Merchandising Sessions

Posted on January 9, 2012 by admin

101 : Fashion Reporting & Journalism How fashion is reported through print and other media coverage. SPEAKER: Michael Quintinella Express News, San Antonio Michael Quintanilla, fashion journalist and lover of all things pop culture, is a senior writer and stylist for his hometown newspaper, the San Antonio Express-News. As a former reporter for the Los Angeles Times, he regularly covered the Hollywood Red Carpet and party scene in L.A. Michael is famously known around the city as “The Fashion Guru” because of his other regular gig on an NBC-affiliate show. He also directs fashion spreads in S.A. Life, Spice Magazine and Trends Magazine. • Follow him on Twitter @FashNGuru.

102 : Retail Buying What really happens at a buying office and the skills necessary for success in a planning environment. SPEAKERS: Katherine Mangum Associate Buyer, JCpenney Kathering graduated from TCU with a BS Fashion Merchandising in 2005. She began working at JC Penney in 2006 as a Merchandise Trainee in Junior National Brand Tops. She worked her way up to Associate Buyer for Junior Dresses after working in Missy Casual and Career Knits.

103 : Retail Management Exploring the skills and knowledge needed to successfully manage departments and stores. SPEAKERS: Barbara Killie After being born and raised in Kansas, Barbara got to Texas as fst as she could after graduating Magna Cum Laude from Kansas State University with a degree in Fashion Marketing. Her interest in fashion was inspired by an internship at Swanson’s on the Plaza, Kansas City and attending Career Days in Dallas as a student. Her career as a buyer took her to Mervyn’s in San Francisco, Bradlees in Boston and JC Penney in NYC where she added “product development” to her skill set. She developed products for the cosmetics accessories industry. Barbara is currently the owner of Turtletique, an upscale Women’s clothing, shoes and accessories store in Inwood Village. She bought it from the original founder in 2003. Trudy Cresswell Director of Marketing, Saks Fifth Avenue With her career in Fashion starting over 30 years ago, Trudy has experienced many facets of the industry. Both in the Buying Office and on the Selling Floor, Trudy drove successful businesses in both Men’s and Women’s Ready to Wear, Specialty sizes, Seasonal departments, Hard goods and even the obscure arena of Greeting Cards. From privately owned local departments and specialty stores in Chicago and Minneapolis to the giants in retail – Lord and Taylor, Marshall Fields and currently with Saks Fifth Avenue – Trudy’s experience spans from Department Manager and Group Manager to Buyer and Store Senior Leadership.

104 : Social Media for Online Marketing and Branding Marketing and branding a company through the use of social media and websites. SPEAKERS: Maxine Trowbridge Founder and Editor-in-Chief, PinkMemo.com British born and American by choice, Max graduated in fashion design from London College of Fashion, designed for British fashion house Mansfield, and performed marketing at Ocean Drive Magazine – a style-worthy path that set the stage as the Founder of PinkMemo.com an online fashion & lifestyle magazine. • Follow her on Twitter @MaxTrowbridge. Lisa Petty DFWStyleDaily.com From current events reporting to celebrity interviews and television appearances, Lisa’s career in journalism is varied and exciting. After contributing to outlets including the Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Observer, and NBC DFW, Lisa launched DFW Style Daily in July 2011, bringing her trusted reputation to a unique new outlet for fashion news and commentary. • Follow her on Twitter @DFWStyleDaily. Cynthia Smoot OhSoCynthia.com Cynthia Smoot is a partner at one of Dallas’ leading marketing firms, Gangway Advertising. She spends her days on sites like Facebook and Twitter creating social media strategies for clients. At night, she hits the town to cover Dallas’ hottest events and coolest people for her lifestyle blog Oh So Cynthia. • Follow her on Twitter @OhSoCynthia. Holly Haber Having grown up in a home with a dictionary in every room, it was inevitable that Holly Haber would pursue a career in words. She studied English literature and French at university before devoting nearly two years to experiencing European style and arts by traveling the different nations. Haber has written professionally since 1984 on subjects as varied as aerospace and restaurants but the majority of her career has focused on fashion, beauty, retail and culture. Haber currently writes about fashion, lifestyle, arts, health and green topics for various publications and blogs, including WWD as well as occasionally contributing to W Magazine.

105 : Vertical Merchandising Strategies for Manufacturers and Wholesalers How manufacturers market products through various distribution channels. SPEAKERS: Philip Shain Owner, ASCENT-Outdoor Apparel and MOVEMENT-Women’s Activewear Philip was raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina and now calls Tulsa, Oklahoma home. He received his Finance degree in 2005 from Oklahoma State University. Philip started his professional career in the money management business and has now been in retail for 3 years. His stores are both currently being operated in the Historic Cherry Street District in Midtown Tulsa, with plans to open 4 more locations by 2015. Philip is involved in many other successful business endeavors and is well known for his willingness to give back to the industry.

106 : Visual Merchandising Learn how display and retail floor merchandising is used to drive sales. SPEAKER: Ignaz Gorischek VP of Store Development & Visual Merchandising, Neiman Marcus Ignaz’s first encounter as a display trimmer was in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio, at Rike’s, a division of Federated, where he spent many years there learning the trade. From there, Ignaz transferred to Burdine’s in Florida but it would be twenty years before he would accept an opportunity at Neiman Marcus. Twenty years at Neiman Marcus has honed his creative and leadership skills, focusing on high end businesses. His current role as VP of Store Development includes Store Planning, Store Design, Visual Planning and a Corporate Design Studio. Matthew Gilley Visual Coordinator, Tootsies Matthew began working in sales for Banana Republic in Southlake, where he discovered his passion for visuals. Later, Matthew was recruited to join the team at Club Monaco in Dallas before being transferred to New York City on 5th Avenue to serve as Regional Store Experience Manager, overseeing the East Coast markets. Matt co-wrote the company’s visual standards guide, and performed many operational functions as well. Family prompted a move back to Dallas, where Matt currently works at Tootsies as the Visual Coordinator.