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Prabal Gurung, Owner, Fashion Designer, Prabal Gurung
Prabal Gurung was born in Singapore and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal. After beginning his design career in New Delhi he moved to New York to finish his studies at Parsons The New School for Design. Upon graduating, Gurung spent two years with Cynthia Rowley’s design and production teams. Soon after, he was appointed design director at the iconic Bill Blass, a post he held for five years until launching his own collection, Prabal Gurung, in 2009. A focus on quality and innovation has placed Gurung at the forefront of American fashion with designs worn by leading ladies including First Lady Michelle Obama and The Duchess of Cambridge, to name a few. In 2010 he was the recipient of the Ecco Domani Fashion Fund Award. In 2011 Gurung was honored as one of USA Network’s Character Approved Award recipients, named goodwill ambassador of Maiti Nepal, a finalist of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award and was the recipient of the CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear. Prabal Gurung was the official 2013 designer collaborator for Target and in November 2014 will launch a product collaboration with MAC Cosmetics. Most recently, Gurung launched footwear on the Spring 2015 runway.
Charles Elliott Harbison, Founder and Creative Director, Harbison
Charles, a North Carolina native, fell hard and in love with the concept of fashion at a young age. Charles was excited by the process of his mother, Dana, readying herself for special occasions in their small Southern hometown. Correspondingly, Charles was greatly influenced by his father, Charlie, a professional football player. After studying both Fiber Arts and Textiles at North Carolina State University, Charles traveled Central Asia and Europe before returning to New York to further his fashion studies at Parsons School of Design. After a few years of luxury textile design, Charles made the shift to luxury womenswear, landing a position on Michael Kors’ Women’s Collection design team. Senior positions at Luca Luca (with Raul Melgoza) and Billy Reid Women’s Collection followed, both of which were pivotal in forming the future codes of HARBISON. Charles Elliott Harbison then created HARBISON, a collection of clothing as layered as you are. With an education in the arts and the sciences and a career that spans illustration, textile design, accessories, menswear, and luxury womenswear, Charles has diffused the duality and complexity he loves into a collection of luxury womenswear.
Reed Krakoff, Chief Creative Officer and President, Reed Krakoff
Reed Krakoff is an American designer with a career that spans over 20 years. His most recent fashion venture is an eponymous line of women’s ready-to-wear, handbags and shoes in the tradition of great American sportswear design. The Reed Krakoff collection contrasts utility with femininity; it’s both functional and poetic - a new look of sophistication, but one with an unequivocal American ease and confidence. The collection’s debut marks a new era of luxury in modern American fashion.
Jenna Lyons, Creative Director, J. Crew
Jenna Lyons is currently the President and Executive Creative Director of J.Crew Group, Inc. Her vision extends beyond overseeing the design of men’s, women’s and kids, as well as the overall creative direction for the catalog, store design, jcrew.com and Madewell. Jenna has been a driving force behind the launches of J.Crew Weddings and Parties, J.Crew Collection, crewcuts (for kids 2-16) and the J.Crew baby collection. Jenna joined J.Crew as one of the first members of the design team under founder Emily Woods, and she and the company have grown up together over the past 20 years. Jenna has held various posts across the company under the leadership of Millard Drexler. Jenna serves on the Board of Directors of the CFDA and as a judge for the CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund Award.
Zac Posen, House of Z, LLC
Zac Posen is a globally recognized, leading designer of women's fashion. His company House of Z, established in 2001, currently produces a range of products through his Zac Posen, ZAC Zac Posen, Z Spoke, and Truly Zac Posen labels including women's ready-to-wear, bridal, social occasion, furs, handbags, accessories and now eyewear. In October 2013, Zac Posen entered the bridal market with the launch of Truly Zac Posen in partnership with David’s Bridal. Most recently, Zac Posen was announced as Creative Director for the Brooks Brothers signature women’s collection and accessories. The first collection will debut in Spring 2016 and will be available worldwide.
Tracy Reese, Owner and Designer, T.R. Designs, Inc.
With an innate desire to create beautiful things, Detroit native Tracy Reese headed for Manhattan in 1982 to attend Parsons School of Design where she received an accelerated degree in 1984. Upon graduation, Reese apprenticed under designer Martine Sitbon while working for the small contemporary firm, Arlequin. Reese has also worked at the some of the industry’s top fashion houses, including Perry Ellis where she was the design director for Women’s Portfolio.
Narciso Rodriguez, Designer, Narciso Rodriguez Studio
One of the foremost American designers during the last two decades, Narciso Rodriguez plays a singular role in global fashion. In 1996, Rodriguez received international acclaim when he designed the bias-cut sheath wedding dress that his close friend Carolyn Bessette wore when she married John Kennedy, Jr. On November 4, 2008, Narciso Rodriguez became part of a monumental event in American history. To celebrate her husband Barack Obama’s triumphant victory as the first African American president of The United States, Michelle Obama chose to wear a dress from the designer’s Spring 2009 Collection. “It was both emotional and exhilarating,” Rodriguez said. “To be part of this memorable moment in history was a great honor.” Today, Narciso Rodriguez’s fashion house is based in New York City where he shows his women’s ready-to-wear collections. Narciso Rodriguez was raised in Newark, New Jersey. He received his formal education at Parson’s The New School for Design in New York.
Lela Rose, Fashion Design and Owner, Lela Rose
Lela Rose is widely recognized for her unique aesthetic of juxtaposing refined elegance with modern whimsy, through brilliant color, beautiful fabrication and handcrafted details. Upon graduating from Parson’s School of Design in 1993, Rose worked with esteemed designers Richard Tyler and Christian Francis Roth. After honing her love of couture fabric and fanatic appreciation of detail, Lela’s vision and passion compelled her to debut her signature Lela Rose collection in 1998. In fall 2006, Rose debuted the Lela Rose Wedding collection, pairing impeccable quality with beautiful fabrics and exquisite use of detail. Following the success of the bridal collection, Rose partnered with The Dessy Group for an exclusive bridesmaid line, with gowns and cocktail dresses in an extensive palette. Born and raised in Texas and having attended school in Colorado, Lela has long been inspired by nature, surrounding landscapes, and the sublime color palette of the lush outdoors, as well as her passion for food and entertaining.
Edward Wilkerson, Design Director, Lafayette 148
Design Director Edward Wilkerson is an artist who lives and breathes his work. Although the continent of Africa served as a sanctuary of rebirth for Edward, his formative years were spent in New York City. Influenced by his mother’s immaculate sense of style, Edward surrounded himself with delicate and colorful fab¬rics, studied how clothing defined the body, and dreamt of designing couture clothing for some of the world’s most stylish women. Edward graduated from the high school of Art and Design in Manhattan and won acceptance into the prestigious Parsons School of Design. By 1984 Edward was a designer with Anne Klein & Co., where he assisted Donna Karan and Louis del O’lio. Edward then moved on to the chic design house of Calvin Klein, where he worked directly with the designer for more than three years. It seemed that Edward’s career had come full circle when he accepted the position of designer with Donna Karan for the Donna Karan Collection. In 1998 Edward joined Lafayette 148 New York as Design Director. In July 2004, he was elected to The Council of Fashion Designers of America. Additionally, his distinctive design approach recently landed him a feature in the Spring 2006 season of NBC’s “The Apprentice”, where Edward guided the winning team in their task of redesigning the uniforms for Embassy Suites Hotels.
Jason Wu, Artistic Director, BOSS Womenswear, Hugo Boss Fashions, Inc
Jason Wu has emerged as a leading global talent based in New York with a distinctively feminine esthetic. Through merging classic American sportswear elements with an uptown chic attitude he has created a supremely womanly and unapologetically glamorous sensibility. Since debuting his Ready-to-Wear collection in 2007 Jason has been dedicated to making clothes that were as beautifully crafted from the inside out. With the focus on couture quality craftsmanship, over 90% of the Jason Wu Collection is manufactured in New York City’s Garment District. His collection is sold around the world and he dresses some of the most influential women in the world including First Lady Michelle Obama, Reese Witherspoon, Julianne Moore, Diane Kruger, Kerry Washington and Christy Turlington.
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