Karl Lagerfeld Background: Lagerfeld was born on 10 September 1933 in Hamburg, to Elisabeth and businessman Otto Lagerfeld. His father owned a company that produced and imported evaporated milk, while his maternal grandfather, Karl Bahlmann, was a local politician. When Lagerfeld’s mother met his father, she was a lingerie saleswoman from Berlin. His parents married …
Most of us recognize the value of a strong network. So many jobs and internship opportunities never see the light of day – on a corporate website, job board, or anywhere else. In this, the fashion industry is no different from any other. Many opportunities are filled through word of mouth and connections. Most emerging …
New to the Fashion Industry? Here’s Where to Network Read More »
Halston Halston and all his muses photographed for Vogue in 1972. Photo source: Duane Michals Background: Roy Halston Frowick was born on April 23, 1932, in Des Moines, Iowa to an account father, and a stay-at-home mother. He developed an early interest in sewing from his grandmother and he began creating hats and altering clothes …
Halston (1932-1990): Changing the Face of American Fashion Read More »
As a fashion business consultant, entrepreneurship professor, and owner of my own luxury leather goods label, one of the questions I’m asked most frequently is, “How do I network in the fashion industry—especially with little or no fashion industry experience?” Let me just say that, as an introvert who was once a complete fashion industry …
4 Tips for Growing Your Network in the Fashion Industry Read More »
Oscar de la Renta A key figure of the New York fashion scene, the designer built an internationally recognised brand through charm and grace and was thought of as one of the great gentlemen of fashion. Over the course of his career, his designs proved exceptionally popular with American presidential ladies, including Nancy Regan, Hilary …
Oscar de la Renta (1932-2014): A Renaissance Man of American Fashion Read More »
Many years ago, when I was asked to consult for an emerging fashion brand, I did so as a favor, and did not have any plans to become a consultant at the time. I had (and still have) my own fashion brand, and at the time I was also a full-time academic. But a former …
How Emerging Fashion Brands Can Find and Work With a Manufacturer Read More »
André Courrèges Where do his tennis dresses, his sailor dresses come from? Where did he find them? On the steps of Delphi. In the wardrobe of Electra. They are modern and they are antique.’ Violette Leduc ‘Is Courrèges Wearable? Vogue, 1965 Background: André Courrèges was born to a butler father and a homemaker mother. He …
André Courrèges (1923-2016): The Designer of Space Age Fashion Read More »
Fashion design: It’s glamorous, and you can showcase your own unique language, your unique style. But despite all that, I know many designers with talent who just manage to break even or are often struggling to make ends meet. Simply put, fashion is a very challenging industry, and it’s constantly changing. Yet determined people can, …
Mary Quant Mary Quant, considered to be a true pioneer in fashion, was at the vanguard of the ‘Swinging London’ scene, designing clothes that perfectly embodied the freedom and energy of the time. Famous for putting the mini-skirt on the fashion map, her influence is so much broader than this iconic piece of clothing; she …
Mary Quant (1930-): Fashion Pioneer of the Swinging Sixties Read More »
Only a few years ago, luxury brands viewed resale as either a competition or a place where they had to fight their counterfeit products. But the rise and importance of the resale market are here to stay, and particularly with the effect of Covid, we have seen a great change, a rather accelerated change in …
