The 2022 MFMS Recap

Check-In

On the morning of the Michigan Fashion Media Summit, the Student Planning team strode into the Ross School of Business with excitement and anticipation. As the suspense kicked in, our team assembled last-minute touches, eager for the day’s events to commence. It was our first in-person summit since 2019 and our first hybrid summit ever. It was our felt responsibility to do our absolute best to create a safe environment and a successful summit. It was almost show time — our team leaders, Sophie Glassman, Dana Papandreadis, and Theo Kardasis, shared encouraging words of wisdom to set a meaningful intention for the day. The clock struck 8:45; we were ready to get this exciting day started.

Opening Remarks

To commence the summit, co-presidents Sophie Glassman and Dana Papandreadis took the stage and shared their passion for the MFMS with audience members. They thanked the team for their effort and expressed their excitement to have attendees in person once again. The day was officially off to a great start.

Morning Keynote

The MFMS was thrilled to host Shona Pinnock, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Louis Vuitton as our Morning Keynote Speaker. She began by detailing her collaboration with Louis Vuitton’s workforce to include representation of BIPOC communities in their brand. Under Shona’s guidance, the company has developed a more intentional hiring process which, in turn, led to their more diverse staff. 

Shona’s experience, knowledge, and passion radiated through her every word, inspiring the audience to advocate for their beliefs and work hard for what they want.

Shona then brought Maureen Denny, Louis Vuitton’s Midwest and Mid-Atlantic Talent Acquisition Manager, and Jen McGrath, Director of Talent Acquisition in the Americas, to the stage to engage in conversations surrounding the role of inclusion within luxury fashion as well as to offer advice for getting your foot in the door of the industry. A key takeaway from their conversation was that anyone can work in luxury fashion if they set their mind to it, regardless of one’s degree or background. “I can confidently tell you that every single person's journey has looked incredibly different, careers at Louis Vuitton are very nonlinear,” Maureen said. “We really encourage those to take every opportunity that there is to learn more in a space like this.”

Shona, Maureen, and Jen’s words kickstarted the day with inspiration and encouragement.

Panel 1: Designing A Launch

Moderated by Weiden+Kennedy’s Marcus Collins, attendees of the Summit listened in on a conversation dedicated to product launch and marketing tactics. With a line-up of Matt Walker, president of Curateur and Rachel Zoe Inc, Matt Guthartz, president of Steve Madden, Ben Ewy, vice president of product design at Carhartt, and Rebecca Goodman, vice president of marketing and communications for Manolo Blahnik, we knew we were in for a treat. 

With Manolo Blahnik’s recent collaboration with Birkenstocks proving to be a major success, it was exciting to hear Rebecca speak on her role in the process and how the launch came to fruition. She explained that although serendipitous, the partnership was quite organic, and Manolo Blahnik himself has been a fan of Birkenstocks for many years. She stated, “Of course, these two brands don't seem to align. When you look internally, we share a lot of the same brand vision such as heritage, creativity, the artistic process, so it sort of seemed like a natural fit for us to partner with Birkenstock.” 

Further, Ben touched on the many collaborations that Carhartt has had in the past and how collaborations can be influential not only to a company’s existing market but also serve as a means of bringing in new consumers by teaming up with brands they love.“When we do collaborations or when we do kind of extension projects, we think about the idea of reach, how can we push ourselves and reach new consumers? How can we reach new product categories?” While these brand collaborations seem fun and exciting, Matt Walker reminded the audience how complicated they can become. He spoke on his time as a mediator for brands in collaborations and the outcomes he witnessed of unsuccessful partnerships. This led to an overview of the challenges with branding that companies face in the fashion industry. Panelists agreed that no matter the business, to find success through collaboration, a brand must stay true to its identity and its consumer base. 

Lastly, the panel turned to a question from the audience about the recent challenges of supply chain management due to COVID-19. Matt Gurtharz kicked this off by sharing the importance of planning ahead and focusing on what one can control instead of dwelling on situations that are out of one’s hands. Ben then highlighted how diversifying the way that a company gathers materials can be very beneficial, but even more importantly, a company must have a positive relationship with its suppliers.

The attendees left the panel with incredibly valuable insight into collaboration, risk-taking, and maintaining relationships while simultaneously preserving your identity.

Adobe Lunch and Learn

Attendees were fortunate to hear about Adobe’s functionality and resources during our lunch break. With the University of Michigan being one of Adobe’s only Creative Campuses, students were able to watch tutorials on various Adobe programs. For more information on our partnership with Adobe, click here. 

Fireside Chat

The charismatic and loveable founders of Favorite Daughter, Sara and Erin Foster, came to Robertson virtually from California. With their candid approach to life and eagerness to connect with the audience, the Fosters answered any and all questions, from “how did you start your business?” to “what things about working with your sister get on your nerves?” 

On their brand, Favorite Daughter, Sara and Erin shared that their goal was to create a brand for women who feel excluded from the fashion community due to high prices and inaccessibility. Sara and Erin were a highlight of the day, not only with their fun banter but also with their honesty about their careers and genuine advice. The chat left the audience laughing and wishing that Sara and Erin could be their best friends (but then again, don’t we all?)

Panel 2: Creator Economy

Streamed in Robertson, the “Creator Economy” panel provided insight into the role that social media plays in fashion and the effects of influencers on the industry. This panel was moderated by the president and CRO at Bustle, Jason Wagenheim in conversation with the founder of Braintrust, Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, Beauty Partnerships Lead at Instagram, Kristie Dash, Global Digital Content Creator, Brittany Xavier, and Brand Consultant and Founder of FWD Joy, Chrissy Rutherford. This panel featured advice on creating fashion content for Instagram and TikTok, how the digital landscape is altering the industry, and a thoughtful discussion on the importance of representation within fashion media. 

As one of the unofficial founders of this concept, Kristie Dash explained the creator economy as “an ecosystem and industry that includes and surrounds [influencers or creatives] who are making a living on social media.” 

Further, Brittany spoke about how younger generations today are viewing social media not only as a hobby but as a sustainable way to make a living.

also mentioned how much of her work as a creator is related to mental health, which has helped her, in her words “live out her purpose.”

Panel attendees had the opportunity to listen in on how some of their favorite influencers and brands create content, and in turn, how they can too. The main takeaway from this panel was advice on how to stay true to yourself and how to reflect that in your work.

Breakout Conversation: The Evolution of Digital Fashion

This conversation, hosted by Francine Ballard, CEO of Metagolden, and Marc Beckman, founder of DMA United, was geared towards understanding how NFTS, blockchains, and all things Metaverse have and will continue to become intertwined with the fashion industry. 

From Francine’s background in fashion publication and her newest venture into her blockchain jewelry brand, the audience learned how the elements of traditional fashion media and the contemporary realms in which the industry has emerged can be utilized to progress the future of fashion.

Marc’s expertise in the Metaverse, combined with much of the audience’s novice, landed him the role of pseudo-teacher to answer any questions audience members had about this complicated and ever-evolving technology. With questions spanning from more obvious like “What are NFTS?” to more open-ended questions such as “How will the Metaverse change the fashion industry in a permanent way?”, the room bustled with curiosity and excitement, not only to hear from these incredible speakers but also to imagine how the future of fashion may look.

Breakout Conversation: Concept 2 Consumer: The Jordan Journey

Concept 2 Consumer: The Jordan Journey was predicted to be a highlight for the sneakerheads in attendance, an exciting deep dive into the world of Nike and the creation of their timeless designs. 

The MFMS’s very own co-founder Rachel Roth, along with the former Vice President of Special Projects innovation at Nike, Mark Smith, and former Chief Marketing Officer at The Jordan Brand, Brian O’Connor, discussed their beginnings, Michael Jordan, and marketing through storytelling.

After hearing about Mark and Brian’s early careers, Mark shared some of his experience as Michael Jordan’s right-hand man in designing his shoes. He discussed how a lot of the process regarded problem-solving and thinking about improvements beyond the physical presence of the shoes. He stated that this was best done by listening to what the athlete has to say about the shoe's performance and creating solutions to issues that may arise on the court. It is a trial-and-error process that involves time, effort, and a lot of prototypes.

Another important piece to creating an athlete’s shoe is storytelling, which Brian expanded upon by sharing how the Shattered Backboard Jordan 1s were created. “For anyone who wants to get into marketing, it's pretty simple. You just got to be a good storyteller,” Brain said. “[Michael Jordan] switched uniform colors… and he shattered a piece of the glass… then we go to the platform and we make sure that [the shoes] are cut and told the right way that they can capture the idea of what it means, you know, a Shattered Backboard, and what it really was like when Michael was being introduced to Europe. That was really what we're doing, it wasn't just an orange and black shoe.”

They also reminded the audience that sneakers were not always the fashion staple that they are now, Mark stated “Nobody really thought about sneakers off the court until a certain thing happened in the 1990s. It kind of transcended, basketball became more than just basketball.” Although style has always held importance, it is the performance of the shoe that has always been a priority.

To close the conversation with audience takeaways, Rachel shared some questions. First, in answering what makes a product iconic, Brian said “Iconic to me is it sets a new level that no one ever thought was possible.” Mark added that it can take decades for a product to be truly seen as iconic. With these two legendary heads at Nike, there was no shortage of wisdom and insight. Sneakerhead or not, this conversation was as exciting as it was informative. 

Corporate Coffee Chats with La Colombe

After hearing some incredible talks about NFTs and shoe design, attendees were invited to engage in Corporate Coffee Chats with several incredible brands including Adobe, Curateur, Bustle, IMG, Gap, Louis Vuitton, Steve Madden, Glosslab, and Creatively. Students were able to speak with industry leaders and network with some of their favorite companies!

Afternoon Keynote

For our afternoon keynote, we were lucky enough to hear from journalist, author, and head of fashion and beauty partnerships at YouTube, Derek Blasberg, interviewed by none other than Rachel Zoe, the iconic fashion designer, and businesswoman. While the two sadly could not be in Ann Arbor with us during the Summit, their advice and banter were welcomed by all in the auditorium. 

They began by discussing Derek’s “life story” as he called it, to paint a picture of how he got to where he is now. Derek was born in St. Louis but moved to New York City to study journalism at NYU. He worked as an assistant at Vogue, where he stated that he was the “worst assistant in Vogue history” and was fired. While this seems like it would have been a setback, his persistence and talent propelled him to Vogue’s international desk, to which he said “it’s often when you think that it’s all over is when it’s really about to begin.” He later discussed how although his initial dream of running a magazine did not come to fruition, his career with YouTube instead allowed him to dive headfirst into the evolution of fashion and media. 

One piece of wisdom that Rachel shared about Derek was how his presence and accountability in all aspects of his life have proved his devotion to not only his work, but his friendships, reminding the audience that just the act of showing up can be even more important than how you get there.

After this heartfelt piece of advice, the pair began discussing Derek’s work with YouTube and its impact on the fashion and beauty industries. An important factor in YouTube’s evolution according to Derek is its focus on authenticity and relatability online. “Viewers have become so much savvier in their content consumption habits,” he said, “now [content creators] have to tell the truth and be honest, and if you don’t [your viewers] will come for you, and I think that’s here to stay.” 

Lastly, Rachel asked Derek to share a moment in his life when he felt that he understood his purpose. He shared that his short-term experience of moving to New York City and getting hired at and then fired at Vogue — such life-altering experiences in such a short succession — changed his life.

They finished the conversation with a story of Derek interviewing Tom Ford after his first menswear collection in years. Derek began asking him questions, but sensing his nerves, Tom Ford made a joke with Derek to loosen him up, instilling in Derek the importance of self-confidence and self-trust with his suave nature. 

Fashion Forward Showcase

Along with the incredible speakers and inspiring business leaders present for the Summit, a showcase of five talented undergraduate students, the Fashion Forward Showcase, was included in the day’s activities. Picked from a group of applicants from all over the country, these students were chosen for their creativity, workmanship, and dedication to their craft. 

The winner of FFS received a paid trip to the Steve Madden Headquarters in New York City to get a tour of their offices as well as to meet with executives from the organization. Here are the amazing finalists who shared their work at this year’s Summit:

Trinity Bensen, a sophomore at the University of Michigan, whose beautiful handmade jewelry not only garnered her a spot in this competition but also a feature in a runway show at New York Fashion Week.

Abby Miars, a junior at the University of Michigan, showcased her impressive second-hand clothing items and reworkings of thrifted pieces through her business, University Vintage. 

Emily Hayman, a freshman at the University of Michigan, displayed her eye-catching photography in the halls of Ross, featuring gorgeous portraits and professional-quality fashion photography.

Bryan Wilson, another sophomore Wolverine, graced attendees with his unique clothing creations, notable for their stunning bone-inspired details. 

The winner of 2022’s Fashion Forward Showcase, Lily Bedell, is a senior at the University of Wisconsin and showcased her beautifully bold designs through her wearable masterpieces.

Closing Remarks

As this incredibly exciting day came to a close, the MFMS’s CEO Theo Kardasis took the stage to share some final thoughts and to congratulate the MFMS team for their hard work in making this day happen. As most of the current team has never attended or let alone planned an in-person Summit, the day’s success was surely something to celebrate. After Theo’s inspiring send-off, the team gathered on the stage to commemorate the day together. After a tumultuous year, being able to come together for a safe and memorable Summit was no small feat, and left the team and attendees with prevailing gratitude and excitement for what is to come in our future.

Thank you to all who attended, virtually or in person. We could not have done this without you, and we hope to see you again next year!