Join us for a wide-ranging panel discussion on the current state of the fashion industry in Chicago. Joining us will be an illustrious panel of industry leaders who will offer their candid insights into the Chicago fashion scene as they relate to design, production, modeling, finance, start-ups and the growing pains associated with starting and developing fashion brand. We will also discuss Chicago’s role and future in the fashion market, developing trends and the growth of the fashion industry in Chicago and beyond.
Moderated by Maria Vathis, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, LLP
Panelists:
Marie P. Anderson, Model Industry Expert + Founder at Boss Babe Models
Payal Shah, Founder and CEO, Cannabis Insight Collective
Amanda Christine Harth, Founder Runwayaddicts
Jamie Hayes, Designer, anti-sweatshop activist, founder and designer, Production Mode and co-designer/founder of Department of Curiosities.
ZOOM Link: https://bit.ly/383j2yk
Bios:
Maria Z. Vathis handles complex business litigation and class actions at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, LLP. She also advises corporate clients on statutory regulations and compliance, including the GDPR and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. She represents retail clients in the United States and Europe. She is a frequent speaker at fashion law conferences in Chicago, New York and Paris, France. As of October 1, 2018, Maria will be the national President of the Federal Bar Association.
Marie P. Anderson
Forever changing the world-standard of beauty, Marie P. Anderson made modeling history when she discovered and launched, supermodel, Cindy Crawford…and the rest as they say, is history.
Professional Speaker, executive producer, and an internationally published author with global connections, Marie is an entrepreneur that successfully built and sold her multi-million dollar business in an extremely competitive industry of international model management. She has over 30 years of experience developing and mentoring models and actors. She is now building upon this foundation to pursue her passion of developing socially conscious and responsible teen entrepreneurs with a focus on positive body image and an emphasis on the core values of INTEGRITY, FAITH & COURAGE.
Payal Shah is a cultural anthropologist at heart. She spent the last 23 years understanding the impact of culture on consumer behavior, the shopping experience, and category insights to guide companies and brands like AB In Bev, Crate and Barrel, Amazon and Procter & Gamble on their go-to-market strategies.
She is also a part of a third-generation family textile company based in India so her love of beautiful fabrics is almost innate. Her entrepreneurial spirit brought her to the cannabis industry a few years ago, where she partnered with another Indian company, Boheco, over a shared passion for textiles and cannabis, to elevate this powerful plant and educate on its healthful properties. Her passions and mission are grounded in making the world a more equitable place for all while making sure it is left in better condition for future generations.
Amanda Christine Harth
Creating opportunities for underrepresented individuals, communities, and industries by providing access to resources that will empower their brands and give them a space to share their stories. In 2013 I created Runwayaddicts – Fashion media company and resource for independent and emerging designers.
Jamie Hayes is a fashion designer and anti-sweatshop activist. She is the founder and designer of slow fashion line Production Mode and co-designer/founder of Department of Curiosities. Her work has been featured in Paper Magazine, Elle, Dazed, and on the cover of Billboard Magazine.
