MFMS 2020 Digital Webinar Recap
By: Talia Potters
After months of hard work and dedication from our team members, we were heartbroken to have to cancel our in-person summit due to COVID-19. However, the MFMS was founded with a mission to provide educational opportunities and increase access to the fashion industry, and we wanted to continue fulfilling our promise. In only a few weeks, our team pivoted to organize our first Digital Webinar featuring some of the highlights from our original summit. This new digital platform gave viewers the interactive opportunity to ask questions directly to our speakers and hear about their expertise despite being miles apart. We are so grateful to everyone who tuned in and hope you found the conversations as informative and inspiring as we did!
The webinar began with an introduction from our Co-Presidents, Cam Starwalt and Delaney Walker, whose leadership has been unparalleled during this time. It proceeded with a conversation between host Amy Tara Koch and Tenley Zinke, VP of Marketing and Communications at Fendi Americas. Zinke began by talking about her long and impressive career in fashion and how she got to her current position. With roles at LVMH, Net-A-Porter, and Ralph Lauren, she has a deep understanding of luxury fashion brands and experience across the industry. She pointed out that she “needed to be proactive in her own career development, [fashion is] not an industry with clear directional paths to get from point A to point B...you need to be very self motivated.” This self motivation, along with an emphasis on maintaining a “stellar” reputation, has helped her pivot from smaller fashion houses like Kenzo to digital platforms like Net-A-Porter. Zinke also emphasized how helpful it was to have both regional and global roles, which allowed her to understand different markets.
Zinke then answered questions submitted by our viewers. Many people were excited to hear about her advice for starting a career in the fashion industry. For luxury brands in particular, Zinke advised showing your passion early in life (retail jobs are great starting points), maintaining a polished yet stylish image, and being able to articulate your strengths. Another viewer asked if Zinke could predict the longevity of the current trend of streetwear and luxury fashion being intertwined. Zinke poignantly responded that “a huge trend was menswear suiting, but will anybody want to wear a suit anymore after we’ve all been wearing sweatpants?” This question is one that luxury and mass brands will have to consider going forward. Not only has COVID-19 altered production, but the way we dress might be forever affected. We found Zinke’s insights to be incredibly constructive and eye-opening and we are so thankful she was able to join us.
Our next conversation was with Caroline Gogolak, VP of Retail at Soulcycle and Cofounder of Carbon38, and moderated by Marly Graubard, EVP Business Development at Full Picture. Gogolak explained how her untraditional fashion background was helpful in starting her own brand, Carbon38. She always had an interest in fashion but was unsure how to express that during her career in finance. After years of contemplating whether or not to start her own fashion company, Gogolak took a leap of faith. “I put on my entrepreneurial hat and founded Carbon38 from scratch. I can either take a risk and learn or continue to think about it, but my motto in life is to never have any regrets,” said Gogolak. Her business background helped her raise capital, while giving her a foundation to learn more about merchandising and product development. After selling Carbon38, Gogolak wanted to experience brick-and-mortar retail and bring her knowledge of athleisure to SoulCycle.
Our viewers then asked Gogolak questions about her career and entrepreneurial spirit. One viewer wanted to know how Gogolak handled raising capital as a female entrepreneur in often male-dominated spaces. “For women in general, we always kind of think a little smaller picture than men might think...we sort of settle. It’s taken me a lot of time to get over that and be aggressive for what you really believe in, it comes across differently for men versus women but in light of all of that, being a thoughtful, nice, and respectful person is so important and your demeanor and character go way beyond your gender,” said Gogolak. Her drive, kindness, and confidence have helped her lead the retail division of SoulCycle, especially while their doors are closed due to COVID-19. The brand is rolling out new digital content to keep their community engaged, and Gogolak views the new work-from-home norm as an extension of the resilience of athleisure. Her perspectives about entrepreneurship and ambition demonstrated to viewers the importance of following your passions.
Like SoulCycle, the MFMS is utilizing quarantine to provide new digital content, starting with this Webinar. All industries are dealing with the adverse effects of this current crisis, but we hope these insights from professionals offered a bit of guidance in helping to navigate the fashion world right now. Thank you again to everyone who tuned in for your support and to our team for all of your hard work, especially under difficult circumstances. Follow @umfms on Instagram for updates…more is yet to come.