Women's History Month Breakfast

LIM College's Women’s History Month Breakfast

FashionOpolis (in the LIM College Townhouse), 12 East 53rd Street
Wed. March 23 from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Featuring a panel discussion with leading female executives

Special guest speakers:

• Bianca Caampued (LIM College Class of 2007): Co-Founder and Creative Director, Small Girls PR
• Samantha Garfield: Director of Strategy, KKLD*
• Shawn R. Outler: Senior Vice President, Lease, Pricing & Multicultural Initiatives, Macy’s, Inc.
• Denise V. Seegal: President and CEO, Magaschoni Apparel Group
• Moderated by: Barbara Friedman, LIM College Consultant for Employer Management and Industry Relations

• Bianca Caampued, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Small Girls PR. Bianca is the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Small Girls PR, a public relations agency based in Brooklyn, NY, that combines new media with old-fashioned charm to craft meaningful dialogues between brand and consumer. Bianca heads creative campaign strategy, blogger/influencer collaborations, and event production for Small Girls' brands, leading projects for clients like Ann Taylor, The Kingdom of the Netherlands, Simon & Schuster, Google, and Disney Publishing among others. Believing social media and compelling brand content are an integral part of any PR campaign, Bianca ideates unconventional ways to promote Small Girls fashion, lifestyle, and tech accounts. A natural connector, she loves bringing people and brands together both socially and professionally. Press and industry recognition include: Marie Claire's Young Guns under 35, Forbes Top 15 Women-Led Startups, Buzzfeed's 21 Amazing Role Models for Ambitious Twentysomethings, speaking engagements at Harvard Business School, Social Media Week, PRSSA, and more.

• Samantha Garfield is the Director of Strategy at creative innovation agency KKLD* and a consultant to luxury brands. In 2009, after wrapping up a customized degree in Metropolitan Anthropology, she left her native New York to become an on-the-ground trend forecaster for WGSN, Stylesight and The Intelligence Group in Berlin. There she founded Krauted Haus, an underground supper club – featured in Freunde von Freunden, Deutsche Welle and Thrillist – which catered to Berlin’s diverse scene of expats with the comfort food they missed and the networking opportunities they craved. In her time since at KKLD*, Samantha has built up a double-digit team of content strategists, new international relationships with Panasonic, Swarovski and luxury goods holdings Safilo and Richemont, and rapid business growth culminating in the agency’s acquisition by WPP. She is currently creating a new brand identity for her key client MINI (BMW Group), and overseeing its implementation worldwide.

• Shawn R. Outler, Senior President, Lease, Pricing and Multicultural Initiatives, Macy’s, Inc. Shawn has been in the retail industry for over 25 years. In her current position at Macy’s, Ms. Outler overseas all the leased partner businesses, including Sunglass Hut, Louis Vuitton, Finish Line and Locker Room by Lids. She also leads the Pricing Group with merchants to establish pricing across all families of business. In addition, she is at the helm of the store’s weddings merchandise and services initiative. In 2011, she launched the Workshop at Macy’s program to educate and prepare minority women-owned business owners for growth and success in the retail industry, thus creating a successful benchmark for retailers in the Retail Supplier Diversity area. Prior, she was Group Vice President of Leased Businesses & Electronics. Ms. Outler joined Macy’s as a Divisional VP/Merchandise Manager in their Atlanta division, and prior, held merchandising positions at Lord & Taylor and Abraham & Strauss, where she started her career in their executive training program. She serves as Co-President of the Black Retail Action Group (BRAG) and was its honoree in 2009. In addition to her membership to BRAG’s Board of Directors, Ms. Outler is a member of LIM College Fashion Industry Advisory Board.

• Denise V. Seegal, President and Chief Executive Officer, M. Magtague International, Magaschoni is an innovative, strategic, high caliber, global leader, with strong brand building expertise and product and marketing savvy, who has successfully built and managed global fashion brands throughout her career. Prior to Magaschoni, Ms. Seegal was CEO of Amsale Design Group and prior to that, she was President and CEO of VF Sportswear Coalition for VF Corporation, which included the Nautica, Kipling NA, and John Varvatos brands. Earlier in her career, Denise has been President or CEO of such leading companies and fashion brands as Liz Claiborne, Inc., Sweetface, DKNY, CK/Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. Denise started her career at Bloomingdale’s. The first woman to receive both the National Conference of Community and Justice and the American Image Award for her outstanding contributions to the apparel industry , she also received distinguished Achievement Awards from FIT, Amy Leadership from YMA and the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York. Ms. Seegal serves on the boards of LIM College Fashion Industry Advisors, Parsons School of Design, Fashion Group International and the Charles Regatta.

Moderated by:

• Barbara J. Friedman is a business consultant with over 30 years of experience in the strategic development and marketing of fashion and lifestyle consumer goods. Her areas of expertise include licensing, marketing, brand management, merchandising, and product development for American and French brands covering mass to luxury channels of distribution. As President of Corporate Licensing at Liz Claiborne, Inc. Barbara was responsible for the strategic development and management of the licensed businesses for the corporation’s portfolio of 40 brands. She has also held senior management positions with Anne Klein, Chloé, Christian Dior, Bloomingdale’s, JC Penney and Bonwit Teller in both the wholesale and retail arenas.

All funds generated through ticket sales will be donated to Bottomless Closet. Prices are $5 for students, $7 for faculty and staff and $12 for guests.