NY Fashion Week Founder Fern Mallis Shares Stories and Lessons From Her Illustrious Career
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Fern Mallis, founder of New York Fashion Week (NYFW) and Fern Mallis LLC, an international fashion and design consultancy. Mallis was also named to the third annual list of 25 Most Inspirational Women Leaders by Berns Communication’s Group’s the Retail Influencer Network, The DealmakeHers and The Z Suite, in partnership with Women in Retail Leadership Circle.
Listen in as Mallis details her illustrious career journey in fashion and retail (1:00), the genesis of NYFW (5:30), and other career highlights she’s most proud of (9:00). She shares the common threads that emerged between the hundreds of fashion and retail leaders featured in her interview series, Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis (11:45), and a few leadership lessons she’s learned from challenges during her career (14:00). Lastly, Mallis discusses the importance of attending industry events to build a network and stay relevant (16:10), what she’s tracking in fashion and retail right now (19:40), and answers a few rapid fire questions (22:00).
Hailed as the award-winning creator of New York Fashion Week, Mallis has been called an industry titan, fashion doyenne, and the godmother of fashion. After two decades at the CFDA and IMG Fashion, Mallis is now president of her own international consulting firm. Mallis is the recipient of numerous industry awards including the 2013 Fashion Industry Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pratt Institute, the 2013 FIT President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Icon of Innovation Award from Fashion Group International in 2022. She was inducted into Business of Fashion’s BoF 500 Hall of Fame in 2014 and serves on the board of the FIT Foundation. Mallis was just awarded the “Legend in the Fight Against AIDS” award from DIFFA Dallas. For the last 12 years, Mallis famously hosts the acclaimed and sold-out 92nd Street NY conversation series Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis. She is the author of the books chronicling this series by Rizzoli, and sponsored by Nordstrom.
Date: March 5, 2024
Credits: Fern Mallis
Duration: 26:29
More Episodes
The Home Depot CIO Angie Brown to Rising Women: Trust Your Ability to Learn and Lead
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Angie Brown, executive vice president and chief information officer at The Home Depot. Brown recounts her 27-year rise from entry-level developer to CIO; outlines AI opportunities in customer inspiration, delivery optimization, and communication; encourages women leaders to choose grace over perfection; and more.
17:22 The Leadership Driving Fossil Group's Turnaround: A Chat With Brand Chief Melissa Lowenkron
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Melissa Lowenkron, chief brand officer at Fossil Group, a global design, marketing, distribution and innovation company with a diverse portfolio of brands specializing in lifestyle accessories. They discuss how brands can grow during times of change. Lowenkron details why stepping into a chief brand role requires a mindset shift; how she leads the authentic storytelling that's key to Fossil's turnaround; her advice for leaders driving business transformations; and more.
22:39 How Lowe's is Building a Household Loyalty Ecosystem
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Managing Editor Marie Albiges interviews Amanda Bailey, vice president of customer marketing and loyalty at Lowe's. This interview was recorded at Shoptalk in Las Vegas last month, where Bailey spoke on a panel exploring innovative approaches to marketing across the customer journey. Bailey discusses treating loyalty as a relationship beyond transactions; serving both DIY and pro customers via one loyalty platform with tailored benefits; building executive influence; and more.
22:06 Wayfair CTO Fiona Tan: 'Tech Leaders Should Plug Into the Business Side'
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Managing Editor Marie Albiges interviews Fiona Tan, chief technology officer of Wayfair. This episode was recorded at Shoptalk in Las Vegas last month. Listen in as Tan discusses Wayfair's use of generative artificial intelligence and large language models; how she approaches new technology investments; and her advice for other female retail technologists who aspire to C-suite leadership roles.
17:27 CAMP CEO and President Jenica Myszkowski on Scaling Immersive Retail Experiences
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Jenica Myszkowski, CEO and president of CAMP, an experience company that brings families together through immersive adventures that inspire play. This discussion was recorded at Shoptalk in Las Vegas last week. Myszkowski discusses how previous roles shaped her as a leader; overcoming challenges as CAMP scales and opens new stores; how she stays inspired and creative; and more.
11:27 Motivating Teams Through Radical Transparency: Insights From Lulus' CEO Crystal Landsem
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Crystal Landsem, CEO of Lulus, the attainable luxury women's fashion brand known for trendy, stylish and feminine apparel, footwear and accessories. Landsem discusses the challenges and experiences that have informed her leadership style; her career journey from finance to fashion retail; motivating teams through radical transparency and servant leadership; her advice for young women leaders; and more.
20:54 RERUN: How BARK CXO Meghan Knoll Brings Storytelling to Dog Toy Design
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Managing Editor Marie Albiges interviews Meghan Knoll, chief experience officer (CXO) at BARK, the leading global omnichannel dog brand known for its monthly subscription, BarkBox. Knoll provides an overview of her primary responsibilities as CXO, a few learnings from building the BARK business to where it is today, how she empowers her team to be innovative, her push-pull approach to work-life imbalance, and more.
40:09 Inside TOMS’ Turnaround: CCO Katie Wagner on Wholesale Growth and Brand Reinvention
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Managing Editor Marie Albiges interviews Katie Wagner, chief commercial officer at TOMS, a Certified B Corporation global lifestyle brand known for its iconic shoes and giving model. Listen in as Wagner reflects on the first 20 years of the TOMS brand; balancing its iconic heritage with a brand refresh; lessons learned from her time at Crocs; creating a culture of curiosity; and more.
36:46 ButcherBox Commercial Chief Reba Hatcher on 'Mastering the Spin' in Career Transitions
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Managing Editor Marie Albiges interviews Reba Hatcher, chief commercial officer at ButcherBox, a delivery subscription service that offers high-quality, humanely raised meat and seafood. Hatcher shares insights about ButcherBox’s evolution over 10 years; using data to achieve growth while staying connected to customers; her varied, nonlinear career trajectory; advice on navigating cross-industry career changes; and more.
32:41 Rothy's CEO Dayna Quanbeck on Growth and Credibility Rooted in Sustainability
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Dayna Quanbeck, CEO and president of Rothy's, a direct-to-consumer company which takes a whole-brand approach to sustainability in manufacturing, transforming recycled materials into shoes, handbags and accessories. This episode was recorded at the National Retail Federation Big Show in New York City last week. Listen in as Quanbeck shares how Rothy's evolves while maintaining core values; what strong executive credibility looks like; lessons from her mentor, friend and former Rothy's CEO Jenny Ming; and more.
21:29 
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube Music
Amazon Music
Pandora