mfms 2020

Digital Webinar Recap

Due to COVID-19, our team had just a few weeks to pivot from an in-person summit to our first Digital Webinar. This new digital platform allowed us to feature some highlights from our original summit while giving viewers the opportunity to ask questions directly to our speakers and hear about their expertise. Despite being miles apart, the event was a success. 

The webinar began with an introduction from our Co-Presidents Cam Starwalt and Delaney Walker, and proceeded with a conversation between host Amy Tara Koch and Tenley Zinke, VP of Marketing and Communications at Fendi Americas. Zinke began by discussing her long and impressive career in fashion and how she got to her current position. She noted that she “needed to be proactive in her own career development, [fashion is] not an industry with clear directional paths...you need to be very self motivated.” This self motivation, along with maintaining a “stellar” reputation, has helped her pivot from smaller fashion houses like Kenzo to digital platforms like Net-A-Porter. Zinke then answered questions submitted by our viewers. Many asked if she could predict the longevity of a currently popular trend: 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?” Zinke puts forth a question that we at the MFMS and the fashion industry as a whole must grapple with in years to come.  

Our next conversation was with Caroline Gogolak, VP of Retail at Soulcycle and Cofounder of Carbon38, moderated by Marly Graubard, EVP Business Development at Full Picture. Gogolak explained how after years of working in finance and contemplating whether or not to start her own fashion company, she 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. Our viewers then asked Gogolak questions about her career and entrepreneurial spirit. One viewer asked how Gogolak handled being a female entrepreneur in often male-dominated spaces. “It’s taken me a lot of time to… be aggressive for what I 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 throughout her career and encouraged summit attendees to follow their passions. 

Like many in the fashion industry, the MFMS is utilizing quarantine to provide new digital content, starting with this Webinar. We hope these insights from professionals offered a bit of guidance to navigate the fashion world right now and thank all those who joined us at this year’s unprecedented, but even more rewarding summit.