther flash of genius, to the voice of Internet sensation Susan Boyle, and ended with Luther’s predictions of the season’s Best Bets: the structured jacket, the little black dress, the peplum jacket, the leather motorcycle jacket, the draped dress, leggings/tights, leather pants, something purple, something red, red lips, the pump. The lady. The gentleman.

The Fall/Winter Ready-to-Wear presentation, generously supported by Cotton Inc., M . A . C Cosmetics and LIM, is available on DVD, complete with panel discussion, to members and non-members. For more information or to order, call 212.302.5511 or visit info@fgi.org.

–– Wendy D'Amico Creative Consultant, Wendy7d@aol.com

Brigadoon Revisited: Taubman installs Pop-Up stores in fine shopping centers near you

With legions of retailers housed in the Taubman shopping centers that dot the country from coast to coast, this giant among developers has forged strong ties to the fashion and design communities. As a loyal supporter of Fashion Group, the organization will repeat its role as a leading sponsor of FGI’s Night of Stars red-carpet celebration, with 2009 marking the third such commitment.

pressed on site and take advantage of special services such as gift wrapping and bag check. Open during November and December, holiday shoppers phoned pals suggesting that, when at the mall, they check out the lounge as a place to re-charge themselves, along with their phones and iPods, and relax over coffee. Covered by The New York Times and the Today Show, the initiative created a lot of buzz, and heightened brand awareness.

Founded nearly 60 years ago, Taubman is widely recognized for its reach, extraordinary environments, outstanding performance and visionary approach to Still another attention-grabbing success story involved business. With that in mind, T h e B u l l e t i n sat down Teen Vogue, which took a space—again in Short Hills— with Anita Saleh, the organization’s vice president, for furnished it with carpet and cool, funky contemporary specialty leasing and Karen MacDonald, director of furniture, and created vignettes for its advertisers; communications to talk about the company’s Pop-up Clinique and Aldo Shoes among them. There, teen stores, an initiative that’s attracted national media customers tried out products, learned about the attention as well as enthusiastic consumers. magazine and signed up for subscriptions. Helpful “ambassadors” directed teens to the retail stores where According to Saleh and MacDonald, the concept began a they could shop for the products they’d seen. few years ago, with short-term stores from brands such as Purina, Charmin, Teletubbies and Target turning up in All in all, the pop-up store concept—essentially New York’s Time Square for anywhere from a month to a “live advertising”—is a win/win for all concerned. year. They explained that Taubman is now applying this Consumers enjoy new, exciting and unique idea in its shopping centers. While some are retail experiences in shopping centers while products or vehicles that introduces customers to and sell new brands see an increase in brand awareness, interest products or new brands, others are purely experiential. In and sales. At the same time, it gives companies the the case of Nokia, for example, which opened in the Los opportunity to gauge consumer’s reaction to Angeles Beverly Center as one of the first such stores, new products and experiences. consumers could walk in, see the latest technology, learn about the brand and the Nokia experience, then go to a The shopping center, as the execs pointed out, local retailer to buy the product. The executives pointed is the perfect vehicle for both retail and experiential out that the concept works, as it did for Nokia, to pop-up stores, since it offers a captive increase brand awareness, drive sales and serve as a audience, the marketing of the center itself, a powerful consumer research tool. In another successful controlled environment and exposure to both venture, Taubman partnered with American Express to regular shoppers and tourists. open a members’ lounge—much like an airport club—in the top-performing Short Hills Mall. Initially planned as a Addressing the subject of Fashion Group, the women m i le-or point-redemption center, the lounge turned noted that they’ve been members of the organization’s into a sort of way station, free to members, who could Detroit region for many years, and went on to say that, purchase gift certificates, have a green or gold card with so many of their retailers based in New York,

Taubman maintains an office in the city and conducts a lot of business here. As a result, they saw an opportunity to become more involved with Fashion Group International in New York, most notably through their sponsorship of Night of Stars. Now, in its third year, the spokeswomen see the sponsorship as an opportunity to support one of the fashion industry’s premier events and a major event to which they can invite their retail partners to join them.

Fashion Group International, they agreed, is a terrific resource for news and information on the fashion and design-related communities, on beauty, retail and emerging trends. “If you want to know, firsthand, what’s going on in those industries, that’s who you look to,” they said. They also noted that Taubman was a sponsor, a couple of years ago, of Career Day in Detroit and that they are aware that FGI stages that event in other regions, including New York.

“You really reach out and make time to work with and educate young people who are going to be in the forefront of the industry later on. Fashion Group always has wonderful programs and wonderful speakers,” they said.

Fashion Group International and The Bulletin thank Karen MacDonald and Anita Saleh for their insight, perspective and for the time so graciously spent with us. FGI thanks Taubman for their generosity and support in sponsoring the 2009 Night of Stars gala.

Should readers have questions or want further information about Taubman, please visit their web site www.taubman.com or email Anita Saleh directly at ALSaleh@taubman.com.

–– Wendy D'Amico Creative Consultant, Wendy7d@aol.com

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T H E F A S H I O N G R O U P I N T E R N A T I O N A L

N E W New York Babi Ahluwalia Amina Altai Michalyn Andrews Daniel M. Annese Mark Belford Heather Brady* Carol Brodie Charlotte Brooke Bobbi Brown Malcolm Carfrae Nicole Carrico* Sharon Chandally* Yoon Chang Jennifer Chu* Bari Cohen* Scott Cole Francisco Costa Claire Costello Megan Birdwell Davis Lucy Falck* Veronique Ferval Colleen FletcherMiller Rebecca Friedman* Diana Garippa Alexandra Glibbery Mindy Grossman Barbara Gubner Christian Guernelli Erin Haggerty* Tonya Henderson Michael Henry Serafima Iofina Eric Jennings Tamar Kamen Barbara Knapp Alexander Koutny* Laurie Lam Aerin Lauder Anna Levchuk* Dana Lorenz Katie Lucas Fran Lukas Katja Maas Nicole Mangion Natalie Marten Elayne Masterson Susan Masterson Rebekah McCabe Gilles Mendel Rita Meusburger* Buxton Midyette

Barry D. Miller Tracy MininsonRogowsky Sayaka Miyawaki* Marina Mugrace Angie O’Riley Mary Ann Oklesson Ryuhei Omaru Soyoon Park* Richard Pearsall* Joe Pennacchio Susan D. Plagemann Nicole Purcell Ina Rabinovich Krupa Rana* Jane Randel Jonathan Reed Steven Robinson Maria Francisca Kika Rocha Angela Lozada Santos* Alyson Scherling Prizy Sebastian Alexis Sky* Susan Slocum Danielle Snyder Beryl Solomon* Ann Spoyer Sue Stemp Lauren Sweder Elana Szyfer Alexander Tedford Denine Donnella Tilery* Alexandra C. Trower Veronika Ullmer Mary van de Wiel Erika Wadler Frederic Walme Alexandra WilkisWilson Emily Williams Sheila Yen Martina Nubla Yujuico* Ariane Zurcher David Zyla Arizona Laura Cardenas A’esha Miller

Atlanta Kristy R. Bonham Jason Bunin Barbara Collins Alex Davis* Brenda Galina Barbara Garwood Tenley Gilstrap Jane Holt Nicole Salk Deede Stephenson* Rachael Young Boston Anna Avdeyeva* Lucy-Ann Bouwman Laurel Sibert Chicago Nichole Brooker Ashley King Chapman* Shannon Feehan Jamie Kendall* Young Kim Ali Pesche* Stephanie A. Schuller Sara Simmons Tara Stewart Charu Swaminathan* Ann Vidovic Bruce Winston Cleveland Frenchye Bush Columbus Alexandra Bernard William Bernard Nicola Daly Sarah Day Louise Elizabeth Dean* Lauren Farley* Joanna Grant* Victoria Harris* Julie Hengle* Kimberley Jakeman* Benjamin Lee* Hayley Malcolm* Ruth Marshall*

M E M B E R S Elyse Morton Dawn-Elyse Munro* Rebecca Murphy Stephen Park Emma Swanepoel* Helen Whitelee* Alessandro Antonio Zerbato Dallas John R. Conte Jenny Davis Jayne Fader Ellen McKinney Kimberly Roney Aquandra Spencer* Denver Julianne Attmann Lani E. Hood* Susan P. Jones Patricia M. Tully Detroit Dahnyelle Curtis* Joe Faris Catherine Healey* Anjali Purohit Houston Fariba Almassi Betty Audish Andrea Bonner* Liz Gorman Selven O’Keef Jarmon Stella Linton* Allison Matsu Steven Mays Dylan Moore* Leslie Sharp* Tree Vaello Indianapolis Julie A. Davis Jeff Demaree Los Angeles John Paul DeJoria Casey Gorman Kristen Lam* Sally Lohan

Zsofia Mezey Gregory Myler Danielle Nelson* Jeffrey Relf Kimberlee Schreiner* Alex Sturm Jeremy Tarr* Jeffrey Ten Marshall Winters Members-at-Large Nicola-Constance Ford (Alabama) Nancy Marie (Oklahoma) Kathy L. Rogers (New Mexico) Julia Szkiba (Nevada) Carolyn Ann Thomas (Nevada) Minneapolis/St. Paul Kathleen E. Campbell Joann Grabau Janet Polach Palm Springs Genevieve Adams Kenneth Higgins Angela Valente Romeo Philadelphia Ursula Augustine Winifred Curtis Bonnie Friedman Theresa Gambardella* Crystal Shamblee* Rachael Sutliff* Saint Louis Kelly Bouckaert* Christina Klobe Gini Swancy San Antonio Carolyn Dublin Teresita Moreno Adrienne Yunger* San Diego Nicol Akins Julie Fought

Bold type indicates FGI members in all articles.

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Jacquelin Leahy Nichole Macdonald *Stevie Mykel Malgorzata WieteszkaSlocomb San Francisco Crisanta Malig Amy Williams Debra Winter Seattle Andre Korchinski Seoul Ji Won Ahn Eun Suk Jo Young Lim Jun Hae Eun Kim South Florida Owen Bethel Nestor Camacho Terence Cheong Stephanie Dickstein Raymond Lomax Gabrielle Ottavio Michael Shettel Sydney Pauline Bettar Suzie Burke Marina de Luca Poppy Elfes Margaret Joveska Karolina Kowalczyk Natalie Milani Fiona Ricket Toronto Karen Aboud Elyn Kirby Arscott Nadia Beale Jenny Bird Nicole Comeau Jacqueline Cooper Carly-Anne Fairlie Emma Grosberg* Jessica Jensen Marsha Jorgensen

William Macdonald Martha McKimm Aaron Michiels Jane Nugent Michelle Planche Jennifer Reinhardt Anna Romanovska Elizabeth Walsh Washington, D.C. Elena Crusoe Aiken Mary Amons Howard Barshow Christine Bates Judy Bliss Allison Cassing* Monique ColemanBrown* Henry Edwards, II * Celena Gill* Rick Johnson* Polly Spadavecchia Halle von Kessler Ellen Wagner *associate member