All Judges

A visionary cultural entrepreneur behind a large-scale family business, Dr. Adrian Cheng is dedicated to constructing an ecosystem integrating business, art and culture. Adrian is the executive vice-chairman and general manager of New World Development, an executive director of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited, New World Department Store China Limited and NWS Holding Limited; a non-executive director of Giordano International Limited and New Century Healthcare Holding Company Limited; and an honorary vice chairman and chief strategic advisor of Modern Media Holdings Limited, all being listed public companies in Hong Kong. Adrian created the K11 brand in 2008, a business concept intertwining art, culture and commerce and presenting it to global millennials through a collection of shopping malls, residences and workspaces. The brand has expanded to include K11 Musea, the sublime culture-retail global flagship of K11 in Hong Kong; K11 Art Malls, the culture-retail destinations across Greater China; K11 ATELIER, office buildings designed for the new culture of work-life integration; and K11 Artus, a luxury serviced residence. Alongside his business interests, Adrian has been active in promoting art and cultural exchange and development. He founded the K11 Art Foundation (KAF) in 2010, the first non-profit and non-state-owned art foundation in Greater China that fosters cross-cultural art education and incubates up-and-coming Chinese artists and curators. KAF provides emerging artists with channels to gain greater public awareness, both in China and on the international stage. Adrian also created K11 Craft & Guild Foundation, a non-profit foundation with the aim to conserve and preserve Chinese traditional craftsmanship. Adrian has also been serving in a number of prominent arts and cultural organizations. He is a board member of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCa), Los Angeles, and M+ Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Hong Kong. He is also a board director of the National Museum of China Foundation; a director of the Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum (CAFAM) in Beijing; a trustee of the Royal Academy of Arts in the UK; a member of International Circle of Centre Pompidou in France and the Tate International Council in the UK, etc.  He was named the first global ambassador of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 2019. Adrian has been acknowledged by Fortune as one of 40 Under 40 global business stars, a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2012 and was awarded Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters (Officier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) by the French Government in 2017, the youngest person in Hong Kong to receive such prestigious recognition of his role in the advancement of cultural exchange between France and China.  

Aimee Song is an LA-based interior architect by trade and also runs one of the largest fashion and lifestyle sites in the world, Song of Style. Her content ranges from what she wears and where she travels, to design inspiration and personal topics. She has worked with countless companies, including Dior, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany & Co., SKII, Giorgio Armani and Volvo, and she was the first digital ambassador for global beauty brand Laura Mercier. Aimee has been named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 and has been included in the Business of Fashionʼs prestigious BoF 500, a professional index of influencers who shape the global fashion industry, for two years straight. In 2016, she released her first book Capture Your Style, now a New York Times bestseller, and followed that success with World of Style in October 2018. She added toy designer to her resume when she collaborated with Mattel on her very own, one-of-a-kind Barbie doll and has focused increasingly on sharing her philanthropic work, including mental health awareness, with her audience. Most recently, she launched the long awaited apparel brand, Song of Style Collection, to immense success.

In October 2019, Alber Elbaz and Richemont signed a joint venture agreement, AZfashion. AZfashion will be an innovative and dynamic startup to turn dreams into reality, focusing on developing solutions for women of our times. From October 2001 to October 2015, Alber Elbaz was the artistic director of Lanvin, with a mission to "wake up the sleeping beauty." During his 14-year tenure, he transformed Lanvin, the oldest French couture house still operating today, into one of the most sought-after luxury labels in the world. Alber Elbaz was born in Casablanca, Morocco and raised in Israel, where he graduated from Shenkar College, the Tel Aviv School of Fashion and Textiles. He then trained in New York, where for seven years (from 1989 to 1996) he was the right hand of legendary American couturier Geoffrey Beene. In September 1996, he moved to Paris to take over as the head designer for prêt-à-porter for Guy Laroche and stayed until 1998. He successfully produced collections there from fall-winter 1997 to spring-summer 1999. In November 1998, he took over as artistic director of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, until 2000. His fall-winter 1999, spring-summer 2000 and fall-winter 2000 collections perpetuated a style and successfully married the past and the future. Open, sincere, intuitive and sparkling, he has a taste for the unforeseen and rises to challenges. At Lanvin, he brought to life an urban elegance where emotion and optimism kindle desire. He reconciled modernity and femininity, technique and originality, sensuality and creativity.  

ALEX ISRAEL (b. 1982, Los Angeles, CA) lives and works in Los Angeles. Deeply entwined with his hometown, his work explores popular media, Hollywood, and the cult of celebrity, while positing LA as central to an understanding of American culture and the American dream. Israel’s practice has included high-profile collaborations with Bret Easton Ellis, Louis Vuitton, Rimowa and Snapchat, as well as his own Freeway Eyewear and Infrathin Apparel designs. His ongoing web series, an LA-centric talk show hosted by the artist and titled "As It Lays," is streaming on YouTube, and his feature length art film, "SPF-18", is now streaming on Netflix, following a tour to high schools across the United States. His work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at: Le Consortium, Dijon; Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas; The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, San Marino; Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo; Fosun Foundation, Shanghai (forthcoming); and the Bass, Miami (forthcoming). His work is included in numerous museum collections worldwide including: MoMA, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; MOCA, Los Angeles; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; The Centre Pompidou, Paris; Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; and The Broad, Los Angeles.

Alexa Chung is amongst the most recognized style icons of her generation with an unprecedented list of credits, including a Contributing Editorship at British Vogue, recipient of the Fashion Icon prize at The Fashion Awards a record breaking three times and co-host of the Netflix series Next in Fashion. With nearly a decade’s experience in designing for leading international brands, Alexa launched her namesake brand, ALEXACHUNG, in London in 2016 where she holds the role of Creative Director. Winner of the Harper’s Bazaar Breakthrough Designer Award in 2019, ALEXACHUNG prides itself on a unique approach to making clothes, combining Parisian chic with a New York edge, as well as a very British sense of humor. In front of the lens, Alexa has worked with the industry’s leading creative talent including Peter Lindberg, Alistair McLellan, Glen Luchford, Patrick DeMarchelier and with four British Vogue covers to her name, Alexa continues to be the ultimate British muse.

Alexander Wang was born and raised in San Francisco, California and later moved to New York City to attend Parsons School of Design. In 2005, after two years, he pursued the launch of his own label. The collection began predominately in knitwear, represented by six unisex silhouettes. In Spring 2007, it had evolved into a full women’s ready-to-wear line and the collection was shown for the first time on the runway in Fall 2007. In its essence, the Alexander Wang brand’s sensibility is a reflection on contrasts, blending seamlessly between the refined and the imperfect. His collections have an unprecious outlook on fashion, and always reflect a sense of ease. He is renowned for his irreverent approach and for perpetually evolving and re-contextualizing the urban uniform.

Antoine Arnault is a French businessman. He graduated from HEC Montreal and holds an MBA from INSEAD. He's been CEO of Berluti, the Paris-based company specializing in upscale shoes, accessories and ready-to-wear for men, since 2012. Antoine Arnault is also Chairman of Loro Piana, the Italian label renowned for materials of the finest quality. Previously, he was Head of Communications at Louis Vuitton. Both Berluti and Loro Piana are part of the LVMH Group, of which Antoine has been a member of the board since 2006. In 2011, he launched the “Journées Particulières,” which give the public free, behind-the-scenes access to parts of the LVMH Group. The fourth edition took place on October 12, 13 and 14, 2018, with LVMH inviting visitors to discover 56 maisons and 77 exceptional places on five continents. In addition to his current roles, Antoine supervises all communication and image issues related to the LVMH Group, including all major events.

Chairwoman & Creative Director at Azza Fahmy Jewellery. Over 50 years ago Azza Fahmy initiated her journey towards being one of the most esteemed jewellery designers in the MEA region. With a profound purpose, Azza Fahmy has taken the role of translating the region’s culture and international art and historic references to the world, through contemporary jewellery design that reflects her unique research approach and craftsmanship preservation. The company is recognized for establishing Egypt’s luxury market and employs over 250 people. The brand’s retail operation comprises of 19 retail doors across the MEA including owned and operated boutiques with most recent additions of their first London store in Burlington Arcade, THAT concept store in Dubai, plus retail clients in the US, London, online and their own online boutique azzafahmy.com. The history of the brand began when Azza Fahmy (a BA graduate in Interior Design,) discovered a German art book about the classical jewellery of Medieval Europe at an Egyptian book fair igniting her passion for jewellery design. While continuing her day job, she became an apprentice in Khan El Khalili, Egypt’s ancient jewellery quarter where she spent her evenings learning with one of the craft’s most respected masters – the first woman to achieve this. This was followed in the mid-1970s by a scholarship from the British Council where she completed her jewellery craft education at the City of London Polytechnic. Azza Fahmy’s handcrafted jewellery is created with locally sourced 18ct Gold, Sterling Silver and their trade-mark unique metal mix combination of 18ct Gold and Sterling Silver, with stones are from India. Celebrated as Egypt’s first luxury multi-national brand, Azza’s craft has captured the attention of cultural and fashion cognoscenti and has seen her collaborate with designers such as Julien Macdonald, Preen by Thornton Bregrazzi, Matthew Williamson, the British Museum - all of whom she has created collections. She has recently transferred her talents to architectural design with solar technology company KarmSolar. In 2013, she independently funded and established the successful ‘Design Studio by Azza Fahmy’ (DSAF), the first design education hub of its kind in the region. She then founded The Azza Fahmy Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that qualifies young people in the jewellery making industry. A tailored technical, theoretical and on-the-job training programme is implemented to create highly-qualified technicians in all aspects of the jewellery-making value chain. Listed as one of Egypt’s most influential women, Azza Fahmy travels internationally as a cultural ambassador for her country, and her dedication to her craft and exquisitely designed jewellery has won her international recognition that boasts a diverse client list attracting jewellery connoisseurs from around the world including royalty and stage and screen. Azza works in partnership with her daughters Fatma Ghaly, CEO and Amina Ghali, Head of Design.

Celebrated as one of the most influential figures in fashion, and recipient of the 2019 CFDA Founder’s Award, Carine Roitfeld has transcended the boundaries of culture and style over the past three decades to build an ever-expanding global brand. In 2011, after 10 seminal years as the editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, Carine redirected her energy to personal projects, including the celebrated launches of her biannual style publications CR Fashion Book and CR Mens, as well as uniting with her son and business partner, Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld in 2016 to launch CR STUDIO, the creative talent agency behind CR Fashion Book with end-to-end production. CR Studio’s clients include Chanel, Van Cleef & Arpels, LVMH, Giuseppe Zanotti, Veuve Clicquot, Yeezy, Hearst Magazines and amfAR, among many others. In 2019, Carine was the recipient of the CFDA Founder’s Award and also launched her own signature line of fragrances, called 7 LOVERS. The collection is inspired by seven lovers in seven of the fashion visionary’s most beloved cities around the world. Also in 2019, Carine and Vladimir orchestrated in Florence, Italy, the debut of CR RUNWAY, an annual global fashion show and moment uniting the industry’s most celebrated designers and models from around the world.

Carla Bruni-Tedeschi was born in Turin, Italy, on 23 December 1967. She is the daughter of concert pianist Marisa Borini and of industrialist and opera composer Alberto Bruni-Tedeschi. Carla grew up and went to school in Paris. After her high school graduation, she studied art and architecture. She left school at 19 to become a model. As a model she worked with the most prestigious designers (Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, Armani, Ferre, Valentino, Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, Jen-Paul Gaultier and more), both for runway shows and advertising campaigns. She graced the covers of magazines worldwide such as Vogue, Elle and Marie-Claire, worked with the most renowned photographers (Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, Steven Meisel, Peter Lindbergh, Michel Comte etc.), and became part of the exclusive group called the ”Supermodels” in the 1990s. She retired from modelling in 1997 to dedicate herself to her music career. In 2008 Carla Bruni married French President Nicolas Sarkozy. In December 2008, Carla was named global ambassador for the protection of mothers and children against AIDS by UNAIDS, UNICEF and The Global Fund against HIV tuberculosis  and malaria. In April 2009, the Carla Bruni-Sarkozy Foundation was established under the Foundation de France’s aegis, and started operating in September that year.

Chopard Co-President and Artistic Director Caroline Scheufele’s energy and passion for design are notably illustrated by the brand’s Happy Diamonds watch collection, which featured the world's first combination of steel and diamonds, as well as the dazzling Haute Joaillerie Red Carpet and Animal World collections. She has also contributed to Chopard’s international exposure by connecting its image with the world of cinema and iconic events such as the Cannes Film Festival, of which Chopard has been the official partner since 1998. Caroline Scheufele’s dynamism and insatiable creativity are matched by a devotion to philanthropy expressed by support for charitable causes such as the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) and the José Carreras Foundation against Leukemia. She has also promoted corporate social responsibility, including Chopard’s membership of the Responsible Jewellery Council since 2010. In September 2014, she was honoured at the Fashion 4 Development (F4D) annual First Ladies Luncheon for her role in the 2013 launch of Chopard’s Journey to Sustainable Luxury program that aims to place ethics at the heart of aesthetics by sourcing from businesses that are demonstrably committed to responsible ethical, social and environmental practices. Two months later, in November 2014, she was also named Environmentalist of the Year in the BRAVO Business Awards.

American designer Casey Cadwallader was born in New Hampshire, USA. He studied architecture at Cornell University, before an internship at Marc Jacobs became the catalyst for close to two decades of fashion design experience, including positions as the Head of Womenswear at Loewe, Narciso Rodriguez and Acne Studios. He was appointed as the Artistic Director of Mugler fashion in December 2017. Cadwallader has presented eight Mugler collections to date, all of which have received critical acclaim from key opinion leaders in the fashion industry. Vogue Runway’s Nicole Phelps stated: “Cadwallader seems interested in realigning the label to jibe more with how contemporary women lead their real, glamorous lives,” at his first Paris runway show for Spring Summer 2019. French journalist and fashion commentator Loic Prigent named the latest Spring Summer 2020 collection as one of the most diverse castings seen recently at Paris Fashion Week. Carine Roitfeld’s CR Fashion book has nominated Mugler Spring Summer 2020 as one the best collections of the season. He has elicited multiple creative collaborations in the worlds of art, cinema and music, and championed a diverse cast of Mugler ambassadors from Bella Hadid and Chloé Sevigny to Carine Roitfeld, Tilda Swinton, and Juliette Binoche. An impressive cast of millennial stars and influencers have chosen to wear Mugler, from Euphoria actors Hunter Schaefer and Alexa Demie to Rowan Blanchard, Paloma Elsesser, and Violet Chachki. Evolving Mugler’s relationship with the international music industry, Cadwallader has dressed major music artists including Beyoncé, Kris Wu, Lykke Li, Ciara, Cardi B, Christine & The Queens and Dua Lipa for red carpet appearances and world tour costumes

As a 12-year-old child, Christian Louboutin loved to sketch women’s shoes. “I drew stilettos, but I never thought designing them could be a career. I just loved drawing shoes, fascinated by their power of seduction and their ability to shape a silhouette.” Christian creates shoes, bags and accessories for all genders, as well as a beauty range that includes makeup and fragrances. Worn by musicians and movie stars, royalty and athletes, the designs share a luxurious aesthetic of exoticism, Parisian chic and unique craftsmanship. Parisian by birth, Christian grew up surrounded by three sisters and has an innate understanding of the female world. In his early teens, he was out clubbing at the iconic Le Palace and watching shows at the Folies Bergères and Moulin Rouge. Fascinated by showgirls, he started his working life as an intern at the Folies Bergères and quickly became obsessed with the role of the shoe in defining a silhouette. “The shoe can change the way a woman walks, the way she moves, it can elongate the leg. The shoe can create magic, illusion, desire, and these are all things that I love.” Christian approached Hélène de Mortemart, Christian Dior’s fashion director, to present his drawings to her. They met, and she suggested an internship at Charles Jourdan, Dior’s shoe manufacturer, where he spent a very instructive time learning his trade. Then he became a personal assistant to the illustrious shoe designer Roger Vivier, who was a sculptor by training, and showed him the magical symbiosis of exceptional design and craftsmanship. His collaboration with Roger Vivier done, Christian decided he could no longer sketch shoes for anyone else. He had a brief stint as a landscape designer when a lucky encounter led him to rent a boutique at the corner of Galerie Vérot Dodat, a beautiful neoclassical arcade in the first arrondissement of Paris. He took a chance on destiny, and opened his first boutique and the House of Christian Louboutin simultaneously at the end of 1991. His first design was a pair of black loafers bearing the word LOVE, inspired by the image of Princess Diana alone at the Taj Mahal and intended for its wearer to look down and be uplifted by a message of love. Within two months, another princess, Caroline de Monaco, became his client and one of his loyal supporters. In 1992, Christian was working at his desk, contemplating an unsatisfactory prototype of a shoe while his assistant polished her nails. He grabbed her bottle of nail colour and painted the whole sole a vivid and lacquered red. The Christian Louboutin signature red sole was born. Christian Louboutin is now an independent luxury house, allowing the designer to remain spontaneous, instinctive and free to create. Everything evolves through chance encounters, “le bon feeling” and his travels, all of which have given rise to exciting collaborations. Christian has worked with craftspeople in Bhutan, Senegal and Mexico, with artists such as Dita von Teese, photographer David Lynch and singer Mika, which led to his very first men’s collection in 2009. He loves to collaborate with fashion designers, creating custom shoes for their shows, most memorably for Jean Paul Gautier, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent’s final couture show in 2002. More recently Christian has worked with Halpern and created sustainable designs for Germanier. An insatiable traveller, Christian frequents his houses in Paris, La Vendée, Portugal, Brazil and Egypt, where he also keeps a dahabiya, a traditional sailing boat. All his travels feed his imagination and inspire his creativity. “Wherever I go there’s always a garden to see, a museum, a church, a market, a concert, a piece of architecture – even in places that seem devoid of interest. I try to look where others don’t. Joy, awareness and surprise – to me that’s the perfect combination for creating.”

New York-based artist Daniel Arsham's work explores the fields of fine art, architecture, performance, design and film. Raised in Miami, Daniel attended the Cooper Union in New York City where he received the Gelman Trust Fellowship Award in 2003. Soon after, he toured worldwide with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company as the company’s stage designer. The experience led to an ongoing collaborative practice, seeing Arsham work with world-renowned artists, musicians, designers and brands. Daniel’s aesthetics revolve around his concept of fictional archaeology. Working in sculpture, architecture, drawing and film, he creates and crystallizes ambiguous in-between spaces or situations, and further stages what he refers to as future relics of the present. Always iconic, most of the objects that he turns into stone refer to the late 20th century or millennial era, when technological obsolescence unprecedentedly accelerated along with the digital dematerialization of our world. While the present, the future and the past poetically collide in his haunted yet playful visions between romanticism and pop art, Daniel also experiments with the timelessness of certain symbols and gestures across cultures. In 2008, he co-founded Snarkitecture with architect Alex Mustonen. Snarkitecture is a collaborative design practice established to investigate the boundaries between the disciplines of art and architecture. Snarkitecture focuses on the reinterpretation of everyday materials, structures and programs to new and imaginative effect. The studio's work includes installations, architectural environments and objects for a diverse range of clients such as Beats by Dre, Calvin Klein, COS, Design Miami, Gufram, Kith, New Museum and Valextra. Daniel’s work has been shown at PS1 in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami, the Athens Biennale in Athens, Greece, the New Museum In New York, the Contemporary Arts Center Cincinnati, the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. He is represented by Galerie Perrotin in Paris, Hong Kong, New York, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo. He also shows with Baro Galeria in Sao Paulo, Ron Mandos in Amsterdam and Nanzuka Gallery in Tokyo.

Diane von Furstenberg is a fashion designer, philanthropist and Founder and Chairman of the global fashion company that bears her name. In 1974, she created the iconic wrap dress, which became a symbol of power and independence for women all over the world. Von Furstenberg’s commitment to empowering women is expressed not only through fashion, but also philanthropy and mentorship. In 2005, von Furstenberg received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the CFDA. One year later, she became CFDA’s President and, in 2015, was named Chairwoman. For the past decade, she has served on the board of Vital Voices, an organization that supports female leaders and entrepreneurs around the world. In 2010, with the Diller von-Furstenberg Family Foundation, she created the DVF Awards to honor and provide grants to extraordinary women who have displayed courage, strength and leadership in their commitment to their causes. In 2015, she was named one of the TIME 100 Most Influential People. In 2018, she received the CFDA Swarovski Award for Positive Change With her corporate headquarters in New York’s Meatpacking District, von Furstenberg was actively involved in the campaign to save the historic High Line railway and to develop The High Line into what it is today. She also serves on the board of the Shed and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Von Furstenberg is married to Barry Diller. She has two children, Alexander and Tatiana, and four grandchildren.

Born in 1964 in Damour, Lebanon, Elie Saab is a self-taught fashion talent. His interest in dressmaking started at the age of nine, when he started designing dresses for his sisters. Soon, he was selling his designs to the women in his neighborhood. In 1982, he opened his first couture atelier in Beirut, managing over a dozen employees, after having mastered the art of dressmaking. That same year, he presented his first show at the Casino du Liban. The young women in the audience were immediately won over, and his reputation for designing extremely feminine and elegant dresses was established. Word spread internationally, and his client base grew to include members of high society. Elie's parth to stardom took shape in 1996 when he started dressing celebrities for Red Carpet events. In 1997, he was invited to take part in the prestigious Camera Nazionale della Moda. As the only non-Italian designer to receive that honor, it was a true privilege. A year later, Elie presented his first ready-to-wear collection, at Milan Fashion week, and in 1999, Queen Rania of Jordan chose to wear Elie Saab haute couture for her coronation ceremony. In March 2002, Elie Saab was again the couturier of choice when Halle Berry wore one of his haute couture designs to receive the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in Monster’s Ball. The same year, Elie opened his first couture salon in Paris’ prestigious eighth arrondissement, responding to a strong demand from his cosmopolitan and international clientele. In 2005, Elie opened a modern five-story building in Downtown Beirut, showcasing the brand’s different collections. In October of the same year, his presented his ready-to-wear collection in Paris for the first time, simultaneously launching his first accessories collection. In November 2006, Elie was integrated into the Chambre Syndicale’s official haute couture calendar, as Membre Correspondant. July 2011 saw the launch of the first Elie Saab fragrance, entitled Elie Saab Le Parfum. Photographed by Mert & Marcus, the ad campaign featured Anja Rubik in a specially designed Elie Saab gown. The launch of Rose Couture followed in 2016. The perfume echoed the infinite shades of blush, raising an iconic floral straight to the luminous heart of couture. In 2012, he partnered with the Lebanese American University of Beirut and London College of Fashion to launch a four years Bachelor’s degree program in fashion design and related studies. In 2018, a national Lebanese postage stamp honoring Elie Saab was unveiled. Featuring his portrait, the stamp is intended to pay tribute to his international accomplishments and his continuous commitment to celebrate Lebanon’s talents worldwide. In January 2020, the fashion house announced the introduction of its latest addition to the brand’s offering: Elie Saab Junior. The maison has signed two long-term licensing partnerships with Simonetta, one of the leading Italian children’s wear companies, and with Andrea Montelpare, the market leader in the luxury segment of children's shoes.

Elizabeth Saltzman’s work has been described as "classic with an unexpected twist," most often brought to life in her clients’ extraordinary Red Carpet moments. Elizabeth’s career began at Giorgio Armani in 1984, a position that propelled her to an incredible eight-year run as a senior fashion editor for US Vogue. She went on to join the team at Vanity Fair as fashion editor, and was soon promoted to fashion director for 20 years. Today, she is based in London. Elizabeth’s years spent behind the scenes of the fashion industry introduced her to a new creative outlet. Today she styles countless Red Carpet looks for Gwyneth Paltrow, Saoirse Ronan, Jodie Comer, Sandra Oh, Gemma Arterton, Julia Garner and Poppy Delevingne to name a few. Elizabeth has worked on many major beauty, lifestyle and travel campaigns. She works closely with many brands styling their ready-to-wear collections and couture shows. Elizabeth loves to introduce brands to Los Angeles and London by hosting private events and dinners. Elizabeth has a passion for helping her clients tell their story in a strategic, unique and meaningful way. Her presence traverses a diverse spectrum of popular culture, from design to art.

Model, actress, muse and documentary filmmaker Farida Khelfa was born in France to Algerian parents. As a model, she graced the podiums of the most talented designers of the 1980s – Jean-Paul Gaultier, Azzedine Alaïa, Thierry Mugler — incarnating a spirit and a look that hinted at rebelliousness while representing the diversity that was highly sought after during that era. Inspired by her experiences in fashion, Farida started acting in films in the mid-1980s. In 1995, she joined Azzedine Alaïa’s design studio, and in 2002, she became the head of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Haute Couture salons. Two years later, she returned to the world of cinema, where she switched from actress to film direction in 2010. Her first documentary showcased the success story of Jean Paul Gaultier. Others followed, featuring subjects as divergent as the artistic youth of Tunisia after the revolution, the French presidential campaign of 2012 and the passion of shoe designer Christian Louboutin in 2014. Fashion remains one of the main pillars in Farida’s life. She spent five years as the House of Schiaparelli’s ambassador, evoking the spirit of a multifaceted woman as embodied by the founder of this storied haute couture label.

The daughter of an American journalist and an Italian publicist, Francesca Amfitheatrof attended boarding school in England but spent her childhood in Moscow, Tokyo, and Rome. She graduated from Central St. Martins and the Royal College of Art, where she received her masters degree in jewellery and silversmithing and subsequently trained with a master craftsman near Padua. Francesca launched her line of jewellery in 1994. After which she was asked to design collections of house ware for Alessi and was soon commissioned by Chanel, Fendi, Asprey, Garrard, Marni and Wedgewood to create jewelLEry and accessories. In 2001 she set up RS&A, a London-based agency that commissioned artists Yayoi Kusama, Maurizio Cattelan, the Chapman brothers, Paul McCarthy and Damien Hirst to name a few. In 2010 she opened the Gucci Museo in Florence as Head Curator. During her tenure she curated shows by Bill Viola, Cindy Sherman and Joana Vasconcelos. Tiffany & Co appointed Francesca as the first-ever female Design Director. Her launch collection Tiffany T, a range of minimalist necklaces, cuffs, and rings meant for layering and daily wear. She then spearheaded the repositioning of the Tiffany Blue Book collection that comprised of 250 unique pieces of high jewelLEry. Additional collection. followed culminating in the launch of Hard Wear in 2017. Since April 2018, Francesca Amfitheatrof is Artistic Director of Watches and Jewellery at Louis Vuitton, a House she has a close affinity with thanks to their shared values of savoir-faire and travel. Her style and creativity combined with precious elements shape the striking identity of Louis Vuitton’s jewellery collections. She also set up and launched her own brand Thief and Heist in 2019

With the appointment of Gherardo Felloni as Creative Director of the collections of the Maison, Roger Vivier continues its tradition of visionary design and exceptional style. Born in Tuscany, Gherardo Felloni has already spent a lifetime living and working with shoes and accessories. Since starting in his new role in March 2018, he has brought this vast and unique experience to the Parisian luxury accessories Maison. While he originally planned to be an architect, his father encouraged him to apply his ability to draw the natural world around him to shoes, “I see the coincidence in a link between architecture and shoe design. Each involves a structure that must be able to hold you inside of it.” After spending time at his family’s shoe atelier, he continued honing his skills working for some of the leading fashion Houses. Over the past 10 years, he has led footwear, leather goods and accessory design at luxury brands in Paris. “For me Roger Vivier has always been a source of reference in my work. He was the master of shoes. It’s an honor to work for the Maison.” His love affair with design is influenced by his own personal passion for the arts whether exploring interior design, collecting antique jewelry or singing opera as a tenor

Roman-born Giambattista Valli launched his eponymous brand in 2005, heralding his first ready-to-wear show in Paris, where he had moved from Italy to realize his everlasting dream of creating a true “maison,” after experiences at Roberto Capucci, Fendi and as Creative Director of Emanuel Ungaro. The maison’s headquarters were established in a historic building located on Rue Boissy d'Anglas. The building also houses the label's main store, entirely dedicated to ready-to-wear collections, leather goods and accessories including shoes, bags and jewelry. In July 2011 Giambattista Valli showed his first couture collection and was accepted as an Official Member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. The launch of Giamba – a new, younger sister ready-to-wear line – followed in 2014. From 2008 to 2017 Giambattista Valli was Creative Director of Moncler Gamme Rouge, building a new language of refined activewear for the brand and expanding the horizons for the use of women’s puffer jackets. Giambattista Valli, a leading and established name in the worldwide fashion scene, brought a new approach and meaning to luxury and beauty, attracting a universe of young, modern and highly glamorous and sophisticated women from around the globe. He has been praised by celebrities and fashion lovers, earning a Star Honoree Award from Fashion Group International in 2011 in New York and Best Designer of the Year Award from Elle China in 2013 and from Marie Claire Spain in 2015. Amal Clooney, Rihanna, Queen Rania of Jordan, Ariana Grande, Kendall Jenner and Gwyneth Paltrow are among those who are wearing his creations. Giambattista Valli's narrative is a love story, shared with dreamers and lovers with a common philosophy: ageless, timeless, effortless.  

Born in Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia, Haider Ackermann grew up in different countries throughout Africa and Europe, including Ethiopia, Chad, Algeria, The Netherlands, Belgium and France. In March 2003, he showed his acclaimed first collection in Paris, and in 2005 he signed with the Belgian Group 32. In June 2013, he showed his first men's collection for Spring-Summer 2014. Influenced by cultural differences, Haider Ackermann is recognized to be a true colorist and to have an energetically stylized eye. His clothes, lying somewhere between dreams and reality, convey a refined contrast of strength and sensuality, with an aim is to empower women and men.

Imaan Hammam’s fierce ascent into the top tier category of fashion model has without doubt projected her to become one of the industry’s most recognizable supermodels. Of Moroccan and Egyptian descent, she made her fashion debut in 2013 when she walked for Jean Paul Gaultier, Givenchy, Hermès, Proenza Schouler, Chanel and Valentino. Since then, Imaan has become the choice subject for renowned fashion photographers Steven Meisel, Craig McDean, Annie Leibovitz, David Sims, Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and Inez & Vinoodh. Imaan held the most international Vogue covers of any model in 2017. Her ever-growing cover resume includes the Arabic, British, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch and coveted September issue of American Vogue, along with Allure, Teen Vogue and Porter Magazine. She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York and is represented by DNA Model Management.

Juergen Teller (b. 1964, Erlangen, Germany) studied at the Bayerische Staatslehranstalt für Photographie in Munich, before moving to London in 1986. Navigating both the art world and commercial photography, he has shot campaigns for numerous luxury brands as well as editorials for prominent art and fashion publications. In 2003, Teller was awarded the Citibank Prize for Photography and in 2018 he was awarded the Special Presentation ICP Infinity award. Major solo exhibitions of his work have been held at T-10, Beijing, China (2021); Grisebach, Berlin (2020); Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow (2018); Fotomuseum, Winterthur (2018); Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin (2017); Bundeskunsthalle Bonn (2016); DESTE Foundation, Athens (2014); Institute of Contemporary Art, London (2013); Daelim Museum, Seoul (2011); Dallas Contemporary, Texas (2011); Le Consortium, Dijon (2010) and Fondation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain, Paris (2006). In 2007 was asked to represent the Ukraine as one of five artists in the 52nd Venice Biennale. Teller’s work has been acquired by numerous international collections including the Centre Pompidou, Paris; Fondation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain, Paris; International Center for Photography, New York and National Portrait Gallery, London. Teller has published over 50 books and was a Professor of Photography at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste Nürnberg from 2014-2019.

Laura Brown is the editor-in-chief of InStyle, the world’s most successful fashion media brand. Appointed in August of 2016, she is responsible for content, strategy and new revenue streams. Helming a brand that reaches 30-plus million, Brown oversees the core magazine, digital across all platforms and formats, 13 international editions and annual special issues. In addition, she leads development of brand extensions, including live events. Since her appointment, Brown has lead a refresh of InStyle’s print and digital franchises to much critical acclaim. She has expanded the breadth and variety of the contributors, giving voice to a new group of fashion, beauty and celebrity influencers and appealing to a wider audience with a stylish and relatable voice. Her social media sensibility has vastly extended the reach and relevance of InStyle beyond the page. Under Brown, InStyle has seen unprecedented growth across digital, with record-breaking unique visitors to InStyle.com (10+ million) and video views on Instagram (50+ million.) Her contributions to the brand have already garnered extensive media coverage – with substantive profiles appearing in the New York Times, the Business of Fashion, New York Magazine, Fast Company and Digiday, among many others. Previous to InStyle, Brown spent 11 years at Harper’s Bazaar, rising to the role of executive editor following stints as articles director and features/special projects director. She was also articles director of details and senior editor at W. She earned her BA in arts and communication from Charles Sturt University in New South Wales in Australia.

Marc Jacobs was born in New York City. After graduating from the High School of Art and Design in 1981 he entered Parsonʼs School of Design. As a design student at Parsonʼs, Marc was the recipient of some of the schoolʼs highest honors including Design Student of the Year. In 1984 he designed his first collection with the Marc Jacobs label. The following year, he received the distinct honor of being the youngest designer ever to be awarded the fashion industryʼs highest tribute: the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent. With stores across the globe, Marc Jacobs International now includes ready-to-wear and accessories, a childrenʼs line called Little Marc Jacobs, multiple award-winning fragrances, the bookstore Bookmarc and Marc Jacobs Beauty.

Maria Milano has been in the fashion industry for 15 years, starting her career in magazine publishing at Conde Nast and Time Inc. Maria was Editor of InStyle Online before transitioning into retail in 2013, arriving at Harrods as Head of Editorial and Content, where she oversaw all the visuals, styling, product copy and editorial on the Harrods website as well as playing a role in the marketing and social media strategies for the business. In June 2017, Maria was announced Head of Womenswear at Harrods, where she leads the buying teams for all Womenswear categories, including Fashion Lab and Shoe Heaven. Maria has a Master's in journalism from City University, London.

Mario Sorrenti has been an important part of contemporary fashion photography since he came onto the scene in the early 1990s. Born in Naples, Italy, Sorrenti grew up in New York and as a young adult quickly developed a love for experimenting with image making, predominantly through photography, but also painting. In 1993 Mario created a series of intimate images of his then girlfriend Kate Moss, in the Virgin Islands. The images were seen by Calvin Klein at the time, and went on to become the famous Obsession campaign, launching his international career. Mario’s photographs are characterized by confident, experimental compositions and a sophisticated use of color and light. He has shot for Vogue Hommes, French Vogue, Italian Vogue, W, the New York Times, Self Service, iD, Document, Another and many other publications. His commercial clients include Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Chanel, Bulgari, Hugo Boss, Jil Sander, Tom Ford, Dior Beauty, Estée Lauder, Shiseido, Revlon and Yves Saint Laurent. Mario has published several books, including his Kate book by Phaidon. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, both in London.

Michele Lamy eludes simple categorization. She is an entrepreneur and producer, collaborator  and performer, wife and business partner to Rick Owens, with whom she has built an empire, Owenscorp. She occupies a unique place within culture, enjoying iconic  status in both the fashion and art worlds. She's the producer of the RO furniture collection, working closely with the artisans in the construction process as well as directing the positioning and presentation of the works, including shows at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris and MOCA in LA. In 2014 Lamy created Lamyland, an umbrella term for her independent creative endeavors, bringing together all the key elements integral to her practice – experimentation, collaboration, storytelling and creation. In a  sense it is a natural progression to her infamous Les Deux Cafe, the LA cabaret spot she founded, curated and ran in the 1990s. Lamyland is a cultural movement and an architectural instillation that functions as a communal gathering space for performances, social engagement and contemplation. In 2017, Lamy formed the conceptual band Lavascar with the artist Nico Vascellari and her daughter Scarlett Rouge. They have released two albums with lyrics derived from the poetry of Langston Hughes and Etal Adnan respectively, and have been invited to perform at both the Pompidou in Paris and the Triennale in Milan.

One of the five original supermodels, Naomi Campbell is without doubt one of the most prolific and influential profiles of contemporary culture today. She was born in London and caught her break as a fashion model when she was just 15. Throughout her illustrious career, she has fronted the covers of more than 1000 magazines and has been featured in advertising campaigns for celebrated luxury houses including Burberry, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino. Her instantly iconic runway walk showcasing the collections of Chanel, Azzedine Alaia, Christian Dior and Versace has made her a global sensation. As a barrier-breaking leader, Naomi has championed the industry, receiving numerous accolades. She was the first black model to appear on the cover of Time magazine, French and Russian Vogue as well as the first British black model to appear on the cover of British Vogue. In 2017, Campbell was named contributing editor of British Vogue by editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful. In 2018, Naomi received the honor of two Fashion Icon Awards – one presented by GQ and the other by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Beyond her work in the fashion industry, Naomi has appeared in cameos in countless TV shows, music videos and films, including The Cosby Show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Madonna’s Erotica, Bob Marley's Is This Love, George Michael's Freedom. She has also been seen as a recurring guest star on both Fox’s breakout hit drama Empire and FX’s American Horror Story: Hotel. In April 2016, Campbell released a limited, two-volume Collector’s Edition book The Art of Beauty designed by British pop art luminary Allen Jones, celebrating her remarkable career amidst the greatest legends of fashion and photography with jaw-dropping images and exclusive autobiographical text. Human Rights and Global Health, as they specifically pertain to women and children, have been critical sectors of Naomi’s work. In partnership with the United Nations, she has supported  the International Women’s Day’s Peace March, which aims to end violence against women. As an advocate for HIV/AIDS research, Naomi has worked with UNAIDS where she conceptualized a collaboration with designer Marc Jacobs to design a limited-edition T-shirt to raise funds for the charity’s activities in support of people around the world affected by HIV. Environmentalism is also close to Naomi’s heart, and she has been a founding supporter of KnotOnMyPlanet, a campaign raising funds for the conservation and rehabilitation of African Elephants. In just three years, the organization has raised over $7 million. In order to spread her philanthropic efforts, Naomi founded her own non-profit Fashion For Relief. Since its inception in 2005, the organization has presented charity fashion shows in New York, London, Cannes, Moscow, Mumbai and Dar es Salaam, raising millions of dollars for various global causes.

Natalia Vodianova is one of the world’s most successful supermodels and most influential celebrities in the global fashion scene. She's appeared in more than 400 runway shows, 71 times cover of Vogue, as well as Vanity Fair, i-D, Marie Claire, GQ, Elle, Glamour and Harper’s Bazaar, to name a few. She has had starring roles in advertising campaigns for Guerlain, Givenchy, Prada, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Nina Ricci, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, L’Oréal, David Yurman, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Diane von Fürstenberg, Hugo Boss, Miss Sixty, Stuart Weitzman, Etam and H&M. She has inspired some of the greatest fashion designers of all times, and she has been the muse of the most prominent fashion photographers in the world, including Paolo Roversi, Mario Testino, Peter Lindbergh, Mert and Marcus, Steven Meisel and many more. While her supermodel career and fame kept growing, Natalia felt the potential of using her notoriety to support urgent causes around the world. As a global undisputed fashion icon, she made giving back her mission in life and became one of the most passionate social activists.

Natalie Massenet is co-founder and co-Managing Partner of Imaginary Ventures, a venture fund investing in early-stage opportunities at the intersection of retail and technology. Natalie is co-founder alongside Nick Brown, previously of 14W, a New York-based VC firm. Natalie is also non-executive co-Chairman of Farfetch, a global e-commerce platform for luxury fashion. She was appointed to the role in February 2017 to work alongside Farfetch’s founder, Jose Neves, to help him grow the global brand and strengthen its partnerships in the fashion industry. Natalie is best known for founding the luxury fashion online retailer, Net-A-Porter, in 2000. The following decade saw Natalie build one of the world’s most influential fashion businesses operating across retail, media and publishing platforms, including net-a-porter.com, theoutnet.com, mrporter.com and the Net Set. With a team of over 2,500 people in London, New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai, Massenet shaped an extraordinary experience for the global luxury fashion consumer. In the year before Natalie stepped down from her role following the YOOX Net-A-Porter merger, the Net-A-Porter-Group recorded net revenues of almost $1 billion Natalie began her career as a journalist and fashion editor, working at WWD and Tatler before setting up Net-A-Porter. In 2009, Natalie was awarded an MBE, and in 2016 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, both in recognition of her contributions to the UK fashion and retail industry. Natalie was Chairman of the British Fashion Council between 2013-2017, and was appointed a UK DTI Business Ambassador in March 2016.

When Olivier Rousteing, then 25, was selected to head Balmain’s design team in 2011, he became one of the youngest talents ever named to lead a historic Parisian fashion house. Olivier is very conscious of his unique background and position. “I’m not the typical creative director of a major house,” he says. “I see first-hand how my generation lives and I understand how they want to dress. Most importantly, I’m a privileged witness to the openness, optimism, universality and honesty of this dynamic moment, with so many rapid evolutions in art, communication, popular culture and music. Those changes constantly inspire me and are reflected in my collections – they allow me not only to design clothes, but perhaps also to shake things up a little and offer a new vision to fashion.” Olivier was raised in Bordeaux and studied fashion at Paris École Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode (ESMOD). At 18, he moved to Italy, where he worked at Roberto Cavalli for five years, beginning as an intern and rising swiftly and steadily through the ranks to be named designer for the men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections. When the opportunity arose for him to return to Paris to work at Balmain, Olivier seized it, forming a part of the house’s design team for two years before being named head of design in 2011. As creative director, Olivier has successfully grafted an immediately recognizable style upon the historic Parisian house. While relying on Balmain’s rich archives for inspiration and fully utilizing the atelier’s impressive mastery of intricate, traditional couture techniques, he has also managed to impose a singular silhouette and contemporary outlook that reflect the way that members of the Balmain Army – the young men and women of the designer’s own gener-ation—live their lives. Season after season, runways highlight both the exciting, inclusive diversity of the modern Balmain universe and the importance of 21st-century culture – in particular, today’s music – in that universe. The brand’s transformation has excited many, including a host of retailers – from H&M to Nike – eager to bring the innovations and spirit of Olivier’s Paris runways to main streets across the globe. In addition, his creative leadership has been a key reason for Balmain’s rapid growth in recent years, with the company opening a host of new boutiques in the world’s fashion capitals and launching new men’s, children’s, accessory and eyewear collections.

Olivier Theyskens was born in 1977 of a Belgian father and a French mother. As a child, gifted for drawing and having a sense for detail, his interest for couture appeared: aged 7 he declared that he wanted to “become a couturier”. In October 1994 at the age of 17 he entered the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de La Cambre to study fashion design in Brussels. He left the school in 1997 to start his own brand. The same year Theyskens presented his first collection of feminine, high fashion ready-to-wear in Belgium. He then decided to show his following collection in Paris during fashion week and rapidly found international coverage. VogueRunway characterized his work at this time as consisting of “strong, dark collections that electrified fashion in the late nineties.” In 2002 Theyskens moved to Paris when he was appointed Artistic Director of Rochas, a position he held for four years. For his work at Rochas he was awarded the Star Award from Fashion Group International in 2005 and the title of Best International Designer by the CFDA in 2006. That same year Theyskens took over the position of Artistic Director at Nina Ricci where he infused the house with what WWD described as “his strong suit – stunning evening dresses that are soft and fluid.” Theyskens’ unique aesthetic was captured in a book project, ‘The Other Side of the Picture’ (Assouline). Published in 2009, the book is an anthology of images that offer an intimate insight into Theyskens’ work throughout the years. In 2010, after moving to New York, Theyskens and Theory joined their complementary strengths and visionary approaches to contemporary fashion to create Theyskens’ Theory. In November of that year, Theyskens was appointed Artistic Director of the global Theory brand where he stayed until 2014. Having always the ambition to pursue the development of his own House, Theyskens decides to return to Paris to re-launch his eponymous label in 2016. Olivier Theyskens is one of the youngest designers to be celebrated by two retrospectives. In October 2017, the prestigious MOMU Fashion Museum in Antwerp unveiled a six-month exhibition of Olivier Theyskens’ work covering 20 years of career, with the publication of a monograph entitled ‘She Walks in Beauty’ (Rizzoli). In June 2019, the Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode in Calais , opened ‘In Praesentia’, an exhibition focused on Olivier Theyskens’ singular approach to fashion accompanied with the release of a comprehensive catalogue (Lienart). In February 2020, Theyskens was named Artistic Director of Azzaro, overseeing all the lines of the house, a position he holds in parallel to developing his namesake brand. Throughout his career Olivier Theyskens also worked in the art field, creating costumes for the Chicago based rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, for the Théatre de la Monnaie in Brussels and for the New York City Ballet, as well as creating dresses for major celebrities and prominent socialites.

‘I have always loved cinema and during my adolescence I dreamed of becoming a movie director. When I discovered fashion and its narrative power, I decided to become a designer. It was for me a natural evolution of a dream’. After High school, Pierpaolo Piccioli enrolls in the Istituto Europeo di Design, in Rome. Commitment sets in during the first years of work in the atelier. After his first experiences, in 1990 he arrives at Fendi to work on the brand’s accessory line. In this period he approaches the heart of the profession: the contact with high Italian craftsmanship and the possibility of experimenting with a new approach. ‘Working closely with the artisans and with the Italian expertise has been fundamental. It has allowed me to understand and perceive the rules in order to break them and rewrite them. Savoir-faire is the base of the designer profession. It is the base from which each creative process begins’. After Fendi, he arrives at Valentino to develop the emerging accessory line. It is the beginning of a challenge: to lead the great tradition of the Valentino Couture from dresses to objects, maintaining intact the tradition, the cure and the creativity of its founder. The experiment works on all fronts. In 2008, Pierpaolo Piccioli is nominated Valentino Co-Creative Director. ‘From the first days, the most important task on Valentino’s heritage has been to accomplish the perception, the idea and the essence of the Maison rather than reproposing pieces of its archive. It has been a creative process that took as a model the modus operandi of the Atelier of Couture. In other words, the human excellence portrayed in every single detail. From the fashion shows, to the collaborations, to the stores’. In just a few years, Valentino has become a brand of reference for the fashion system and an international success case. In 2016, Pierpaolo Piccioli is nominated sole Creative Director of the Maison. It is the start of a new era, a further evolution for the Italian brand. ‘I am interested in the idea of humanism that nourishes creativity. The human connection that forms this Maison is for me the best team possible. Here I have discovered that no innovation can exist without a profound knowledge of tradition. At the same time, I know that the sense of limit that springs from this awareness gives you the freedom of thinking of how to trespass it. This, in synthesis, will be the new Valentino direction. A human narration, personal yet unanimous, of a story that is yet to be written.

"I have always loved cinema and during my adolescence I dreamed of becoming a movie director. When I discovered fashion and its narrative power, I decided to become a designer. It was for me a natural evolution of a dream." After High school, Pierpaolo Piccioli enrolled in the Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome. Commitment sets in during the first years of work in the atelier. After his initial experiences, he arrives at Fendi in 1990 to work on the brand’s accessory line. During this period, he approaches the heart of the profession: the contact with high Italian craftsmanship and the possibility of experimenting with a new approach. After Fendi, together with Maria Grazia Chiuri, he arrives at Valentino to develop the emerging accessory line. It is the beginning of a challenge: to lead the great tradition of Valentino Couture from dresses to objects, maintaining intact the tradition and the creativity of its founder. The experiment works on all fronts. In 2008, Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri are named Valentino’s Creative Directors. In just a few years, Valentino has become a brand of reference for the fashion system and an international success case. In 2016, with the exit of Maria Grazia Chiuri, Pierpaolo Piccioli is nominated sole Creative Director of the maison. It is the start of a new era, a further evolution for the Italian brand. "I am interested in the idea of humanism that nourishes creativity. The human connection that forms this maison is for me the best team possible. Here I have discovered that no innovation can exist without a profound knowledge of tradition. At the same time, I know that the sense of limit that springs from this awareness gives you the freedom of thinking of how to trespass it. This, in synthesis, will be the new Valentino direction. A human narration, personal yet unanimous, of a story that is yet to be written."

Remo Ruffini is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Moncler S.p.A. He lives with his family between Milan and Como, his town of origin, where he was born in 1961. He enjoys the sea and sailing in summer, and skiing and the mountains in winter. In 2003 Ruffini took over the helm of Moncler, the legendary Franco-Italian brand that specializes in producing down feather products, undertaking an international re-launch on a grand scale. It proved to be an outstanding reinvention of a brand which, thanks to the far-sighted and creative vision of Ruffini, was floated on the Milan stock exchange just one decade later, in 2013. Remo Ruffini’s career got underway between Italy and the United States, where he joined his father’s company, Gianfranco Ruffini ltd. On returning to Italy in 1984, he founded New England at a very young age. The company specialized in men’s shirts, and soon expanded its products to include a complete range of sportswear, followed by the women’s collection in 1993. From 2003 onward, Remo Ruffini dedicated his energies wholly to Moncler. With his love of challenges and a talent for overall vision, Ruffini left his mark on the brand with an integrated strategy that combined entrepreneurial, market-related aspects with a multifaceted creative sensitivity. His insight focused on the concept of the “global puffer jacket,” which was versatile and perfect for any occasion. It was a revolutionary approach that marked the international success of Moncler. The puffer jacket went from mountain-wear to a more metropolitan approach, without neglecting the original heritage for which it was so famous. The urban attitude of living harmoniously alongside a keenly felt technical and sporting vocation was translated in 2010 into a specific collection named Moncler Grenoble. A whole range of talented designers applied their creativity to identifying new and different interpretations of the puffer theme. With Moncler Gamme Rouge, launched in 2006 and today designed by Giambattista Valli, the Haute Couture puffer jacket took shape, while Thom Browne, who has worked with Moncler Gamme Bleu since 2009, explored the options for tackling the rules of men’s tailoring while interweaving them with the brand’s sporting roots. From 2004, focusing on experimentalism and the languages used by the new generations, Remo Ruffini led Moncler to work alongside many international designers, from Balenciaga to Junya Watanabe, Chitose Abe for Sacai, Mary Katrantzou and Alexandre Mattiussi for Ami. In 2017, Remo Ruffini was named Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 for Italy at the XXI Edition of the EY award event held in Milan. The prestigious prize identifies and recognizes the achievements of outstanding entrepreneurs. And in June 2018, Remo Ruffini has been named Cavaliere del Lavoro (Knight of Labour) in Italy. The Cavaliere del Lavoro title recognizes Italian entrepreneurs who have distinguished themselves in different sectors of the economy and is of the highest honors bestowed by the President of the Italian Republic.

Sandra Choi is Creative Director of Jimmy Choo Ltd, an iconic luxury lifestyle brand defined by an empowered sense of glamour and a confident sense of style. Born in the UK on the Isle of Wight, and educated in Hong Kong, Choi relocated to London as a teenager to finish her secondary school education. During this time, Choi went to work with her uncle, Jimmy Choo, who was then a couture shoemaker based in the East End of London catering to the global jet set, including Princess Diana. Passionate about turning her apprenticeship into a career as a designer, Choi attended the prestigious Central St Martins School where she studied for a degree in Fashion Design whilst continuing work as Choo’s protégé. At his side, Choi perfecting the art of creating couture shoes: designing, cutting patterns, stitching, fitting and constructing lasts. Enchanted by the business, Choi eventually abandoned her studies so that she could devote herself full-time to design and the management of the atelier. In 1996, the Jimmy Choo brand was born with Sandra Choi serving as the company’s Creative Director since its inception. Jimmy Choo has grown to be an internationally recognized label with a passionate clientele worldwide. The sexy cut and fashionable design of the shoes combined with exceptional Italian craftsmanship struck a chord with clientele, and the first collection enjoyed immediate success. Choi’s fashion insight combined with the skills she refined as a bespoke shoemaker created a collection that made couture quality available at retail. Accolades followed with Jimmy Choo awarded 2008 'Designer Brand of the Year' from the British Fashion Council, the 2008 ‘ACE Brand of the Year' from the Accessory Council and the 2008 'Brand of the Year' from Footwear News in New York. With a goal of creating a global luxury business, Jimmy Choo attracted outside investment and the company embarked on a significant expansion across product categories, channels and geographies. Mr Choo departed the company in 2001. Jimmy Choo is a leading global luxury brand with an empowered sense of glamour and a playfully daring spirit. Known for its distinctive, fashion-forward style and exceptional craftsmanship Jimmy Choo has become a pioneer in the art of celebrity dressing and red-carpet style. Women’s shoes remain the core of the product offer, alongside handbags, small leather goods, scarves, sunglasses, eyewear, belts, fragrance and men’s shoes. Creative Director Sandra Choi has been with the brand since its inception in 1996 with a vision to create one of the world’s most treasured luxury brands. Jimmy Choo has a global store network encompassing more than 200 stores and is present in the most prestigious department and specialty stores worldwide. Jimmy Choo is part of the Capri Holdings Limited global fashion luxury group publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker CPRI.  

Sara Maino’s first experience in fashion began in the early 1990s while working at the newly opened Corso Como 10 boutique in Milan before joining Vogue Italia as an intern in 1994. She is now Deputy Editor of Vogue Italia and head of Vogue Talents, a project born in 2009 in support of emerging designers. Vogue Talents is a network that scouts and supports the best creative talents in womenswear, menswear, accessories and fashion photography. It is a platform that creates connections between designers and the fashion industry, supporting the growth of opportunities and new collaborations. A regular attendee at global talent spotting shows, Sara has served as a judge in several fashion competitions, including the LVMH prize, ITS (International Talent Support), the Designer’s Nest Award, the H&M Award and the Berlin Fashion Film Award, among others. The number of new initiatives dedicated to talents and signed by her is increasing: The Next Talents, in collaboration with yoox.com, Who is on Next? and Vogue Talents are scouting events in Milan that are organized by Vogue Italia.

Sarah Mower MBE is a journalist and advocate for young designers whose curiosity about the meaning and direction of fashion has always motivated her to seek out new talent. As chief critic for Style.com, and then American Vogue’s Voguerunway.com she has charted the rise of the designers in London Uprising, often finding and making relationships with them as students. Her interest in scouting talent and representing their problems to the British Fashion Council led to an active roaming role as the BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent in 2009. She took the chair of the New Gen selection committee in the same year, bringing in London’s top expert buyers and fashion editors to collectively help navigate young designers through their first years in business. Sarah’s career started as fashion editor at The Guardian in 1986, but she attributes her first interests to growing up in Bath, visiting the Museum of Costume, and to the encouragement of her art teacher mother Celia Mower, the inspiration of her stylish grandmother Maisie Defriez and to her aunt Dodo Palengat, who changed her life by giving her a subscription to Vogue as a 13th birthday present. Sarah studied English and History of Art at Leeds University. She was appointed MBE for Services to the Fashion Industry by her Majesty the Queen in 2011.

Sonam Kapoor Ahuja is an Indian actress and the daughter of Bollywood star and global icon Anil Kapoor. Sonam started her career as an assistant director to the legendary Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the award-winning film Black. During her time on set she was cast in her first film Saawariya. Her path to stardom ascended rapidly with leading roles in Raanjhanaa and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, which earned her numerous best actress nominations. In a welcome departure from her previous roles and one that would be one of the most commercially successful films with a woman as a protagonist, Sonam went on to win a National Award for her film Neerja in 2016. With a versatile choice in films, Sonam emerged as the most profitable female actor, proving her to be one of the most bankable stars of the industry. In 2019, Sonam appeared in Bollywood’s first LGBT love story. Sonam was named by the Huffington Post as one of the 100 Most Influential Women on Twitter. Her reach on social media includes over 17 million followers on Instagram. Sonam is also a fashion icon with global influence. She regularly graces the covers of international fashion magazines. A flag bearer of Indian fashion on international Red Carpets, she shows off a bold style and experimental fashion choices that have made her a favorite among fashion designers. She is also a long-standing ambassador for cosmetics brand L’Oreal. In 2017, Sonam and her sister Rhea Kapoor launched high street fashion brand Rheson. The pop culture-inspired label was instantly successful and is available online and in multi-brand stores. Sonam is a passionate supporter of numerous charitable organizations. Her philanthropy work supports Women’s rights, LGBT rights and breast cancer awareness.

Stefano Tonchi was the Editor in Chief of W from 2010 to 2019. Under his direction, W has garnered numerous awards, from being named Hottest Fashion Magazine by Adweek to receiving several Webby nods and more than 20 medals from the Society of Publication Designers, to winning the 2018 National Magazine Award for Photography. Stefano oversaw the publication of W: Stories, a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most memorable fashion portfolios from the past decade, and W: The First 40 Years, a photographic celebration of the magazine’s 40th anniversary. Prior to W, Mr. Tonchi was the Creator and Editor in Chief of T: The New York Times Style Magazine, which he introduced in 2004 after serving as Style Editor at the Sunday Times Magazine. In 2008, T was named Magazine of the Year by the Society of Publication Designers. From 1998 to 2003, Mr. Tonchi was the Fashion Creative Director for Esquire. In 2001, Esquire earned the Magazine of the Year Award from the Society of Publication Designers, as well as National Magazine Award nominations for Photography and Design.

Thom Browne is widely recognized for challenging and modernizing today’s uniform: the suit. By questioning traditional proportions, Browne’s designs consistently convey a true American sensibility rooted in quality craftsmanship and precise tailoring. In 2001, Thom began his business with five suits in a small “by appointment” shop in New York City’s West Village and, in the years following, expanded his business to include complete ready-to-wear and accessories collections for both men (2003) and women (2011). Thom has also become known for his highly conceptual runway presentations, which have gained global attention for their thought-provoking and dramatic themes and settings. Thom has been honored with the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year Award (2006, 2013, 2016), the GQ Designer of the Year Award (2008), the FIT Couture Council Award (2017) as well as the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award (2012). His designs are recognized by museums around the world, including the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Costume Museum at Bath and the ModeMuseum Antwerpen. The brand is currently offered in over 300 leading department store and specialty boutique doors across 40 countries and through 31 directly operated flagship stores in New York, London, Milan, Tokyo, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and South Korea.

Victoria Beckham started studying ballet at a young age, moving on to pursue her interest in dance at the Laine Theatre Arts college in the United Kingdom. She went on to achieve global stardom with the Spice Girls. Victoria is now a global businesswoman and Creative Director of the Victoria Beckham brand – launched in 2008 and awarded the prestigious Designer Brand of the Year accolade at the British Fashion Awards in both 2011 and 2014. The brand showcases only the finest craftsmanship, fabrication and materials, with all four Victoria Beckham lines developed at Victoria’s studio in London. As the Victoria Beckham collections become ever more progressive, so this passion for innovation extends to the brand’s communications and creative projects. The year 2013 saw the launch of victoriabeckham.com, a website offering both e-commerce and interactive content curated to provide a more intimate view of Victoria’s design approach and working processes. In 2014 Victoria Beckham opened its first store at 36 Dover Street in London – a collaboration with architect Farshid Moussavi to transform a neglected Mayfair townhouse into a shopping destination echoing the dynamism and modernity at the heart of the brand. In March 2016 Victoria opened her second retail site at the Landmark Hong Kong. In 2014 Victoria was appointed International Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS. In this role Victoria is collaborating with UNAIDS to raise awareness around HIV. She has undertaken several global field missions - from China to Africa raising awareness on HIV-related stigma and discrimination. In April 2017, Victoria was awarded an OBE for her services to the fashion industry.

Chief Creative Director and founder of Off-White™ and Men’s Artistic Director at Louis Vuitton Born in Rockford, Illinois, Virgil Abloh is an artist, architect, engineer, creative director, artistic director, industrial designer, fashion designer, musician, Dj, and philanthropist. After earning a degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he completed a master’s degree in architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago. At IIT, while studying a design curriculum devised by Mies van der Rohe, Abloh began to craft the principles of his art practice. The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presented a major traveling survey of Abloh’s work in summer 2019—one of the highest attended exhibitions in the museum’s history. Currently, Abloh is the Chief Creative Director and founder of Off-White™ and Men’s Artistic Director at Louis Vuitton.

Wendi Deng Murdoch is a Chinese-born entrepreneur, investor, movie producer, media mogul and collector of Chinese contemporary art. She was the third wife of News Corporation chairman and CEO Rupoert Murdoch.

Yoon Ahn and her husband Verbal founded Ambush in 2008 as an experimental line of jewelry – innovative pop art-inspired designs capturing a distinct Tokyo aesthetic. The iconic trademarked Pow! motif received wide media coverage around the world. With apparel created as a canvas to complete the aesthetic Yoon envisioned, Ambush evolved into designing unisex ready-to-wear collections. The brand made its Paris debut in 2015 with Yoon and Verbal being listed as two of Business of Fashion’s Top 500 people influencing the global fashion industry for four consecutive years since 2015. In 2017 Ambush was selected as one of the top eight finalists for the LVMH PRIZE. Ambush’s uniquely crafted parts form an idiosyncratic style that led to commissions and collaborations with an illustrious list that includes Louis Vuitton (Kim Jones), sacai, Undercover, Shu Uemura, Nike, Converse, Rimowa and Gentle Monster. In 2018 Ambush presented the brand's first runway show as part of Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo. The same year, Kim Jones named Yoon director of jewelry for Dior Homme, with the first creations for the house debuting with the spring-summer 2019 collection in Paris. Ambush opened its first flagship store in 2016 in Tokyo, a space that encapsulates the brand’s ethos in a creative environment under one roof with the design studio.

Zuhair Murad grew up in Baalbek, Lebanon. Since his childhood, he always dreamed of escaping to a world of fantasy. He started sketching dresses at the age of 10 and has often said he couldn't recall a day in his life without a pen in hand. In 1997, Zuhair Murad opened his first atelier in Beirut, catering to a growing private clientele, and presented his couture collection for the first time during Haute Couture Week in Paris in 2001, gaining momentum with international media. To meet growing and expanding demand, he then launched his first ready-to-wear evening collection (Rendez-Vous), a simpler yet still aesthetic, glamorous and contemporary line. In 2006, Zuhair Murad opened his first boutique in the heritage Melrose Building located in Downtown Beirut, and in 2007 he inaugurated his Parisian Maison de Couture in the heart of the Triangle d’Or at 1-1bis Francois 1er street, the design studio and workshop where he created his ready-to-wear collections, and couture and bridal dresses. His first ready-to-wear bridal collection launched in 2011, and in 2012, the supervisory board of the French Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode elected him as guest member to the Haute Couture official calendar. In the past decade, Zuhair Murad has expanded to several notable locations, with design studios and a bridal boutique in Beirut, showrooms in Paris, a store-within-a-store in London, Kuwait and Istanbul, a company in Switzerland and at boutique in UAE. His extensive lines encompass haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories.