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
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