NEW YORK, NY (November 1, 2014)—Today, Initiatives in Art & Culture (IAC) announced the agenda for its roster of presenters at its 16th Annual Fashion Conference, entitled “Visionary: Inspiration, Incubation, and Realization,” taking place November 14 & 15, 2014. The Thursday, November 13, evening reception that launches this event, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at TrimLab, a cooperative high-tech product development center and showroom in the heart of the fashion district created by a group of world-class fastener and trim companies. The event also will feature a reception and private preview screening, beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, November 14, of “Make it in America: Empowering Global Fashion,” a film directed by James Belzer; Executive Producer, Loews Hotels & Resorts, with introductory remarks by Eric Johnson, director, fashion/retail, New York City Economic Development Corporation’s Center for Economic Transformation.
“I am delighted to represent New York City Economic Development Corporation’s Center for Economic Transformation at IAC’s 16th Fashion & Design Conference,” said Eric Johnson, director fashion/retail, New York City Economic Development Corporation’s Center for Economic Transformation. “The fashion and retail sector is one of New York City’s most vibrant and iconic industries. And we are doing some amazing things to catalyze growth here. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to share information about those activities with others involved.”
The conference will feature presentations on visionary actualization across multiple industries in fashion and design, with a special focus on technology, textiles, jewelry artisanry, and business and professional incubators for creative talent.
“IAC has always been a champion of true innovation, particularly that which supports creative talent or social improvement in our world,” said Lisa Koenigsberg, founder, IAC. “It is our firm belief that many industries in fashion and design around the world are poised for exciting reinvention, and it is an honor for this organization to be a part of helping to communicate these changes.”
Formal sessions for this event will be held at The Graduate Center, City University of New York (365 Fifth Avenue). Presenters include Teri Agins, author Hijacking the Runway: How Celebrities Are Stealing the Spotlight from Fashion Designers; James Belzer, director of “Make It in America: Empowering Global Fashion”; Eric Johnson, director of fashion/retail, New York City Economic Development Corporation’s Center for Economic Transformation; Adriano Goldschmied, veteran denim entrepreneur; Andrew Olah, CEO, Olah Inc.; Gary A. Wassner, Co-CEO, Hilldun Corporation; Naeem Khan, designer; Gabi Asfour, founder threeASFOUR; Yeohlee Teng, designer; Iona Crawford, designer; Robert Steir, marketing and materials manager, Toray International America Inc.; Bob Bland, founder, Manufacture New York; Joris Debo, creative director, Materialise; Dave Becker, founder, Beacon & Lively; Jan Brassem, senior partner, Mainbrace Global Partners; Joanna Berzowska, associate professor and chair, Design and Computation Arts Department, at Concordia University, and founder, XS Labs; Rebecca Duval, vice president, BlueFin Research Partners; Ariele Elia, assistant curator of Costume and Textiles, Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology; Philip Fimmano, director, Edelkoort Inc.; Lesley Frowick, author, Halston: Inventing American Fashion; Teresa Frye, president and CEO, TechForm Advanced Casting Technology; David German, co-founder, TrimLab LLC; John Glen, sales director, Alex Begg & Company; Kathy Grenier, public relations and marketing director, The Cultured Pearl Association of America, Inc.; Randy Harward, vice president, materials, Under Armour, Inc.; Arnold J. Karr, senior editor, Women’s Wear Daily; Barbara Kramer, co-founder, Designers & Agents; Claudia Kretchmer, CEO, Steven Kretchmer Studio; Christina Mercando, founder and CEO, Ringly; Dougal R. Munro, president, Holland & Sherry, Inc.; Joseph F. Murphy, patent attorney and fashion lawyer; Jack Ogden, jewelry historion; Despina Papadopoulos, founder, Studio 5050; Jan Glier Reeder, consulting curator for the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Liz Salcedo, CEO, Everpurse; Susan Scafidi, professor and academic director, Fashion Law Institute at Fordham Law School; Sarah L. Scaturro, head conservator, The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Dennita Sewell, curator of fashion design, Phoenix Art Museum; Douglas K. Shriver, consultant to Brooks Brothers; Sabine Seymour, founder and CEO, Moondial.
For further information regarding presenters, schedules and locations for events related to this conference, please see the following agenda. Those interested in attending can register at, extraordinaryiac.eventbrite.com.
About Initiatives in Arts and Culture (IAC) is an organization committed to educating diverse audiences in the fine, decorative, and visual arts, as well as architecture. IAC’s primary activities are conferences, publications, and exhibitions. These take an interdisciplinary approach, considering issues related to fabrication, connoisseurship, cultural patrimony, cultural preservation, and the future of culture. Particular areas of emphasis include American painting, the history and art of frames, the Arts and Crafts movement (internationally and in the U.S.), the art of metalworking in America, the influence of Asian cultures on American fine and decorative art, and the history and future of fashion and materials. IAC’s projects have been supported by a wide array of individual, corporate and foundation funders.
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Kick-Off Reception hosted by TrimLab (252 West 37th Street, 3rd Floor). Remarks by David German, partner and co-founder, TrimLab.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Formal sessions take place at The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue (between 34th and 35th Streets).
9:15 – 9:25 a.m. Introduction. Lisa Koenigsberg. conference director and founder and President,
Initiatives in Art and Culture
9.30 – 10:10 a.m. Hijacking the Runway: How Celebrities Are Stealing the Spotlight from Fashion Designers. Teri Agins, author; who developed the fashion beat for The Wall Street Journal and whose newest publication is Hijacking the Runway: How Celebrities Are Stealing the Spotlight from Fashion Designers (2014).
10:15 – 10:45 a.m. Looking Backward: New York and Fashion Visionaries. Jan Glier Reeder. consulting curator for the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art;
11:15 – 11:45 a.m. Platinum Innovations: How Technology Is Raising the Bar on Artistic Creation. Teresa Frye. president and CEO, TechForm Advanced Casting Technology
11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Platinum Masters: Artistic Creation and Technology. Zoltan David, jewelry designer who has been awarded two patents: for the “Dangelier” (2006) and for his signature metal ornamentation technique (2003) and Claudia Kretchmer, CEO, Steven Kretchmer Studio; which has been granted numerous patents for precious metal inventions and alloys, his signature Tension-Set™ jewelry, and Polarium™; and moderator: Teresa Frye.
1:30 – 2:15 p.m. Pearls, Ponds, and Panics: A Fresh Perspective on the History of Culturing Pearls. Jack Ogden, leading expert on jewelry history and a jewelry industry consultant.
2:15 am – 2:45 p.m The Journey of the Pearl: From Farm to Jewel. Kathy Grenier, Public Relations/Marketing Director, The Cultured Pearl Association of America.
2:45 – 3:40 p.m. From Fiber to Style: New Visions for Denim – a Panel Discussion. Rebecca Duval, vice president and equity analyst for the retail sector, BlueFin Research Partners; Adriano Goldschmied, called by many the “god-father of denim”; and Andrew Olah, CEO, Olah Inc, and creator in 2004, the Kingpins Show, the first jean supply chain show in the world; moderator: Arnold J. Karr, senior editor, Women’s Wear Daily.
4:00 – 4:50 p.m. New York as a Fashion Incubator – a Panel Discussion. Bob Bland, Brooklyn-based fashion designer, and CEO + Founder of Manufacture New York; David German, partner and co-founder with Roy Katz of TrimLab LLC;, a high-tech product development center and showroom created by a group of world-class fastener and trim companies and a partner in AGH Trimsource; Eric Johnson, director of Fashion/Retail, New York City Economic Development Corporation’s Center for Economic Transformation; Yeohlee Teng, designer whose collection is—and has always been—designed, developed, and produced in New York City; and Gary A. Wassner, Co-CEO of Hilldun Corporation; moderator: Susan Scafidi, professor and academic director, Fashion Law Institute at Fordham Law School.
4:55 – 5:25 p.m. Make it in America: Empowering Global Fashion. James Belzer, independent filmmaker, who is the director of the forthcoming Make It in America: Empowering Global Fashion (Executive Producer, Loews Hotels & Resorts) in conversation with Dennita Sewell, curator of Fashion Design, Phoenix Art Museum who organized “Fashioned In America” which opened to the public on October 11, 2014.
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5:30 – 8:00 p.m. Reception and Private Screening of “Make it in America: Empowering Global Fashion,” a film directed by James Belzer; Executive Producer, Loews Hotels & Resorts. Introductory remarks by Eric Johnson, Director, Fashion/Retail, New York City Economic Development Corporation’s Center for Economic Transformation.
Saturday, November 15
Formal sessions take place at The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue.
10:00 – 10:45 a.m. Revolutionizing Incubation and Retail. Steven Alan, designer, incubator, and retailer; Barbara Kramer, co-founder with Ed Mandelbaum in 1988 of Designers & Agents®, an advanced young designer fashion trade show; and Karen Moon, co-founder and CEO of Trendalytics, a style-centric visual data platform that measures consumer engagement with merchandise trends; moderator, Philip Fimmano, Director, New York-based creative studio Edelkoort Inc., providing consulting services to companies in North and South America
10:45 – 11:30 a.m. Twist on Tradition: Sensational Sustainable Scotland. Iona Crawford, contemporary women’s wear designer, artist, and creative consultant; John Glen, sales director, Alex Begg & Company; Dougal R. Munro, president, Holland & Sherry Inc. and head of the Apparel Cloth Division of Holland & Sherry for the US and Canada; and Douglas K. Shriver, consultant to Brooks Brothers, where he has worked since 1966 in a wide variety of capacities.
12:00 – 1:15 p.m. Cutting-Edge Technology. Gabi Asfour, creative director at and founder of fashion/art collective threeASFOUR; Joanna Berzowska, associate professor and Chair, Design and Computation Arts Department, at Concordia University, founder, XS Labs, and Head of Electronic Textiles, OMsignal; Joris Debo, creative director, Materialise, a leading provider of additive manufacturing software and sophisticated 3D printing services; Randy Harward, Vice President, Materials, Under Armour, Inc.; Sarah L. Scaturro, Head Conservator, The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art; and Sabine Seymour, founder and CEO, Moondial, who focuses on the next generation of wearables; moderator, Walter T. Wilhelm, chairman, WWA Advisors LLC a boutique consulting organization that focuses on helping to refine processes and implement technologies from design to the initial bulk order in the softgoods industries.
2:15 – 3:30 p.m. Wearable Technology: Marrying Fashion and Technology. Dave Becker, founder, CEO, and head of product strategy, Beacon & Lively; Jan Brassem, Senior Partner, Mainbrace Global Partners; a luxury consumer product executive in strategic planning, M&A, and global sourcing; Despina Papadopoulos, founder of Studio 5050 and Principled Design with over 18 years’ experience in wearable technologies, Ariele Elia, assistant curator of Costume and Textiles, Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology; Julianne Snow Gauron, industrial designer, who focuses on designing new products for the body; Christina Mercando, founder and CEO of Ringly; Joseph F. Murphy, patent attorney and fashion; and Liz Salcedo, CEO, Everpurse; moderator, Sarah L. Scaturro.
3:45 – 5:00 p.m. Halston: Inventing American Fashion. Lesley Frowick, author of the forthcoming publication, Halston: Inventing American Fashion, and co-curator for “Halston and Warhol: Silver and Suede,” on view at the Des Moines Art Center; Naeem Khan, designer; Karen Bjornson, model and muse; Nancy North, muse, model, designer, and tastemaker, and Robert Steir, marketing and materials manager, Toray International America Inc. with responsibility for Toray International America Inc. Ultrasuede® brand fabric fashion initiatives.