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Friday, October 27, 2017

19th Fashion Design Conference IAC

Please see the agenda updates posted November 8th.

Initiatives in Art & Culture (IAC) announced the agenda for its roster of presenters at its 19th Annual Fashion + Design Conference, entitled “White: Palette, Prism, Possibility,” taking place November 10 & 11, 2017. The event also will feature a reception at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, November 10, at the Shinola Flagship in Tribeca (177 Franklin St.) with remarks by Shinola President Jacques Panis.


“A central visual and cultural communicator, color is an incredibly important element in creative industries, both from an aesthetic standpoint and when we examine the associated deeper meanings,” said Lisa Koenigsberg, Founder, IAC. “In this conference, the color white is examined as a powerful statement of purity and tradition, and as a catalyst for change—a color of origins, of new beginnings, and of hope. We believe this hope and the notion of new beginnings is manifest through design and is a driving force throughout the world.”

The conference will feature presentations on design innovation, color theory, advancements in materials technology, fashion history, fashion photography, diversity on the runway and broadened conceptions of beauty, updates on the jewelry industry, an extensive review of the state of the bridal industry, and business advice, strategies, and solutions from leading authorities and industry experts.
Formal sessions for this event will be held at The Graduate Center, City University of New York (365 Fifth Avenue). Presenters include: Harry Benson, Photographer; Wendy Brandes, Jewelry Designer; Paula Crevoshay, Jewelry Designer; Ebonee Davis, Model and Activist; Talila Gafter, Pearl Jeweler, Ella Gafter; Mercedes R. Gonzalez, Founder & Director, Global Purchasing Companies; Rick Guidotti, Founder and Director, Positive Exposure; Daphne Guinness, Model and Collector; Bethann Hardison, Founder, Bethann Management Co.; John Hatleberg, Counterfeiter of Famous Diamonds for Their Owners; Keith Hoover, Apparel and Retail Executive; Donald Kaufman, Founder, Donald Kaufman Color; Mickey Alam Khan, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Luxury DailyJohn King, Chief Quality Officer, GIA Laboratory; Shaun Leane, Jeweler; Rachel Leonard, Editorial Director, The Bridal Council; Darcy Miller, Founder, Darcy Miller Designs, and Editor at Large, Martha Stewart Weddings; Jack Ogden, Jewelry Historian; Mary Orton, Co-Founder and President, Trove; Jacques Panis, President, Shinola; Jean Z. Poh, Founder and CEO, Swoonery; Zac Posen, Designer; Ralph Rucci, Designer; Charlie Scheips, Curator, Art Advisor, and Cultural Historian; Hedda Schupak, Editor, The Centurion NewsletterDennita Sewell, Curator of Fashion Design, Phoenix Art Museum; Hisano Shepherd, Designer, little h; Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology; Mara J. Urshel, Owner, Kleinfeld Bridal; Ronnie Vanderlinden, President, Diamex, Inc., Diamond Manufacturers & Importers Association of America (DMIA) and United States Jewelry Council; Robert  Verdi, Celebrity Stylist; Gary A. Wassner, CEO, Hilldun Corp.; Wendy Waugh, Senior Vice President,  Merchandising and Development, Fast Retailing; Chris Whipple, CEO, CCWHIP Productions; Walter T. Wilhelm, Chairman, WWA Advisors; Jason Wu, Designer; Barbara Zeins, President/COO, Gerson & Gerson, New York; Julie Zerbo, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Fashion LawBenjamin Zucker, Precious Stones Authority.

For further information regarding presenters, schedules and locations for events related to this conference, please see the following agenda. The agenda for this event follows this release. Those interested in attending can register at, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/white-tickets-37040888294.

About Initiatives in Arts and Culture (IAC) is an organization committed to educating diverse audiences in the fine, decorative, and visual arts, as well as architecture. IAC's primary activities are conferences, publications, and exhibitions. These take an interdisciplinary approach, considering issues related to fabrication, connoisseurship, cultural patrimony, cultural preservation, and the fut cvdfure of culture. Particular areas of emphasis include American painting, the history and art of frames, the Arts and Crafts movement (internationally and in the U.S.), the art of metalworking in America, the influence of Asian cultures on American fine and decorative art, and the history and future of fashion and materials. IAC’s projects have been supported by a wide array of individual, corporate and foundation funders.

The Event Agenda…

Friday, November 10, 2017
Formal sessions take place at The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue (between 34th and 35th Streets).

8:30 – 8:40 a.m. Introduction. Lisa Koenigsberg. President and Founder, Initiatives in Art and Culture.

8:45 – 9:25 a.m. 50 Shades of White: Exploring the Color. Donald Kaufman, Founder, Donald Kaufman Color.

9:30 – 10:10 a.m. Positive Exposure: Genetic Difference and Beauty. Rick Guidotti, Founder and Director, Positive Exposure.

10:15 – 11:00 a.m. To Make New Again: Designers as Advocates for Sustainability and Style. Gary A. Wassner, CEO, Hilldun Corp., in conversation with Jason Wu, Designer.

11:25 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. Changing the Landscape: How Design Reshaped Urban History. Jacques Panis, President, Shinola, in conversation with Mickey Alam Khan, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Luxury Daily.

12:30 – 1:00 p.m. The White Shirt: An Icon Reinvented. Zac Posen, Designer, in conversation with Dennita Sewell, Curator of Fashion Design, Phoenix Art Museum.

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Blinded by the Light: Why Diamonds Matter. John Hatleberg, Counterfeiter of famous diamonds for their owners; John King, Chief Quality Officer, GIA Laboratory, Gemological Institute of America; Benjamin Zucker, Authority on precious stones; moderator, Jack Ogden, Jewelry Historian and Diamond Authority.

3:05 – 4:00 p.m. Warp and Weft: The Impact of White on the Fabric of Our Lives. Mercedes R. Gonzalez, Founder and Director, Global Purchasing Companies (GPC); Keith Hoover, Senior Apparel and Retail Executive; Wendy Waugh, Senior Vice President, Merchandising and Development, Fast Retailing; Barbara Zeins; President and COO, Gerson & Gerson, New York; moderator, Walter T. Wilhelm, Chairman, WWA Advisors LLC.

4:25 – 5:25 p.m. White Noise. Penetrating Social Media Today. Mary Orton, Co-Founder and President, Trove; Robert Verdi, Entrepreneur and Celebrity Stylist; Julie Zerbo, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Fashion Law; moderator, Gary A. Wassner, CEO, Hilldun Corp.

6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Reception at Shinola Flagship – Tribeca. Remarks by Jacques Panis, President.
177 Franklin Street New York, NY 

Saturday, November 11, 2017
Formal sessions take place at The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue (between 34th and 35th Streets).

9:45 – 10:30 a.m. Diversity on the Runway. Bethann Hardison, Founder, Bethann Management Co., in conversation with Ebonee Davis, Model and Activist.

10:35 – 11:20 a.m. Contra Mundum: Creativity and Collaboration. Shaun Leane, Jeweler, and Daphne Guinness, Model and Collector; in conversation with Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

11:40 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. Sustainably Exquisite: Revolutionary Pearl Design.Paula Crevoshay, Jewelry Designer; Talila Gafter, Pearl Jeweler, Ella Gafter; Hisano Shepherd, Designer, little h; moderator, Hedda Schupak, Editor, The Centurion Newsletter.

1:40 – 2:35 p.m. “Here Comes the Bride ...”: Imaging and Imagining the Bride. Darcy Miller, Author and Illustrator; Charlie Scheips, Curator, Art Advisor, Writer, and Cultural Historian; Mara J. Urshel, Owner and President, Kleinfeld Bridal; moderator, Rachel Leonard, Editorial Director, The Bridal Council

2:40 – 3:35 p.m. “With this Ring ...”: The Changing Landscape of Commitment. Wendy Brandes, Jewelry Designer; Rachel Leonard, Editorial Director, The Bridal Council; Jean Z. Poh, Founder and CEO, Swoonery, Ronnie Vanderlinden, President, Diamex Inc; Diamond Manufacturers & Importers Association of America and the United States Jewelry Council; moderator, Hedda Schupak, Editor, The Centurion Newsletter.

3:55 – 4:35 p.m. White-Out. Ralph Rucci, Designer.

4:40 – 5:30 p.m. Snap Shot: Creating the Iconic. Harry Benson, Photographer, in conversation with Chris Whipple, CEO, CCWHIP Productions.
Image: Shaun Leane in collaboration with Forevermark Diamentaire, Steinmetz Diamonds, White Light' Brooch,  diamonds set in 18 kt white gold and diamond collets and surrounded by a mount of branches and flowing pavé set enameled leaves.

You may also have interest in reading about previous news from the following link:
17th Annual Fashion + Design Conference

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