Seminar Information

MONDAY, August 2nd

	10:00 am Lingerie and Swimwear Trends Spring/Summer 2005 Speaker: Rita Nakouzi, Senior Trend Consultant, Promostyl Trend Office
Rita Nakouzi is a senior trend consultant at Promostyl, NY. Since joining in 2001, she’s been responsible for managing and developing the women’s and men’s wear markets as well as health & beauty (including cosmetics), junior, lingerie, swimwear, hosiery & leg wear. Rita enjoys the challenge of working with clients in diverse markets and staying ahead with the latest trends in each of those markets. Rita’s forté is her keen interest in maintaining a balanced knowledge of both the high and low brow in culture.
Promostyl Trend Office, internationally renowned trend design and consultancy agency, offers a presentation on the S/S 2005 season. Rita Nakouzi, senior consultant at Promostyl NY, will show the trends for lingerie and swimwear. She will begin by looking at consumer needs and how they effect the colors, fabrics and shapes for lingerie and swimwear. A highlight in the presentation is a look at retail concepts that are making an impact today. The presentation will offer you guidance on the key trends to watch out for at the show that will impact your season.

12:00 pm New State of Business: Servicing the Customer Speaker: Donna Wolff, Bloomingdale's Divisional Merchandise Manager, Intimate Apparel And Hosiery

Donna began her retail career in 1988 as part of the May Company executive training program. Initially placed as an assistant buyer in moderate dresses at Lord & Taylor, she progressed her way thru multiple ass’t buying positions, and was named Assistant buyer of the year in 1990. Donna became Associate buyer for Evening dresses in April of 1991. In June of 1991 she was promoted to buyer of Career dresses. In February of 1993 Donna began her career at Bloomingdale’s buying Women’s suits. After various RTW positions, she moved to the hosiery buying job in 1997, and in 1999 was promoted to buyer of Foundations and Shapewear. In August of 2000, Donna was promoted to her current position.Ms. Wolff is a graduate of Albany State University with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Performing Arts.

	1:30 pm The Passion and Style of the Ethnic Consumer  Speaker: Silvia Harven, VP of Sara Lee Branded Apparel
Silvia HarvenVice President of Design, Sara Lee Branded ApparelAs Vice President of Design for the Underwear and Sleepwear brands of Sara Lee Corporation, including Hanes and Just My Size, Harven oversees the concept work behind the men’s, women’s and kid’s businesses. Together with her design team, Harven identifies key trends for the upcoming seasons in both innerwear and outerwear that will influence the selections of silhouette, color and fabric. With more than 15 years of design expertise, Harven has worked extensively in designing new collections of intimate apparel, underwear and sleepwear. Prior to spearheading the design efforts for all of Sara Lee’s underwear brands, Harven served as the company’s director of design for the licensed Polo Ralph Lauren men’s underwear and loungewear collections. Before joining Sara Lee, Harven was the Head Designer for Christian Dior intimates, sleepwear and loungewear and for Joe Boxer Girlfriend women’s sleepwear and loungewear collections. She also served as Vice President of Design and merchandising for Lady Ester Corporation based in New York City. A graduate of the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology, Harven is also a member of the Intimate Apparel – Underfashion Club. A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Harven is often asked to report on the subject of the Hispanic Consumers. Prior to launching her design career, Harven was a professional comedienne with performances on the Comedy Central channel as well as in New York comedy clubs such as Stand-up NY and Catch a Rising Star. Harven is married to James Harven and has two daughters, Alexandra age 8, and Sarah age 3.
The Passion & Style of the Ethnic Consumer - A look inside the Hispanic Soul. Who are they? Where do they live? What are they looking for?

4:00 pm Trade Shows, Trade Media and PR. How to use as a tool for buying. Speaker: Kim Rawlings, Editor, Contours Magazine

How to get the best from PR, advertising and trade shows. It is costly and time consuming to take time out away from the office or store to attend to these matters. However, they can be a valuable source of finding new products, networking and promotion of your business. Kim Rawlings will share with you a few of her points of view. Kim Rawlings has been the Editor - in - chief of Contours Magazine for over 15 years. Contours Magazine has been operating in the intimate apparel industry since 1987 in the US but has operated in Europe since 1985 with Contours Magazine for the lingerie industry and is viewed today as a global expert. Kim Rawlings started her career within the sales and marketing industry and moved into publishing approximately 20 years ago. Kim has a broad knowledge of the fashion industry as a whole and a specialized knowledge of the intimate apparel industry. Kim travels extensively across the world attending numerous prestigious events and shows and meeting some of the industry's top executives. Kim orchestrates a team of over 15 creative personnel, which then publishes over 10 issues of Contours Magazine per year, that is distributed world-wide to buyers and decision makers in the intimate apparel industry. Kim is 43 years old, has a passion for reading, singing, cooking, movies, opera and perfume and jewelry, none of them in any specific order. Friends and family say her good points are her sense of humour, good thick hair, laid back attitude and love for animals. Kim's bad points are her impatience, forgetfulness and the irritating habit of letting any drink that is made for her get cold.

TUESDAY, August 3rd 10:00 am The Art of Shapewear. Speaker: Steve Chernoff, Director, Rago Shapewear

As the population matures, Shapewear becomes even more important to a woman's needs. Blending aesthetics and performance is the key to satisfying the shapewear customer. Mr.Chernoff will share his expertise with you on the function of shapewear on feeling and looking good. Steven Chernoff is a graduate of N.Y.U. Stern School of business. Steven has spent the last forty years exclusively in the intimate apparel industry as owner and C.E.O. of various entities. He has manufactured and marketed all areas of intimate apparel to include shapewear, bras, panties, sleepwear, and all daywear groupings. He has also owned textile businesses where he produced and marketed narrow elastics and circular knit operations. He is currently the president and CEO of United States Textile and Manufacturing Corporation and is a director of Rago Foundations, LLC. Steven is active in industry organizations. He holds the office of Secretary Treasurer on the Executive Committee of the Intimate Apparel Council, a division of the American Apparel and Footwear Manufacturers Association. Steven is also the 1st Vice President of the Intimate Apparel Square Club.

11:30 am The Value of Executive Education. Speaker: Eric Hertz, Director of Executive Studies, Fashion Institute of Technology. Eric be discussing the benefits of participating in an executive education program for senior level management in apparel.

These include: career advancement, expanded contribution to both company and industry, and gaining the ability to envision new opportunities for growth and expansion. He will also discuss a range of options available in executive education – and specifically FIT's new Advanced Management Program which is scheduled to launch this fall Eric Hertz is Director of Executive Studies for the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, where he is developing the College’s first educational program for senior industry executives. Mr. Hertz has over 30 years of experience in marketing communications, public relations and association management. His career has provided him with a unique overview of the corporate and not-for-profit worlds – and of the cross-pollination of opportunities between the two fields. He is also President of Eric Hertz Consulting, Inc., where he advises private and not-for-profit firms in public relations, marketing and management issues. Additional career highlights include: • President of The Fashion Association, a New York City based marketing and promotion organization for the men’s and women’s apparel industry. • Senior Vice President of Marketing of the American Apparel and Footwear Association, a major industry organization and government affairs group. • Director of Publications and Trade Shows for the National Knitwear and Sportswear Association, including major magazine and exhibition properties. • Senior Editor of Women’s Wear Daily, the leading publication in the fashion industry with both trade and consumer readership. Mr. Hertz has lectured at FIT as well as The New School/Parsons School of Design. He is a graduate of Yale University (B.A.) and the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University (M.S.), and resides with his wife, Nina, in Jericho, New York.

1:00 pm Creating the ultimate sales team: Training solutions for an A-list style staff  Speaker: Mercedes R. Gonzalez, Director, The Global Purchasing Group, Inc.

This workshop is geared towards helping retailers find and train an expert sales team. How do you keep your sales staff? How can you motivate them to really love what they do? The key is for the sales team to understand their responsibilities, and know that their hard work will be recognized. These solutions for creating a team of style specialists will not only offer incentives for the staff, but will also promote a positive atmosphere throughout your company. Topics covered will be: Recruitment, Job Description, Sales Training, How to Keep Them, Fashion and Function, Goal Setting, and Compensation and Incentive Growth. A must for all retailers. Mercedes R. Gonzalez has been a buyer in the garment industry since 1988. Her passion for the industry started when she was 14 years old and went to work every summer for her uncle who owned and operated a manufacturing company in the heart of the garment district in New York. After graduating from New York University where she earned her Masters degree in economics she went back to work full time with her uncle. She changed the operation of the company much to her uncle’s disapproval, and moved production overseas, streamlining the company and insuring a stronger bottom line. Soon after Mercedes decided to try buying and was hired by one of the largest buying offices at the time, Frederick Atkins. She had participation in private label for such stores as Dillard’s and Harvey Nickels of England. She soon went to work at one of the member stores Gonzalez Padin in Puerto Rico and her love for international trade grew. In the last 15 years Mercedes has worked with some of the most important buying offices in the country and has helped to open or restructure hundreds of stores in the United States and abroad, including the inaugural Sears store in Panama. Regularly featured in industry publications, such as Women’s Wear Daily, Mercedes also teaches workshops on successful retailing at industry trade shows such as MAGIC, Industry 212 and INTIMA America, at regional markets in Atlanta, California and Dallas, and as an adjunct professor at N.Y.U. School of continuing education. Mercedes started The Global Purchasing Group in 1998 and has been successfully expanding her international and domestic list to include the finest retail stores in fifteen countries. Noted as an industry expert, she has hands- on experience in every facet of the industry, from manufacturing to marketing. Her workshops are packed with practical, real life information based on her years of experience, given in a funny high-energy presentation that will motivate you to follow your dreams. Currently Mercedes is working on her book, FEARLESS RETAILING, anticipated in stores this fall.