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.  

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.