LMFF 2010 Business Seminar

Presented by the Victorian State Government,
EYE, Westfield and The Australian

Friday March 19
8.00am for 8.30am start.
Grand Ballroom
Sofitel Melbourne On Collins.

Tickets $450.00 (incl. GST lunch and refreshments).
Ticketmaster outlets.
ticketmaster.com.au or 13 61 00.
Booking fees may apply.

Following the Business Seminar, presenters and delegates are invited to a cocktail reception hosted by Chambord.


Fashion Futures: Welcome to the New World

An evolutionary shift has rocked the fashion world, from the digital and online phenomenon to a global economic repositioning that has fundamentally altered consumer spending patterns. Is it true that this is the global crisis we had to have?

To discover the art of survival in tough times you cannot afford to miss the 2010 L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival Business Seminar.

Whether your company is large or small, if you work as an independent consultant or employee, the 2010 LMFF Business Seminar will provide vital information that is essential for business growth.  We are thrilled to present this phenomenal selection of presenters with diverse expertise and insight that will assist brands and retailers to navigate their future paths to success.

Hosted by David Meagher, Media Commentator and Fashion Identity

David Meagher is an accomplished author and the editor of WISH magazine, distributed through The Australian newspaper. He has written extensively on fashion and design and for eight years was a staff writer and fashion editor on The Australian Financial Review Magazine.

The Future of Global Brands

LMFF proudly brings to Australia the formidable force behind one of the world’s most recognised and successful brands, Calvin Klein Collection. Joining Francisco Costa and Malcolm Carfrae on stage will be Kirstie Clements, Editor in Chief of Vogue Australia, who will host an intimate conversation that delves into the synergistic business and creative power of Calvin Klein, one of the world’s most celebrated fashion brands.

FRANCISCO COSTA
Women's Creative Director, Calvin Klein Collection New York, USA
Francisco Costa has a pedigree in fashion working with the who’s who of fashion including Oscar de la Renta, Tom Ford at Gucci and Balmain Couture before taking up the coveted position of Women’s Creative Director of Calvin Klein Collection, where in the early years he worked alongside Calvin Klein. Francisco has received critical acclaim and numerous awards, including Womenswear Designer of the Year through the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in both 2006 and 2008.

Francisco has also been honoured by Parsons School for Design at their prestigious 61st Annual Fashion Benefit. The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum awarded Francisco with the 2009 Fashion Design Award, presented only to those who have demonstrated excellence and innovation in design.

MALCOLM CARFRAE
Executive Vice President – Global Communications, Calvin Klein, Inc. New York, USA
Australian born Malcolm quickly ascended the corporate ladder working internationally across the UK and USA before joining Calvin Klein, Inc. based in New York. Malcolm will share his global perspective and provide an in-depth analysis of the world of branding, communications and marketing at the Business Seminar.

After serving for two years as the Senior Vice President of U.S. Public Relations and three years as the Vice President of U.S. Public Relations, Australian born Malcolm Carfrae assumed the role of Executive Vice President of Global Communications for Calvin Klein, Inc. With rich experience in both the client and agency sectors, Malcolm is responsible for the company’s global communications.
 

The Future of Fashion Media

SOJIN LEE
Co-founder, FASHIONAIR.com London, UK
Fashion entrepreneur Sojin Lee is the creative force behind website FASHIONAIR.com, a multi-platform fashion media brand that is revolutionising the way women experience and interact with style.

After 12 years of experience in the luxury fashion industry including Chanel and Bottega Veneta, Sojin moved to London to help pioneer the online business Net-A-Porter where she was key in building the business into a global success story.

In 2007, Sojin decided to pursue her own vision for an innovative new fashion platform and with business partner, 19 Entertainment’s Simon Fuller FASHIONAIR.com was launched in September 2009 to critical acclaim.

FASHIONAIR.com was the first fashion site to fully combine original and inspirational high-quality editorial films with interactive shopping solutions and opportunities for viewers to personalise and manage their style. Touted as capturing the essence of what fashion media will look like in the future, Sojin will share her wisdom on all that is new, insightful and inspiring online.

The Future of Luxury

CHRISTIAN BLANCKAERT
Author and former Executive Vice Président, Hermès International Paris, France
Christian Blanckaert is an inspiring and provocative speaker. As the global executive behind one of the world’s most prestigious fashion brands, Hermés, he will share his experience, ideas and wisdom with the Business Seminar audience.

Christian will address issues including the future of luxury and what brands and retailers at all market tiers can learn from both the successes and failures of the premium end of the fashion industry.

Christian’s resume establishes him as a global leader in luxury fashion. He is a former Executive Vice Président of Hermès International and Chairman and CEO of Hermès Sellier and from 1988 to 1996 was President of Comité Colbert (a French organisation that represents seventy French luxury companies).

Christian has written four books; Roads to Luxury (1996 Grasset), Portraits en clair-obscur (2001 Balland), a biography of Roger Salengro (2004 Balland) and Luxe (2007 Editions du Cherche Midi).

During his career, Christian has been a consultant with the Boston based consulting firm, Harbridge House; he was Managing Director of the ‘do-it-yourself’ chain Bricorama; Chairman and CEO of Thomson-Distribution and Managing Director of the SCAC Group.

Christian is also Chairman of the Board of the French National School of Decorative Arts, ENSAD and was Mayor of Varengeville sur Mer for 31 years. He is a visiting Professor of Management at ESCP- EAP Paris and graduated from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, the Faculty of Law of Paris and has an MBA from INSEAD.

The Future of Fashion Retail

SARAH CURREN
Founder & CEO, my-wardrobe.com London, UK
Passionate, powerful and flourishing, Sarah Curran is the dynamic CEO behind the hugely successful retail phenomenon website, my-wardrobe.com. She has a strong grasp of retail opportunities and how to capture the heart and soul of a dedicated consumer. Sarah will inspire the audience with her insight into developing a successful online retail business that thrives even through difficult times.

my-wardrobe.com recently won Gold: Overall Winner and Best Innovation at the 2009 Drapers E-Tail Awards as well as being nominated for Best Emerging Retailer at the 2009 Retail Week Awards.  Sarah has also received Management Today ‘35 Under 35’ and Young Guns accolades and most recently has been listed as number three in the Online Fashion 100.

Sarah’s pedigree in fashion includes a kick start working in fashion agencies and extensive experience in fashion media including sub-editor of The Times Online, which gave her relevant experience working with online editorial.

With a distinguished background in media and face-to-face retailing prior to launching my.wardrobe, Sarah is in a distinctive position to share the opportunities and hazards of online retail.

In recognition of Sarah’s entrepreneurial skills and expertise in the fashion sector, she has been made a fellow of the RSA (The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce).

The Future Consumer

PAUL BENNETT
Managing Partner, Europe and Chief Creative Officer, IDEO London, UK
The world may be evolving from a tough economic crisis but there are distinct opportunities to build better engaging and more innovative brands that resonate with our customers. To find out how, global ideas superstar Paul Bennett will share some of his secrets on principles to adhere to, businesses to inspire you and questions to ask yourselves.

Paul is Managing Partner, Europe and Chief Creative Officer of IDEO, a world leader in human-centered and design-led innovation. Paul has worn many hats at IDEO. Clients include Procter & Gamble, Nokia, Intel, Oxfam, Nestlé, Numico, PepsiCo and Vodafone. He has created the company’s largest global practice, Consumer Experience Design, managed the San Francisco and London locations, helped establish IDEO’s presence in China and founded and led the New York office.

Paul is a world leader in creative thinking and is an ambassador of ‘c&binet’, founded by the UK government, to link the international creative and business communities and help shape the world’s creative economy. His thought leadership has been featured in publications such as The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times, Business Week, and Fast Company. He is regularly invited to speak at events including high profile forums as The World Economic Forum, TED Global, The AOL CEO Conference, American Express Luxury Summit and Tokyo Midtown Opening.

Nominated by business leaders globally as one of the world’s most innovative companies, IDEO employs over 500 staff in eight locations worldwide. IDEO is a world leader in the human-centered design of products, services and environments. Having developed thousands of projects for clients in many different industries, IDEO defines and develops new futures for industry leaders and start-ups alike. IDEO has won more design awards than any other company of its kind and employs more than 500 people in offices in North America, Europe and China.

LMFF would like to thank Chiva Som who will be providing a (one) luxury holiday to a lucky winner who enters the Business Seminar survey.