LIVE from New York

I had the honor of going to New York City this past weekend for the 86th Fashion Scholarship Fund Annual Gala. The Fashion Scholarship Fund was founded in 1937 as the Young Menswear Association (YMA). It has since become Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF), the oldest and foremost fashion-oriented education and workforce development nonprofit in the country. The fund awards over $1 million each year in scholarships to students who complete case studies in all sectors of the industry including design, merchandising, marketing analytics, and business strategy. 

This year I was awarded a named scholarship from Levi Strauss & Co. My merchandising case study research focused on curating a brand’s future through social commerce and evolving the customer shopping experience at Levi Strauss & Co. through introducing livestream commerce into the merchandising strategy to instigate transparency and sustainability.

I was joined by 126 other scholars making up the FSF Class of 2023. We got the opportunity of going to a series of panels at Condé Nast and Nordstrom. At Condé Nast, we got to hear from Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer at Condé Nast and Global Editorial Director at Vogue, and several individuals at Vogue including Chioma Nnadi, Editor at Vogue.com; Nicole Phelps, Director of Vogue Runway; Virgina Smith, Global Head of Fashion at Vogue; and Marley Marius, Contributing Editor at Vogue.com. My biggest takeaway was how passionate these women were about fashion. They lived and breathed it. They talked on how there is no linear career path in the industry and how a lot of decisions are a leap of faith. They emphasized the importance of mentors in the industry and how a good story is one that reflects the zeitgeist and overarching cultural happenings. 

At Nordstrom, we got to hear from Rickie de Sole, Women’s Editorial Director at Nordstrom; Jian DeLeon, Men’s Editorial Director at Nordstrom; and Gigi Ganatra Duff, Vice President of Communications and Corporate Affairs at Nordstrom. It was a great conversation where I learned so much about how marketing, communications, and editorial counterparts work together to sell and promote products to consumers. They all spoke on how important being well informed on the latest trends was and how a good leader is only as good as their team. Overall, they embodied a strong curiosity and hunger for the industry. 

Lastly, on Monday, April 3rd, I attended #FSFLIVE where I had the chance to meet and network with several leaders in the industry and connect with other scholars. FSF honored Anna Wintour and Emma Grede, Co-founder and CEO of Good American and Chief Product Officer and Founding Partner of Skims, for all their contributions to the industry and the future of fashion. 

Thank you Fashion Scholarship Fund for giving me an experience I will never forget!