MFMS 2024 Recap
The Student Planning Team of the Michigan Fashion Media Summit began planning the day exactly a year before the day finally arrived. Under the leadership of COO Priya Gulati and Co-Presidents Sophie McKay and Ella Mahmoodzadegan, the team was able to put on the biggest summit yet. With over 700 in-person and virtual tickets sold, the 7th annual summit has gone down in Michigan Fashion Media Summit history.
From our determined Event Planning Team figuring out the logistics, the Marketing Team driving ticket sales, the Social Team tirelessly producing multimedia content, the Finance Team securing grants, to the Partnerships Team making deals with over thirty-five companies–the team’s unrelenting hard work made the day truly magical. After a successful Thursday Night Launch Party the night before, anticipation for the next day brewed.
From our partnership activation tables to the Fashion Forward Showcase displays, FujiFilm cameras circulation throughout the day, to the attendee gift bags, the MFMS student planning team eagerly welcomed guests to the fashion wonderland. Sophie and Ella initiated the day with a quick introduction about the wonderful industry leaders who were soon to speak and a bit about what the organization means to them in defining their time at the University of Michigan. Ella stated, “I personally, am so happy that my shy, freshman-year self decided to step outside of her comfort zone and apply to the MFMS, this organization has truly shaped my college experience.” Sophie went on to describe all of the milestones that the club has hit this year: “This year has been one of many firsts, right from the start we received over 200 applications for our student planning team…today, it’s our first time in history selling over 600 in-person tickets, it's the first time that we’ve welcomed more than 22 networking and coffee chat partners.” They finished by thanking everyone involved in the summit, including partners, speakers, family and friends, advisors, steering committee, and the student planning team, and finally introducing the first panel.
Designing Success: Women Shaping the Future of Fashion
The day started strong with a panel featuring Jennifer Fisher, owner and founder of Jennifer Fisher Jewelry; Lisa Greenwald, J. Crew’s Chief Merchandising Officer; and Kristine Westerby, the Vice President of Communications at Louis Vuitton, moderated by MFMS co-founder and Business Development lead at Meta, Meredith Rush. To start the panel, the women offered their two cents about going into a career in the fashion industry. Fisher stressed the importance of internships and hands-on opportunities, stating that, “it's networking and relationships, because taking those relationships and what you get at your internships, or whatever you can do through anyone that you meet, that is what snowballs into connections and work at a later date.” In sharing her experiences, Greenwald suggested to “Be curious, know your worth, know that you’re really good at what you do, that you’re learning something every day, and then you can take those skills with you to other places.” From the perspective of a graduated college athlete, undergoing intense physical and mental training, Westerby went on to advise that, “understanding that hard work and determination you learn… drives you to make the right decisions for yourself.” She then transitioned into her core advice: “Do what you love, and if you do what you love and follow a passion point, the rest will take care of itself.”
The panel transitioned into an advice session about networking. Fisher suggests investigating the people you are trying to connect with to understand who can help you, not necessarily going to the most famous person within the company. Additionally, Greenwald stresses the importance of asking questions and reaching out to inspiring figures for quick chats. Westerby wrapped up by encouraging the audience to be brave and bold, even in the face of powerful figures.
The Thing About Change
It was an honor to welcome Jonathan Newhouse, the Chairman of the Board at Condé Nast, as our next keynote speaker. The chat was moderated by Marcus Collins, best-selling author and highly regarded professor at the Ross School of Business at U of M. Newhouse began talking about his journey with his family business, starting as a newsstand route man, to working in advertising, and climbing his way up to Chief Executive of Condé Nast International.
The conversation then examined how the advent of the internet affected the fashion magazine industry. Although Newhouse views its influence as relatively small in its early stages, he acknowledged its power growth about ten years ago. He adapted to this situation by producing digital content, but said, “We quickly, or maybe not so quickly, realized that producing something online from taking a print product, that people consume digitally in a different way… so we came into it with ideas that we thought would work, and almost everything didn’t go like we thought.” Throughout the process of adapting to technology and social media, Newhouse learned from his mistakes and advised the audience that, “If you’re in business and you don't fail, it means you’re not trying enough new things.” Furthering this point, he emphasized the ever-changing nature of the industry and stressed keeping a keen monitor on these changes.
Delving more into specific facets of social media, Newhouse acknowledged the risks and downsides of user-generated content in its vulgarity and unpredictability. Additionally, he explained the changes made within Condé Nast to keep up with this trend, such as transitioning from a publishing company to a brand blending e-commerce, multimedia content, print magazines, and digital products. Condé Nast’s use of the internet has broken an audience barrier: even the average person can receive information on previously exclusive, high-end fashion brands. He closed his keynote with some advice to his younger self: “Don’t be scared, try things, do what you love.”
Developing Personal and Team Brands in the Age of NIL and Social Media
The second panel featured Michigan football stars Blake Corum and Will Johnson, alongside former football player and entrepreneur Jared Wangler, moderated by Navid Mahmoodzadegan, Co-President of Moelis and Company. Wangler opened the conversation with an explanation of how NIL (Names, Image, and Likeness) has evolved to support the personal branding of athletes. Corum went on to talk about his personal branding strategy, realizing that “I am the brand. Blake Corum is the brand.” He emphasized the importance of value alignment with partnerships, suggesting, “Don't accept every deal. Even if the money sounds good, you want to work with good people, you want to build relationships.” Johnson offered his perspective on building a team brand: “Having a good team behind you, that aligns with all your goals and things that you’re interested in… finding ways to bring that engagement with the NIL, the fans, the team, was one of my real goals in bringing my team’s brand to the NIL space.”
Corum closed the incredibly personal conversation with a bit on his own brand mission: “I'm big in trying to create change, especially for the youth. If we can help older people as well, try to change their mindset, help them out, that's what it's supposed to be at the end of the day…giving back and helping others that's what it's all about.” To wrap up the conversation, the football stars gave some insights into their favorite fashion brands. Johnson shyly shared that he prefers more high-end brands such as Dior and Armani, whereas Corum described himself as frugal, lightheartedly joking about working on his personal style.
Advice to My Younger Self
Attendees had the opportunity to listen to a live “Skinny Confidential: Him and Her Podcast” recording as entrepreneurs and influencers known for The Skinny Confidential and Dear Media, Lauryn and Michael Bosstick spoke about their journey to thriving in personal wellness, confidence, and doing what they love. From the onset of their candid chat, they stressed the importance of creating healthy habits as the foundation in order to truly manifest your goals. They suggested a Monday through Friday schedule of incorporating habits such as prioritizing sleep, putting your phone away at night, and redirecting extra time to self-care, without packing your schedule to the brim. Lauryn stated, “My advice would not be to do everything,” and followed up with “Instead of doing twenty things okay, do one thing that is excellent.”
With the guidance of moderators Ava Shapiro and Mary Kate McGrath, the Bosstick’s chat also explored both personal and professional advice. One main takeaway was to start now–start exploring your interests, build your network, or even begin creating your dream business. In the process, they suggested reframing mistakes as missteps: focusing on long-term goals, being patient with brand growth, and learning leadership skills along the way. Michael emphasized, “You are allowed to change your mind,” to instill the message that life has its twists and turns, as learned through getting stuck in his self-perceived identity while starting his podcast company Dear Media. The captivating chat closed with a tandem message to be yourself in both personal and business facets of life.
Hair and Hollywood
Renowned hairstylist Chris Appleton opened his keynote with a personal anecdote of how he got into hairstyling–doing his mom’s hair and seeing her confidence boost instantly. He noted, “This is a sort of superpower, you really get to make people not just look good, but feel good.” Appleton refers to hairstyling as a sort of emotional medicine to increase confidence and shape personal identity. Additionally, he invited the audience to think about the power of the beauty industry and its importance for celebrity public persona as he claimed, “image is everything.”
Appleton then transitioned into speaking about his branding, which landed him in the position he is today. After years of showing his craft on Instagram and other social media platforms, teams of major celebrities, such as Jeniffer Lopez, reached out to him. Speaking from his own experience, “putting it out on social media to show who you are, you’d be amazed at how many people look.” Moreover, social media has allowed him and other influencers to humanize themselves and make personal connections to their following.
In terms of the future, Appleton expresses a wish to not be confined to the realm of hair styling. Moderator Rachel Liebrenthal suggests possible television and podcast appearances to further evolve his personal brand. He finished with, “My key message is just never allow yourself to be put into a box.”
Celebrity, Styling, and Strategy: The Business Behind ‘The Look
Our next panel featured Paige DeSorbo, podcaster and Bravo TV star, and co-founders of their own acclaimed celebrity styling business, Ali Gropper and Danielle O’Connell. Ali and Dani opened with a bit about their journey into the fashion styling business. As the pandemic winded down, O’Connell said, “We saw a huge gap in the social celebrity not having a stylist, a stylist was reserved for more A-list talent.” They questioned why social media influencers did not have stylists, as they are arguably the most influential people on the internet.
Paige DeSorbo, one of their first clients, explained how styling is a collaborative process. DeSorbo walked through the process to get to the look she tries to achieve, starting with brainstorming, Ali and Danielle shopping for pieces, then going through a fitting. She emphasized how, although she loves being trendy, “Style is so much more, it’s how you express what you feel that day.” DeSorbo also offered advice on building a corporate closet when starting your first official job. Amazon fashion has expanded its scope in offering trendy, classic, and stylish looks for less–which she takes full advantage of. “When it comes to making big purchases, I ask myself how many ways I can wear it?” she said.
In terms of starting their careers and achieving their dreams, Gropper’s biggest advice is to “be a sponge.” She details how learning and absorbing the wisdom of experts will set you up for success. O’Connell emphasizes taking small steps toward your big goals and appreciating your evolution and growth. DeSorbo has a more manifesting approach– “my advice always is, literally take a day and write down everything you think you’d want.” For the aspiring influencer and anyone wanting to go into the fashion industry, DeSorbo validated that she too has made several mistakes but worked her way up from the bottom. “Truly throwing yourself into every situation…taking every opportunity, every internship, every informational phone call,” is Paige DeSorbo’s top tip.
Networking Hour
Thanks to our wonderful partnerships team, the Michigan Fashion Media Summit offered coffee chat sessions with companies such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Saks Fifth Avenue, Balenciaga, Guess, PVH, Neiman Marcus, and more. Students who arrived early on summit day were able to sign up for this exclusive networking opportunity and send in their resumes.
From Michigan to Madhappy
Peiman Raf, the founder of the beloved MadHappy clothing brand, came back as a Michigan alum to share his advice with attendees. Moderated by Ken Pilot, founder of Ken Pilot Ventures, Raf began by describing his motivation for building a brand: “We all go through hard times, but we can still be optimistic about those times.” From there, Raf described his journey to building his wildly successful brand on the foundation of a Michigan education. In defining this journey, he stated, “When you start something, I think you don’t realize how little you know and really how much you have to figure things out as you go.” Although he learned a lot through academia and clubs on campus, he emphasized the important lessons shown through hands-on work.
In terms of entrepreneurship, Raf advised “If you’re trying to do something very ambitious, there's going to be all these hurdles.” He validated all the mistakes he made along the way, giving a glimpse of reality to summit attendees interested in starting a business. His advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to really flesh out your concept, pick strategic leaders, ditch money as motivation, keep track of time, and fully believe in your idea. He also offered some advice to students looking for internship opportunities: “Try to stand out any way you can, whether it be a connection with someone in the company or a project you’ve been working on.”
He spoke a bit about partnerships, explaining that he and his team deeply consider and investigate their partners in terms of how they align with their vision. He stated that “finding the right food partners that are maybe local to the area but have this global reach,” alongside bigger partnerships with Lululemon or Uggs, has been influential in their success.
Alongside the brand, the Madhappy Foundation was started to start conversations around mental health. Raf explained, “We’ve always thought that our idea of optimism is really powerful because if we can make it more okay and part of the daily conversation to talk about the ups and downs of life, then more and more people will think that and do the same.” Between incorporating a consistent message of positivity, partnering with small businesses, and even exploring the food and beverage industry, Raf and his co-founders have retained a certain uniqueness that makes MadHappy stand apart from other brands.
Building a Fashion Empire from the Ground Up
The summit came to a close with a fun, casual chat with Steve Madden in conversation with Paige DeSorbo regarding his self-made fashion empire. Madden candidly explained how his journey to creating such a successful brand started simply from needing to pay rent and find purpose while being newly sober. Along the way, he was able to foster his own niche–blending creativity with corporate. In terms of where his designs come from, Madden described his creative process: “We’re on the street and we’re dreaming, creating, and seeing what the expensive guys are doing. Watching movies, listening to music, it's a big gumbo. Out comes the shoe.”
He later offered advice to people aspiring to be in the fashion industry, mainly emphasizing “work in a store,” as you gain the vocabulary of fashion and an understanding of consumer behavior. Moreover, Madden noted his favorite aspect of his business is, “Being in an elevator, and seeing someone wear my shoes.” Although the Steve Madden company has come so far, he referenced his hopes for even more evolution. “I just want to make better shoes, and now that I'm in the clothing business, I just want to make cool clothes,” he ended with. Being our final panel of the day, our guests got a glimpse into the more human, personal side of successful fashion pioneers–as Madden routinely cracked jokes and maintained an easy-going
Presence throughout his keynote.
Fashion Forward Showcase
MFMS’s Fashion Forward showcase features student entrepreneurs, designers, and creators from universities across the country, providing them with an opportunity to display their work at the annual summit. This year, we were excited to welcome five finalists to present their work and compete for an exclusive, personalized professional development opportunity at the Steve Madden office in New York City.
The 2024 FFS winner is Samyra Abeme Nguema, a senior at Wayne State University studying fashion design. Her ready-to-wear women’s brand, “Sam&Blair” focuses on “showcasing youthful contemporary designs that deliver a message of self-love and playfulness to the audience in hopes that through creativity and design, we are able to create a space where inclusivity and representation is the norm.” Samyra graciously accepted the award, excited to explore this amazing opportunity and continue building her brand.
The 7th annual summit came to a resounding conclusion as Priya gave her closing remarks. In her appreciative and heartfelt speech, she stated, “We’ve heard from such a wide range of industry change makers and experts who have shared their experiences and challenges, all of which I have personally found so inspiring.” She went on to personally thank the steering committee, Ross School of Business, speakers, partners, and student planning team for making the day truly magical and insightful. She ended with a message for the future: “As we move forward from the seventh MFMS, I hope we all apply the lessons we’ve learned today and strive to push the boundaries of the fashion media industries as all of today's speakers have.” The team is eager to begin planning for the 2025 summit and cannot wait to see what the future holds.