Oradores

Miguel Brito

More than thirty years of experience support his passion for the textile industry. Director of Textiles Brito, a socially responsible company that has been in the market for 49 years and provides the garment and automotive industry with a variety of flat knit textiles. He created the bamboo fiber textile brand ECOBAMBU that today exports to USA, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Colombia and European countries. He has served as President of the Textile Industrial Chamber of Puebla and Tlaxcala and is currently President of the National Association of Textile Entrepreneurs A.C., of the XXI Edition of the International Textile Exhibition (EXINTEX) and the Center for Innovation and Design of Puebla A.C.

Ignacio Cobo

Ignacio has been working for 25 years at Grupo Sanborns, leading its commercial expansion. His career has included positions as assistant director of the area of expansion and commercial direction of purchases. He was part of the creation and launch of SANBORNS.com.mx, becoming the pioneers in Mexico of e-commerce. In 1997 Grupo Sanborns acquired SEARS USA and Ignacio was in charge of the restructuring and change of image to SEARS Mexico. In 2003, he led the negotiation and acquisition of JC Penney by Grupo Sanborns and the conversion thereof to SEARS México. Ignacio is part of the board of the strongest groups in Mexico: COMP USA, Grupo SEARS and Grupo Sanborns. Currently, he is the Director of new projects.

Donata Minelli

Active consultancy focused on organizational structure and strategic positioning. Emphasize on digital roles including CMO, VP of Digital Marketing and Commerce and Omni-channel structure and processes. Donata was CEO of Yigal Azrouel & Adam Lippes, her clients include Gabriela Hearst, Mansur Gavriel, Todd Snyder, Mara Hoffman, Nili Lotan, Ulla Johnson and other premier NYC brands.

Salman Khokhar

Played a role in growing the international business for both Calvin Klein and Donna Karan. At CK, directed the jeans division in Europe, while working at the company through 2 mergers. Over the last 10 years, I have advised CEO’s and held operational roles for growth and turnaround through international expansion and licensing with brands that include – DKNY, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Via Spiga, Lulu Lemon, Emmanuel Ungaro, Adidas Y3, Sachin + Babi, and Tranoi.

Cassie Smart

Cassie Smart is head of womenswear at MATCHESFASHION.COM overseeing the buy for shoes, bags and contemporary ready to wear.
Working closely with Buying Director, Natalie Kingham, Cassie played a key part in curating the edit on shoes and bags which has played a significant part in the growth of the business. Cassie has worked at MATCHESFASHION.COM for the past 8 years.

Christine Ellis

She began her career with Jil Sander in Germany where she covered all wholesale aspects of the Asian and US markets as well as coordinating sales events. Up until 2009, Christine represented luxury store groups Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Holt Renfrew and Neiman Marcus Direct in Italy as the Director of their Milan fashion & buying office AGA. Through the formation of Christine Ellis Associates Srl, Christine has leveraged her extended knowledge and expertise in emerging markets, incorporating not only her eye for new talents but also supported retailers in the luxury arena, sourcing production opportunities as well as helping designers to strategically position themselves within luxury designer markets.

She has worked and works with start-ups such as Joor, introducing the platform in Europe; Barneys NY own label production and scouting; Harvey Nichols Istanbul, implementing their growth strategy to become the biggest luxury player in the Turkish retail market; L-Brands scouting trends for Victoria’s Secret, Bath&BodyWorks, just to name a few.

Amalia Korasidou

Amalia launched Enny Monaco in 1989 and soon established it as one of the best boutiques in the world and in the Greek market. She was the first to introduce brands such as Jimmy Choo, Nancy Gonzalez, Johanna Ortiz, Esteban Cortázar, Azzedine Alaïa, Bottega Veneta, Clements Ribeiro, Chloe and Balmain to Greece. Her store is the exclusive agent/representative for Christian Louboutin and Aquazzura in the country and many others. Despite the economic crisis in Greece and the subsequent huge drop of the retail market Amalia’s company managed not only to retain its powerful position, but to thrive and grow. From her point of view, “the way you dress reveals and complements your personality”.

Morena Zabeni

In 2000 Morena Zabeni creates Winwood Fashion, a multi-brand Showroom that represents a range of both International and Domestic designers such as Jimmy Choo, Lambertson Truex, Tomas Maier, Tuleh, Nancy Gonzalez, Clement Ribeiro and later.. Aquazzura shoes, Sensi Studio Ecuador, Ines & Marechal, Raquel Diniz to name just a few.
Today, Morena combines her passion for fashion, music, art and yoga and divides her time between Italy, Mexico, Ibiza and NYC where she has created several homes with renowned interior designers to welcome her big family and intimate friends.

Luvi Wheelock

She is founder and owner of Casa de Novia Bridal Couture and now collaborating with Tootsies in Houston.. In 2005, Luvi began her pursuit of a life-long dream to work in the fashion industry; but sought out to do so with her own mark. At the young age of 25, she leased a small space off and started what today is Houston’s premiere bridal gown destination; with exclusive distribution rights for Vera Wang, Monique Lhuillier, Carolina Herrera, and Oscar de la Renta, among others. Casa de Novia is considered a “top 5” boutique in US sales for each of its designers, and was the first bridal boutique in Texas with a Vera Wang “shop-in-shop”. Along the way, Luvi also founded Atrium Ready to Wear 2010, a ready-to-wear boutique that focuses on finding designers that nobody else has in Houston.

Eugenia Silva

She is an entrepreneur, graduated in Law from the Complutense University. Coming from a very traditional family with a long political career, she decided to move to Paris to start her career in the world of fashion. After having achieved professional success working for Chopard, Giorgio Armani, Loewe, Tiffany, Pantene, Max Factor, etc … and having been photographed by Mario Testino, Steven Meisel, Arthur Elgost, Bruce Weber, David Bailey, Wayne Mayser, Steven Klein, Gilles Bensimon. Her knowledge of the world of fashion drove her to create Cabinett, an on-line fashion and lifestyle store commissioned by a diverse group of tastemakers.
Eugenia combines her role as mother and wife with that of businesswoman and philanthropist in projects as being an active Ambassador of the NGO plan Spain. Eugenia not only embodies the woman of the 21st century for her role as mother, woman and businesswoman, but because it has helped break stereotypes as an example to follow for young people.

Camila Straschnoy

Camila has worked in the creative industry for over seven years. After graduating from her BA in Fashion and Textile design she launched her namesake fashion label. Since then she has explored further opportunities in the industry including editorial and public relations.
Continuing her passion for learning, Camila has obtained an MFA in Visual Arts and a Master Certification in Trends Investigation from IED Barcelona. Today she holds a seat as an innovation spotter for TrendWatching, is the Fashion Director for The UpCycle Project, an independent consultant for clients across different sectors and a renowned storyteller for media outlets including L’Oréal, ELLE, InStyle and Revista Apertura.

Gabriella Smith

Gabriella is the Director of Sustainability & Innovation for Istituto Marangoni Miami and the Founder of The UpCycle Project. Gabriella has made it her goal to raise awareness of the waste the fashion industry creates by creating hands-on workshops, student mentorship programs, inspiring discussions, as well as disruptive events and products that find circular solutions for fashion and other industries.
Previous to her work in sustainable fashion as a socially conscious entrepreneur, she received an MBA from the University of Miami, and worked at The Estee Lauder Companies Travel Retail managing a portfolio of luxury beauty brands in North America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Gabriella strongly believes that the future of fashion will evolve through textile innovation, sustainable sourcing and ethical production.

Daniel Funis

Daniel initiated Farfetch operations in Brazil in 2011 and currently leads its expansion in Latin America. Founded in 2008, Farfetch is the largest online marketplace for luxury fashion, with more than 2 million customers and operating in more than 50 countries. Prior to Farfetch, Daniel held various executive positions at Groupon, Fiat and Unilever. He has worked in Italy, France, UK and Argentina.
He holds a BS in Mechatronics Engineering at Escola Politecnica, Brazil and an MBA at Cambridge University, UK.

Sofía Félix Smith

She is Head of Fashion at El Palacio de Hierro, where she provides fashion and trend direction throughout the company.
She has a professional track record of 15 years in the fashion, trends and retail industries, whose inner mechanisms she intimately knows from a 360º perspective. Designer, buyer, trend analyst and consultant, brand manager, undergrad professor, speaker, and editorial contributor are among the titles she has held over the years. Having started as Designer and Buyer for Private Labels at El Palacio de Hierro, she later moved to WGSN (Worth Global Style Network) where she launched Trend Consulting Services for México, Central America and the Caribbean. In 2011, she returned to retail at El Palacio de Hierro, as BM for Tory Burch, spearheading the launch of the brand in the Latin Market.

Jill Tucker

She is recognized within the apparel industry as an authority on delivering innovations that address working conditions challenges. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a Master’s Degree from the University of Massachusetts and has over three decades of experience in grant making, human rights and social compliance work. She has previously worked with Reebok International Ltd’s Asia human rights programme and headed the International Labour Organization’s Better Factories Cambodia programme.

Brandee Butler

She is Head of Gender Justice and Human Rights at C&A Foundation. Based in Amsterdam, Brandee leads global strategies and partnerships to address key human rights challenges in the apparel sector, with a particular focus on forced labour, child labour, and women’s rights. Prior to joining C&A Foundation, Brandee managed the Levi Strauss Foundation’s grantmaking portfolios in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Brandee has devoted her career to improving human rights protections for marginalized populations. From 2006 until 2010, she was a Program Officer for Human Rights and International Justice at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Chicago, supporting human rights movements and promoting the rule of law globally, and with a particular emphasis on Africa. Earlier in her career, Brandee practiced law at the Alliance for Children’s Rights in Los Angeles and was awarded the Yale Law School Bernstein Fellowship for International Human Rights to combat child trafficking with UNICEF in Gabon. She serves on the boards of MADRE and Win Strategies, international women’s rights organizations, and is an advisor for ARTWORKS Projects in Chicago.

Brandee received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Harvard University and a juris doctorate from the Yale Law School.

André Campos

André Campos is a member of Repórter Brasil, a Human Rights organization working with transparency in supply chains. He is one of the creators of the mobile app “Moda Livre” (Free Fashion), launched by the NGO in 2013. “Moda Livre” is a free tool for smartphones that acts as a real-time shopping aid for consumers. It shows the companies involved in cases of slave labour found by inspectors in Brazilian sewing workshops, besides evaluating what popular clothing brands are doing to prevent labor abuses and modern slavery in their supply chain.

Much of his work is linked to investigating and exposing labour issues and human rights abuses taking place in the production of agricultural and industrial goods. Besides researching the fashion industry in Brazil, he also works with other supply chains where slave-like conditions are present, such as cattle raising, charcoal production and illegal logging. He is a journalist graduated by the University of São Paulo. For his work, he was nominated for international journalism awards like the German Media Development Awards and the Gabriel García Márquez Award.

Laura García Coudurier

Directora Ejecutiva de Fondo Semillas, una organización de la sociedad civil que financia grupos comunitarios que buscan la igualdad de género en México. En sus ocho años de trabajo en Fondo Semillas, Laura ha contribuido al crecimiento de la organización, llevándola a financiar más de 100 organizaciones anualmente en temas de derechos laborales de las mujeres, empoderamiento económico, derechos sexuales y reproductivos, derechos laborales, mujeres en la migración, entre otros temas.

Laura estudió relaciones internacionales en El Colegio de México y tiene una maestría en paz y seguridad internacional por el King’s College, Londres. Se ha vinculado con otras universidades como docente en el Tecnológico de Monterrey y colaboradora en distintos cursos universitarios en temas de justicia, género e impunidad. Durante 10 años, ha colaborado en el sector de la sociedad civil en proyectos y organizaciones de derechos humanos. Es experta en filantropía para las mujeres y ha sido asesora de varias fundaciones empresariales y privadas para desarrollar programas de apoyo a las mujeres, inclusión e igualdad. Previo a su trabajo en Fondo Semillas, fue asesora en derechos humanos de la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores de México y colaboró en la Corte Penal Internacional de La Haya, Países Bajos.

Es actualmente integrante del Consejo Directivo de Women´s Funding Network, una red filantrópica internacional para impulsar los derechos de las mujeres. También es coordinadora del capítulo de América Latina en la red internacional de fundaciones en derechos humanos (Human Rights Funders Network).

Tata Harper

She was born in Barranquilla, Colombia and grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. Tata attended Instituto Technologico de Monterrey (considered the MIT of Latin America) and graduated with a degree in industrial engineering. After doing stints in Mexico and Paris,she decamped to Miami with Henry Harper (CoFounder) and began working on a variety of entrepreneurial ventures.

It was during Tata’s step-father was diagnosed with cancer that Tata discovered the dangers of synthetic chemicals in personal care. Driven and intellectually thirsty for mastery, Tata dedicated herself to learning everything there was to know about formulating skin care products, ingredient selection and of course about the skin. What started out as an educational exploration into the ingredients of skincare turned into a personal mission to provide 100% natural, results-driven skincare, and thus Tata Harper Skincare was born. Flash forward 7 years, 43 skus, and 200+ employees later,and Tata continues to innovate and disrupt the industry with game-changing clinically proven luxury skincare solutions.

José Luis Ávila

He is a Venezuelan journalist and writer with more than 12 years of experience in the publishing industry. His articles have been published in the most important media in his country and in international journals such as Gatopardo, Arquine and Forbes Mexico. Since May 2016, he has worked in Vogue Mexico and Latin America as Editorial Coordinator and Editor of Vogue Hombre. Recently, he was promoted to the position of Network Editor working in close collaboration with the Vogue International office in London and the digital strategy of Condé Nast at a local and regional level.

Kute Blackson

He is author of the national bestselling book You.Are.The.One. and is widely considered the next generation leader in the field of personal development by everyone ranging from Larry King, Jack Canfield, Marianne Williamson and more.
A charismatic visionary and transformational teacher, Kute Blackson offers a fresh, bold look at spiritual awareness for a whole new generation. Born in Ghana, West Africa, Kute’s multicultural upbringing as the child of a Japanese mother and a Ghanaian father has spanned four different continents. His unique lineage lay the foundation for his approach to breaking down barriers and unlocking an individual’s true gifts and greatness.

His mission is simple: To awaken and inspire people across the world to access inner freedom, live authentically and fulfill their true life’s purpose.

Valentina Collado

On her return to Mexico in 2011 she started as a fashion assistant for Vogue Mexico and Latin America, 3 years later she was named fashion editor of the magazine, where she continues in this position. She is in charge of all the fashion sections of all editions as well as the realization and supervision of all productions efforts. Her duties consist of contacting emerging designers, new talents, discovering new trends from the runways during fashion week, finding new photographers and collaborators for the publications, curate and create fashion content.

Mario Braghieri

He has been involved in fashion production for over thirty years. At a young age, his parents owned a manufacturing company which created high quality samples and prototypes for countless well-known brands in Italy. He attended Istituto Marangoni with the desire to leave his mark in the fashion market as a pattern maker. Upon graduating, he developed samples and worked in fashion production for the Nadini Group, an Italian designer label manufacturer based in Modena-Italy which included designer houses such as Gianfranco Ferrè and Fendi. Subsequently, he worked as a fashion production consultant and started his career at Marangoni as an assistant teacher. Mario has always pursued his career with determination and focused on deepening his knowledge and skills in garment construction and pattern making. He has had the honor of working for renowned fashion names such as Emporio Armani, Maska, Cerruti, Mariella Burani and Karl Lagerfeld. For the past 27 years, Mario has been a major player in guiding Istituto Marangoni through its international growth by bringing his technical knowledge, industry expertise and finesse in garment making to the School. Before moving to the Miami School, Mario led pattern making courses in all levels of education throughout eight of the ten Marangoni Schools, including the Milan Atelier Program, which is one of the most prestigious programs among the Schools. From Spain to China, Belgium to the United Kingdom, United States to Colombia, Mario has been selected by strong fashion houses to provide consultancy in fashion production.

Massimo Casagrande

Massimo Casagrande as a mentor for one of our workshops. He is the Director of Education at Marangoni Miami, pursued his fashion design studies at Istituto Marangoni in Milano and then went on to receive his Masters of Fashion Design from the University of East London. After several years of experience as a Senior tutor of Fashion Design at Istituto Marangoni London, Massimo was appointed as the program leader for the Fashion Design Undergraduate Courses on that same school.

Prior to this, Massimo was part of Versace, first as a designer for Versus menswear, then as a designer for Versace Sport and Versace Jeans. Casagrande then went on to launch his own label in 2012, MCG Massimo Casagrande. His collections have been shown in Paris and London as part of the Fashion East Menswear: Installations. Currently, Massimo collaborates with a number of international clients as a stylist, designer, and as a contributor to fashion magazines such as Surface, Rodeo and Independent Style. For the past two years, he has been an official partner of London Design Festival, where he has exhibited and curated site specific collections in sync with contemporary cultural and social issues. Massimo also travels often as a guest lecturer holding seminars and workshops around the globe.

Aracely Graham

Cooperativa Shop Founder Araceli Graham held executive positions at Coca Cola, Glaxosmithkline, and Pegaso. Since moving to the U.S. 14 years ago, Graham introduced and established jewelry designer, Olga Prieto to the U.S. market while starting her career in retail. She also collaborated with Carla Forte and Mario Buccellati in launching their brand and developing their business. Graham launched Cooperativa Shop to blend her expertise in business development with her enthusiasm for fashion and pride of her culture.

Claudia Torrico

Claudia is an experienced Fashion Curator and Stylist based in New York City with over 10 years of experience in retail and fashion management working on projects in the U.S.A, South America and Europe. Originally from Bolivia, Claudia majored in Art History and pursued additional studies in Retail Management in Italy and later, Image Consulting, Fashion Styling and Event Production in New York. Claudia co-founded Latin Curated in 2017 to launch promising new designers from Latin America in foreign markets.

Claudia manages the commercial activities of the venture and works closely with designers on the Latin Curated platform. Latin Curated seeks out high-quality and innovative designers from Latin America and Claudia serves them by mentoring and curating their product lines as they prepare to introduce their designs in new markets.

Hakan Baykam

A young and resourceful entrepreneur with a multi-pronged background, Hakan Baykam boasts an extensive and in-depth career that spans from fashion to design, from education to renewable energies. His latest far-sighted fashion projects are based in Miami, where he inaugurated Istituto Marangoni Miami, the prestigious fashion, art and design university, and where he will launch a customer-centric event called “Fashionable Miami”.
Still today, Baykam oversees all Relight Capital’s investments as Chief Executive Officer and is involved in identifying and maximizing market opportunities. As finances grew, Baykam rekindled his love affair with fashion. In 2009 he tapped into the momentum of Istanbul as a vibrant, young and inspiring multicultural hub, with “Fashionable Istanbul,” a high-wattage international event that wooed Missoni, Vivienne Westwood, Ferragamo, Ferrè, Roberto Cavalli, Bar Rafaeli and Bruce Willis, among others. A bridge between Asia and Europe featuring a floating runway on the Bosporus river and a 200-meter red carpet, the event’s consumer focus was ahead of the game at a time when shows were only for the press and buyers. Well-versed in fashion, Baykam also co-founded an Italian production company called Studiokhom, that produces forward-thinking and innovative fashion events for its high-profile clients that include Acqua Di Parma and Louis Vuitton. In 2017, Baykam exported leading fashion, design and art school Istituto Marangoni to Miami. Based in the city’s Design District, in a striking building that melds Art Deco features and contemporary elements, it marks the 10th Istituto Marangoni in the world. It will provide the brand’s high-profile and unique education model to top students throughout the U.S and Latin America, complete with a unique cultural, creative, aesthetic and human experience.

Miami is Baykam’s current and future focus. “Miami is back on the radar thanks to its rapid growth in fashion, design and art. My idea is to bring the Made in Italy culture and experience to a city with a strong retail identity and where fashion is highly-appreciated,” says Baykam. Next in the pipeline is a consumer event called Fashionable Miami, a shoppable exhibition of one-of-a-kind sustainable products created by top fashion houses, to launch next year.

Karla Martinez de Salas

Karla started her career as an assistant in Vogue US to later become an Associate Fashion Editor in 2002 and collaborate with recognized publishers such a Grace Coddington, Tonne Goodman, Camilla Nickerson and Phyllis Posnick. From 2005 to 2010, she was Fashion Director for T Magazine of The New York Times where she learned not only from the fashion industry, but also from the world of interior design, art and travel and, later, she took the Fashion Direction of Interview Magazine where, for a year, she specialized in photography and design to become the Fashion and Accessories Director of W Magazine in 2011.

In 2015, Karla moved to Mexico City with her family, where she started working as a freelance in Cooperativa Shop, an online store based in the United States that specializes in ready-made pieces only by Latin designers. She also collaborated with Armarium World, a website dedicated to rent Fashionable garments and offer styling services.

She became the Editor in Chief for Vogue Mexico and Latin America in June 2016, and since then, she has continued with the exclusive editorial line of the title, where her projects have established new alliances in the market.

She was recently included in the BoF US list of the 500 international fashion leaders and since then, Karla has been in charge of the magazine ́s management. Vogue Mexico and Latin America was also awarded with best editorial content for Mexico’s Fashion Digital Awards.

Maria del Carmen Palomo

Founder of both Yogashala Caracas 2002, Yogashala San Salvador 2009.
Her mission is to provide yoga to everyone. That is why 4 years ago she started YOGA PARA TODOS a monthly yoga class at a public park to reach every soul that cares to practice for free in touch with nature. She also teaches more that 100 students from Supérate! Foundation. She truly believes Yoga is a practice that helps you navigate through this world with a more clear mind, loving soul, and stronger body.
She has been into yoga for almost 35 years now and her best result out of her practice is her family.

Irma Martinez

Pioneer, innovator and mentor, these are three words that best describe Irma Martinez, a natural entrepreneur who converted her passion for the fashion world into a successful business model.

She ventured into creating a company to offer services that were non existing in the Hispanic market at the time and also to develop new communication cues between celebrities and their fans, leaving her seal in the most watched Hispanic TV shows, album and magazine covers. She has also launched new talents into the fashion and beauty industries and has contributed to improve the image and exposure of important brands, first as a stylist and later as their brand ambassador.

She founded Trendy Academy, an educational center in Miami where, utilizing estate of art technology, students from Latin America and USA can learn directly from an “insider” the essential tools to be recognized in this profession.

Guillermo Plehn

He is a senior executive with broad leadership experience gained from over 22 years at several multinational companies like Chanel, Nestle, Warner Lambert, AOL, StarMedia, Time-Expansion and Televisa Publishing. Having spent the last 15 years in management roles focused on advertising sales, digital media and marketing.

Born and raised in Mexico, got his experience in different industries from Luxury Products, Consumer Package Goods, Food and more recently Media Services on Publishing and Digital areas. Since 2009 he co-founded m4agency and act as Managing Partner.

Marines Duarte

She has built herself a career working in large multinational media companies and has extensive experience in Marketing and Communication. Marines worked in Televisa Publishing for 8 years as the USH and Latin America Group Publisher of leading publications such as Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar Vanidades and GoodHouseKeeping.
Marines, is currently the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at m4agency, the Founder of En Tus Zapatos Blog, an inspirational multi-media platform for the modern woman of today and Founder of Princesas Guerreras, an initiative that raises awareness on gender inequality and the mistreatment of women.

Duarte has been a Fashion Expert and Image Consultant in different television shows of Telemundo and Univision Networks including the Red Carpet coverage during Award Season
Marines has been featured in Forbes for her outstanding work empowering Latinas. She was nominated as the 25 most powerful women in People en Español. In 2017 she was invited to speak at The United Nations regarding the importance of media in social responsibility. She was part of the “#YSEI” Digital Summit as one of the Top 100 Influencers of Latin America and USH.

Trisha Gregory

She is the co-founder and CEO of ARMARIUM, the premiere online platform transforming the retail and service space with its luxury rental and styling destination. Prior to launching ARMARIUM in 2015, Trisha was recognized in the fashion industry for her strong presence and contributions within the public relations space. Her expertise for luxury brands for nearly 10 years as the Senior Director of Public Relations for the iconic Italian house, Salvatore Ferragamo. Overseeing all global digital initiatives, coupled with events, press and communication efforts in North America, Today, Trisha attributes a decade of luxury and prestige fashion experience and knowledge to the creation of ARMARIUM as a new frontier and expression of fashion and luxury service reimagined.

Elizabeth Von Der Goltz

Her first role was at Barneys in 1997, where she started as Assistant Buyer for private label, Ronald van der Kemp. After three years, she was promoted to Associate Buyer for Co-Op and then to Sportswear Buyer.
In 2000, Elizabeth joined Bergdorf Goodman at the start of its modernisation as the first-ever designer buyer. After a two-year sabbatical Elizabeth returned to Bergdorf in 2003 as their Couture Buyer. Under her direction, she grew its top brands up to four times in sales volume, while also nurturing many smaller brands to become significant businesses, including Jason Wu, Proenza Schouler, Altuzarra and Cushnie et Ochs, to name but a few.
During her 14-year tenure at Bergdorf, she oversaw the development of an eveningwear area, was instrumental in the planning and execution of a major renovation across many floors, including modern designer sportswear and fine jewellery and watches.

Lisa Smilor

Lisa worked at Parsons School of Design prior to joining the CFDA in March 1996.
Throughout her 25+ year career, Smilor has demonstrated a keen ability to recognize the needs of fashion designers at all stages of their careers – and helps them to reach desired outcomes. During her tenure, she has been responsible for the ongoing development of the organization’s educational and sustainability efforts. Currently, Lisa is focused primarily on providing support and creating opportunities for the CFDA Membership.

Ramya Giangola

Ramya maintains her finger on the pulse of what moves the fashion and design industry, working with major retail groups and emerging brands alike, while simultaneously serving as a recognized influencer and tastemaker.               
Since the mid 1990s, Ramya has been involved in many facets of the fashion industry, starting in design and a few years later, moving to the business side, where she has since remained. In 2005 she established advisory firm Gogoluxe to scout and source emerging designers, provide market intelligence, negotiate trade terms and develop creative marketing initiatives (including pop-ups, collaborations and shop-in-shops) to leading multi-brand retailers across the globe. She has been fortunate to work with Lane Crawford, Joyce, On Pedder, ImagineX, Vakko, Hudson’s Bay Company and India’s Aditya Birla Group, among others.

Eugenia Gonzalez de Henn

She is originally from Mexico and has spent the last thirteen years working in the fashion industry for companies such as Bergdorf Goodman, Brunello Cucinelli, Michael Bastian, Vogue Mexico & Latin America and Conde Nast Traveler. Educated in the United States, Mexico, and France, she graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management degree.
She is currently running HENN GONZALEZ, a Berlin and NY based consultancy firm dedicated to working with fashion brands during their key growth years by providing operational, press & marketing assistance as well as strategic growth in the American and Latin American market. She is also a Contributing Editor for Conde Nast Traveler (US), Architectural Digest (US), and Vogue Mexico & Latin America. Gonzalez is also a founding member of Project Paz www.projectpaz.org, a New York based charity that works to help child victims of the drug violence in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico through the arts. She is residing in Berlin.

Mario Rodriguez Graniel

Mario is the Director of Client Relationship Management for Prada & Miu Miu, where he oversees customer loyalty activities across Prada Group brands in North America. This includes customer insights, omni-channel clienteling strategies, and exceptional experiences for top clients. Previously, he was Senior Manager of Client Development at Louis Vuitton Americas, spearheading business development efforts from Canada to Brazil. He also spent time in Sales Development at CHANEL and in Private Equity at Cartesian Capital, investing in Latin American retail and tech companies. @Marioerg transitioned to fashion after completing his MBA at Columbia Business School. Prior to that, he occupied different roles in the banking industry, including investment banking, corporate strategy and CRM. With a unique background in fashion and finance, Mr. Graniel understands how to combine the digital and physical experience to delight today’s luxury consumer and compete in today’s fashion market.

Ismael Cala

He is a life and business strategist, best-selling author and an international speaker specialized in personal development and mindful exponential leadership. He has received personalized training from renowned international leaders such as Robin Sharma, John C. Maxwell, Deepak Chopra, Brian Tracy, and Tony Robbins, and has completed the Executive Program in Exponential Leadership at one of the most prestigious and advanced universities in the world, Singularity University in Silicon Valley. Through his conferences, workshops and personal growth retreats, he has touched the personal and professional lives of hundreds of thousands of people. He has positively impacted more than 400 companies in over 25 countries. The New York Times has identified him as “the Latino Larry King”. A member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) in USA. He is the Founder and president of CALA Enterprises Corporation, a content production company focused on leadership, mindfulness, happiness, productivity, and excellence as a culture. Ismael serves as President & Founder of Ismael Cala Foundation.

Carlos Salcido

Carlos Salcido has more than 25 years of experience in luxury fashion and beauty. He started his career in 1988 in L’Oreal group as Director of PCI (Prestige & Collections Int.) carrying out different responsibilities for Luxury Division in Mexico in the commercial and marketing areas; he mainly contributed to consolidate the branding and image of brands such as Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren and Lanvin. During his tenure in Paris from 1995 – 1999 he worked closely with the designer Paloma Picasso. After spending four years in L’Oreal Paris headquarters he then returned to his native Mexico to serve in the prestigious LVMH Group as General Manager of Guerlain and Lead General Manager of LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics until 2002 when he started to lead and develop the Louis Vuitton business as Country Manager Director in Mexico. Since 2007 Carlos has served as Vice president of Marketing for el Palacio de Hierro, where he has been able to align marketing strategies with the creation of a unique lifestyle “Totalmente Palacio”.

Alyse Nelson

She is president and CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership. As co-founder, Alyse has worked for the organization for 20 years, serving as vice president and senior director of programs before assuming her current role in 2009. Under her leadership, Vital Voices has expanded its reach to serve over 15,000 women leaders in more than 180 countries.

Previously, Alyse served as deputy director of the State Department’s Vital Voices Global Democracy Initiative and worked with the President’s Interagency Council on Women at the White House. Alyse is a member in the council on Foreign Relations, the Expert Group for the B Team and the Advisory Board of Chime for Change. Fortune Magazine named Alyse one of the 55 Most Influential Women on Twitter. Alyse is the author of the best-selling book Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World and has been featured in various international and national media.

MARIANA CANTU

Manager de Producción

Mariana es originaria de Juárez, México, pero actualmente reside en la ciudad de Nueva York. Se graduó del Instituto de Tecnología de la Moda con una licenciatura en Administración de Comercialización de Moda. Ella encontró su amor por la producción y los editoriales durante sus años trabajando para Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue Italia / L’UOMO Vogue. Ha producido varias portadas y carteras para muchos, incluyendo artistas de alto perfil como Justin Bieber, Anderson Cooper, Jake Gyllenhaal y Evan Spiegel por nombrar algunos. Su trabajo ha sido filmado por fotógrafos como Bruce Weber, Francesco Carrozzini, Peter Ash Lee y Michel Comte. En 2017, fundó MC Colectiva, una agencia de producción con un enfoque en eventos y creación de contenido en todo el mundo. Después de sólo unos meses de lanzamiento, la agencia comenzó a prosperar trabajando con marcas reconocidas como L’Officiel Paris, Vogue Italia, Carl F. Bucherer, Jacques y Becken.

SAMANTHA TAMS

Co-Fundadora LAFS

Mexicana de origen y crianza, Samantha tuvo su inicio en el mundo de la moda, como parte del equipo que lanzó las tiendas Saks Fifth Avenue en la Ciudad de México. Pronto se convirtió en Compradora Senior de joyería, accesorios y líneas de Women’s Ready to Wear como Ralph Lauren Black Label, Helmut Lang, Alexander Wang, Yigal Azrouel, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Thakoon, Marchesa, entre otros. Su papel en las principales marcas norteamericanas y europeas le permitió anticiparse a las tendencias, supervisar la selección de productos y brindar colecciones codiciadas a sus clientes. A través de los años, Samantha también se desempeñó como compradora de Resortwear para tiendas especializadas como Everything but Water en Florida.

Además, se ha desempeñado como consultora de retail para firmas de consultoría como McKinsey & Company, AlphaSights y resorts de lujo en América Central y el Caribe. Una vez residente de ciudades como Londres, París, Quito y, por último, Florida en los EE. UU. Con gran experiencia, regresó a su México natal con la claridad de sus próximos pasos. Su tiempo fuera marcó la importancia de apoyar y empoderar a los diseñadores y empresarios latinoamericanos en sus esfuerzos. Poco después de su llegada, Samantha cofundó la Cumbre de la Moda Latinoamericana (LAFS) con su cuñada, Estefanía Lacayo, para ayudar a otros a presentar su trabajo más allá de sus límites y enriquecerlos en el proceso.

ESTEFANIA LACAYO

Co-Fundadora LAFS

Estefanía, de origen nicaragüense, persiguió la carrera en moda casi inmediatamente después de graduarse de la escuela secundaria. Con un título en Fashion Merchandising de Bay State College en Boston, dedicó sus veranos a Vogue USA que resultaría en su mudanza a Nueva York para trabajar en la revista poco después de su graduación. Estefania pasó a ser compradora de Vivre, donde continuó perfeccionando su conocimiento y habilidad tanto en la moda como en el mundo de mercadeo. En 2007, fundó una agencia boutique homónima dedicada a las ventas, el crecimiento y las relaciones públicas para diseñadores emergentes como Prabal Gurung, Bibhu Mohapatra, Misela, Mymu, Karolina Zmarlak, ANU y Nonoo Lyons. Con una amplia red de nuevos talentos a su disposición, su agencia comenzó a ofrecer servicios de adquisición de diseñadores para empresas establecidas como Intermix, Ideeli, Rent the Runway, Scoop en los EE. UU., Santa Eulalia en España y Saks Fifth Avenue en México.

Sus esfuerzos de colaboración y éxitos la llevaron intuitivamente a crear Edition01, una plataforma en línea que creó colaboraciones únicas y exclusivas entre diseñadores de moda, artistas y celebridades. Edition01 se asoció con marcas como Thakoon, Peter Pilotto, Style.com, CFDA, Yigal Azrouel, Vera Wang, Piamita y Harpers Bazaar. Ella pasó a hacer consultoría para Le Premier en Moscú y perseguir otros proyectos. Ella pertenece al comité para Glasswing International, una organización sin fines de lucro que aborda las causas de la pobreza y la violencia en Centroamérica. Actualmente, Estefania vive en Nueva York, y es madre de dos hijos.

Grey Sky Graphics

Graphic Design & Marketing

Grey Sky Graphics is a creative studio focused on graphic design and marketing that began in 2012 as a project of its founder, and current creative director, Barbara Raubusch. After having worked for 9 years in the largest and most important advertising agencies in El Salvador, Barbara decided to start her own creative studio, based on a work philosophy of individual and personalized service towards clients, effectively meeting their needs and moving away from the conventional methodology of large advertising agencies.

The studio has a multidisciplinary team, capable of providing comprehensive solutions in terms of brand image, creativity, graphic design, Web development and marketing. With a personalized approach, this small studio has managed to stand out at an international level, taking its work to other countries such as the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Germany and Spain, among others.

Much of the success Grey Sky Graphics has had so far, has been due to its ability to recognize the talent of specialists in other areas and strengthen the team with collaborators that complement the work of the studio; such is the case of photography, audiovisual production, and animation, among others. These alliances make this creative studio a strategic partner for its clients, beyond sharing their goals, the studio identifies with them.

The biggest motivation for this team is the belief that it doesn’t matter where you are from, small or large company in any field of work, you can always do more, grow and be better: smarter communication, higher valued and stronger brand.