Over the years, there is both anecdotal and statistical evidence that suggest awareness has been sufficiently raised, although there is more work to be done. Now, in behalf of Ladybrille, I am ready to spearhead a more holistic image about African fashion to the world. An image I feel is necessary if Africa’s fashion industry and its professionals are to be taken seriously so they can have a meaningful opportunity in the world’s fashion boardrooms where important fashion deals are brokered. The holistic image necessarily takes me towards trailblazing the Africa Fashion Law™ path on Ladybrille®.

Let me be very clear. We can talk fashion trends, colors, silhouettes, textiles, fabrics, fashion shows etc. But, at the end of the day, fashion follows money, not talk. The African fashion industry must make money to sustain its very creative professionals who paint the world fashionably haute. For that to happen i.e. go beyond the hype and get into the real meat and potatoes of African fashion, there must be a true and real assessment about the business of fashion which necessarily includes the intersection of fashion and the law.

Happy New Month of February 2012. This month, in behalf of Ladybrille®, I introduce Africa Fashion Law™ to you all!

Why Africa Fashion Law™? Why now? The timing is finally ripe for such re-introduction and push. The Western fashion industry is undergoing significant changes, brought on by the digital age, and brokering important deals in the process to help it thrive. Africa’s fashion industry cannot afford to lag behind.

In addition, there is a case to be made for African professionals to begin knowing, discussing and understand the basics on fashion law. Specific to Africa, last year, we saw one of the biggest names in African fashion, Bumni Olaye, part ways with her long time business partner, Francis Udom. The Bunmi Koko brand seemed aimed at attaining fashion iconic status as an African owned brand. What happened? Africa Fashion Law™ on Ladybrille® takes on such termination of legal relationships including partnership agreements and other relevant business disputes in the news relating to Africa’s fashion professionals.

Also in 2011, Africa’s fashion industry got another fashion law jolt when the reputable Jan Malan, fashion show producer, sued the equally reputable Arise Fashion Magazine for breach of contract. Malan claimed fees of over $300,000 were owed to him for his production work for Arise Magazine at the 2010 New York Fashion Week show. Needless to say, African fashion meets contract law. What are the basics of a Fashion Producer Agreement? What constitutes a breach of contract within the fashion law context?

Finally, in 2011, the industry received yet another fashion lawsuit present when Nigeria Fashion Week and the Stylehouse produced MTN Lagos Fashion & Design Week was sued for Trademark infringement. What exactly is Trademark law? How is that relevant to the African fashion industry? What about the basic intellectual property protection of African fashion businesses that should be in place?

Independent of these arguably big lawsuits, there have been some positive growth in the industry that requires a careful examination on some of the business of fashion intertwined with law. For example, we now see an increased opening of flagship stores by big name African designers across Africa, an increase in e-commerce/African fashion online brick and mortars in the West by fashion professionals of African heritage, an increase in fashion event production, an increase in public relations agencies, fashion films, and a few African designers stocking their merchandise in stores locally here in the USA. While positive, some of the negatives are that many of these persons have no clue what they are doing, have never done it before and some do take the fashion professionals that do business with them on a very lousy ride.

All of these raise an absolute need for the basic understanding and discussions of the business of fashion and the fashion law/legal issues that go hand in hand with them.

The tone here is direct, straight to the point and does call out “the nonsense,” where it is detected or perceived. While fashion is creative, law is direct and straight to the point and it does not take the back seat just because it intersects with fashion. On the contrary.

Needless to say, I will be authoring the Africa Fashion Law™ column on Ladybrille® and I look forward to sharing, exchanging ideas with you all, widening the scope of African fashion and separating those who are about the business of fashion from those who are simply on board for the ride.

Finally, expect to continue to see our main staples on Ladybrille: Ladybrille Woman, Ladybrille Man, Ladybrille Fashion Business With, Ladybrille’s 15 Questions With, Fashion Shows, Designers, Models. Also expect 80% of our content to be about fashion and the other 20% is divided between music and film.

I hope you all are ready for what promises to be an intriguing ride. Happy New Month!

Welcome to Africa Fashion Law™ on Ladybrille®.

__________________
Ms. Uduak Oduok is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Ladybrille® Magazine. An industry insider with almost two decades of hands on extensive experience in the fashion and entertainment industry, she is also a trial attorney and has counseled a range of clients from musicians, models, actors and actresses to designers on numerous areas of the law including contracts, business law, fashion and entertainment law, copyright, trademark i.e. intellectual property law. She can be reached at (uduak@ladybrille.com) to share/pitch your Africa Fashion Law™ related stories with her. All other inquiries, please visit the www.ladybrille.com/contact for appropriate contact email.

When you’re thirty, and you get a call from your father, and after saying hello very briefly, he tells you: “you know I married your mother at the age of twenty-seven…” there’s a brief pause, more than brief – the pause is pregnant with confusion – and that confusion gives birth to silence. Short of understanding the appropriate response to that, I just foolishly replied, “oh, congratulations, dad”.

Now let me tell you something – my relationship with my dad used to be very sweet, but since all my other brothers settled down with their various partners, our relationship has been a little strained, so, I’m sure he wasn’t expecting any sort of chummy conversation – and besides, I was in the middle of a terrible fight with a female friend, in fact, I was just about to get into my car to run as far away as possible from my apartment that night to clear my head, and yeah, to avoid any physical altercation – you know, women are mean these days, since it’s uncustomary, ungentlemanly, and even illegal to raise your lay your hands on a woman, I figured sitting at home would just be as good as committing suicide – ‘cause, trust me, my female friend is just a curvy version of Tony Montana (with boobs), when she’s mad.

I didn’t want to wait at home and get f**ked up by a very angry female friend. Now, you’re wondering what I did – damn, I (allegedly) broke the effin cardinal, yet unwritten rule of “friendship according to ladies” – and that rule is simple, “for as long as we’re friends, please don’t try to have sex with my girl friends”. You see the problem and why I’ve got to run – I didn’t want my neighbors watching a 2012 parody of Scarface – now, Daddy is cramping my style, slowing my run.

I didn’t want to be rude to my own father, so, when he didn’t respond to my congrats, I said “hello, I think the network is bad…I can barely hear you”, but hey, I think he knows that line, so he just replied, calmly, “son, what I’m saying to you is the earlier you find a woman and settle down, the more time you’ve have to raise your kids before you’re too old and too senile to string two words together.”

Wow. Papa Gangster. Now, I know where I got my wits from.

He knows I dread the subject of marriage, settling down, and relationships. But he just hasn’t been able to figure out why, and neither have I. So, he laid it on me with the only emotional appeal I’d understand – the fear of losing the ability to write. I wanted to hear him say, “Son,
how much real estate (or even petrol) would you like me to leave you in my will” – but heck, I guess I needed to hear what he just told me. Despite the irony of the whole scenario – me, running away from my own apartment because my female friend was mad at me, and my dad, several miles away, telling me I was getting old, and had better got married.

“Dad, let me call you back please – the network is just too terrible here”. End call.

Now I’m wondering. Damn. I thought only female children were subjected to such pressures to get hitched. So, now, where the hell do I start from – out of a modest number of the “female friends” I have – I’m struggling to zero in on one with what I “need” – trust me, when looking for a date, it’s easier to go with what you want – video vixen-like beauty, with a booty that’d make Nicki Minaj look like a teenage boy – but then, when you get the kind of call I got – you begin to look beyond the tits and the hips, and oftentimes, those figures are just too damn distracting to let you look out for anything else you “need” inspecting. And even if you’re lucky enough to see beyond the glittering physical attributes, how sure are you that what you’re seeing isn’t what the person-of-interest “wants” you to see – this paranoia is eating deep into the bone marrows of men and women who are ripe for marriage – it’s like mind cancer, of which I suspect I’m a level 4 patient, just waiting for the doctors to pull the plug off my life support.

Sometimes, I rationalize that the fear of marriage is the beginning of wisdom. And I tell myself that it’s perfectly alright to avoid commitment – that way you minimize the risk of getting screwed. Crap!

And if you subscribe to the above-mentioned excuses (like me), my friend, it simply means you’re either too paranoid and faint-hearted, too caught-up in a romantic fantasy novel, too obsessed with the impossible standards and definition of beauty and sexuality as imposed on the Regular Joe/Jane by MTV, and television in general, or you’re just not ready to stop being a kidult. (Like me, again).

~James Amuta

-Uduak Oduok

LADYBRILLEmag.com: Tell us, briefly, how and why you decided to strike out on your own as a fashion entrepreneur?
Adama: Initially, I definitely did not think of myself as a fashion entrepreneur but to answer your question I had a desire to explore my creativity. After working in the industry with so many amazing people and seeing their own careers develop and flourish, naturally this influenced me to pursue my own dreams of becoming a fashion designer. When I got on the ground in Sierra Leone and started operating my design studio that’s when the word entrepreneur began to have resonance in my life. From then on my passion became to build a successful fashion business whilst allowing my creativity to evolve as the brand grows.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: Describe the exact goods and services you provide?
Adama: Aschobi is a luxury womenswear and accessories brand. Our products range from dresses, top wear, evening wear, trousers, skirts and accessories. Aschobi is a contemporary and stylish international brand with bold collections for those seeking global sophistication and sensuality

LADYBRILLEmag.com: What is the core mission of your business?
Adama: To build an international heritage brand built on the foundation of quality artisanal craftsmanship that celebrates the female form through contemporary and modern styles that are inspired by multicultural ethnic cultures.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: What clearly defined business goals do you have for your brand within the next two years?
Adama: Oh wow, . . . there are so many of them… I like to call them my objectives… I will list six below…

1. Re-launch the Aschobi brand internationally at the Spring/Summer 2013 presentations in Paris.
2. Re-launch and introduce the new digital home of Aschobi.
3. Develop good reliable relationships with my manufacturers and sourcing vendors.
4. Hire key staff: Business Development Coordinator and a Garment Production Technologist.
5. Set-up and operate out of our new design atelier and offices in Paris.
6. Continue building and getting to know my customers.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: For your products/services, what is the distribution system you have in place to make sure customers get your products when and where they want it?
Adama: With the re-launch of the brand and the website Aschobi will be available internationally for purchase. This website will be the window to the collections, generating interest from consumers through our highly interactive design. The website will be search engine optimized and contain a number of features including: shopping cart, product information, client testimony, photo gallery, company profile, location, list of services, and links to social media platforms for easy information sharing. The site will be multilingual, and will evoke an energy that is consistent with the Aschobi brand and our message. Customers will also be able to keep track of the international tradeshows we plan to attend as well as boutique and department stores where the brand will become available for purchase both on and off-line.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: What has been your biggest business success to date?
Adama: It is having a business plan that clearly outlines the various components and stages that will guide me through this next phase of Aschobi’s development. My business plan has helped me to address all aspects of Aschobi’s growth that will directly affect my profit margins and determine the bottom line and pace at which I want my brand to grow. More importantly, coming to an understanding that my business plan serves as a guideline and things can change. Knowing this makes me that much more prepared for any changes, should they occur.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: What has been your biggest fashion business mistake so far?
Adama: (Laughs)…I would have to say my biggest fashion business mistake has been making the decision to start a business without a business plan. However, I am a true believer in learning from ones mistakes. Sometimes you have to make the mistake more than once to truly learn the lesson, and I can attest to having learnt some very valuable lessons in the past 3+ years.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: Give us an example of the valuable lesson(s) you learnt from that mistake?
Adama: . . .I have learnt many valuable lessons, the most important and the one lesson I practice everyday is patience. Patience to take my time when making my decisions, patience to seek out advice from those more knowledgeable and to research to ask the right questions, patience to endure the hard times, patience to understand the role of “time”.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: As a business, what is the customer experience you want each customer to take away every time they experience your fashion brand?
Adama: I want my customers to feel good, like they have made an investment and already they can see the rewards and they are pleased with the experience and their contribution in making it happen.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: What are your plans for expansion?
Adama: Aschobi will be re-launching and presenting our next collection in September during the spring/ summer 2013 Paris Fashion week presentations. I plan to introduce and make available the Aschobi collection to a wider demographic. I plan to introduce a winter collection to the brand. I’m really excited for this next phase of growth and development with my company, as you can imagine there all kinds of ideas and plans floating in my head.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: What do you believe are the key qualities of a brilliant (Ladybrille) entrepreneur?
Adama: Someone that understands the importance of taking calculated risks, someone hardworking with passion for the things they do, someone with vision that is inspiring.

I feel passion and hard work are crucial for a successful entrepreneur. That being said, there also needs to be a balance between exuberant passion and calculated risks. Passion cannot be the sole driving force behind an entrepreneur.

Something that may be overlooked but that is nevertheless necessary in a fashion entrepreneur is inspirational vision. When I think of designers such as Alexander Mcqueen and Phoebe Philo, they take risks and their visions set the standard for the rest of the design world and power like sets you apart from others.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: Can you share with our audience some few tips on financial management of a fashion business?
Adama: I think for all businesses there needs to be a sound system of accounting and book keeping for monies coming in and going out of the business. Investors want to be able to see where their money is going.

Try to keep your overhead costs low (this is generally relative)

When reading financial statements and documents if there are things you don’t understand do not be scared to ask for further explanation to understand what the numbers and figures are saying.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: How have you been able to integrate new technologies into your business to make it successful?
Adama: The most significant technological integration in my business would have to be in production. Working with European manufacturers has forced me to digitize my patterns for CAD use. This has been really helpful in terms of time management and resource consumption. It has also forced me to work with standard sizing and has made the transition much easier to manage since so much of it can be manipulated through the program rather than trial and error in a 3D format. The same can be said for designing my own prints using DTP (digital textile printing) technologies.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: Tell us the three ways you have used social media to increase brand awareness and gain recognition for your brand?
Adama: Currently I am using Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Each serves a different purpose in a way.

The Facebook page Aschobi Designs has become a community, with smaller ones in between, of people from various cultural backgrounds. Originally they started out as mainly Sierra Leonean supporters and customers that frequented my studio in Sierra Leone. It just so happened quite a few of my customers where expats moving in and out of the country. They sort of became ambassadors of the brand in their own countries and this has had an amazing trickle down effect in reaching a wider international audience.

You can follow Aschobi on Twitter I use this site to highlight the various business news, media, social and hot topics in the fashion industry that interest me and are relevant to the world of Aschobi as an emerging brand from an emerging market.

Tumblr is my favourite one because it has such a strong visual medium. You can find me on tumblr under Ouvrez Vos Yeaux. Its been great for collecting ideas for themes I would like to explore for future Aschobi collections and highlighting things I like about other brands as well as visual movements, trends and designers that influence me .It gives me the opportunity and platform to share these ideas with my customers

LADYBRILLEmag.com: In your opinion, why do fashion businesses, especially African fashion businesses, fail?
Adama: In my opinion this can sometimes be attributed to the lack of vision in creating a sound creative heritage that is equally balanced with a vision for laying the foundations for financial growth for the business model.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: What do you look for when you hire employees?
Adama: Someone loyal, hardworking, result oriented, confident, and knows how to take initiative,
I always try to work with people that believe in my vision for my company.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: What drives you as a business owner?
Adama: Seeing my ideas and visions for my company come to fruition is a big motivator that drives me, Money is also a good motivator since it gives me some of the tools I need to pursue developing my brand further. Satisfaction with my team and their hard work, that keeps the engine going. I cannot stress enough the importance of a good support network and team that keeps my motivation going.

LADYBRILLEmag.com: What makes you get up to do what you do everyday instead of throwing in the towel and getting a 9-5?
Adama: I really love what I do. Every day is exciting. I have a big passion for fashion…it sounds cheesy, I know, I just really love fashion, the clothes, the people, the business, the social implication on today’s 21st century modern society and its significance in the history of the 20th century. I love it all and I am glad to be a part of it.

Copyright ©2012. Ladybrille Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

Website: Aschobi.com

Facebook: Aschobi Designs

Twitter: Aschobi

All the major fashion actors were looking forward to this new meeting point, which had been very actively promoted these last 7 months. After four days, most visitors praised this new event, a huge one indeed, but considered as clear and dynamic, where the offer was clearly identified in each one of the fashion areas.

The integration of brands previously exhibiting at PRÊT-A-PORTER PARIS proved successful in PRIVATE and all of them praised the space design, as well as the efforts made by the organizing team to give a boost to both floors in hall 7 and increase the offer’s appeal.

In hall 4, FAME confirmed its position as a leader on the creative womenswear market segment and as a result was packed with people during four days.

For the first time since its creation, PREMIERE CLASSE dispatched its products in four small accessory trade shows scatted in three different halls. In many ways, this new face proved efficient, helping buyers get a better understanding of the offer. However, if most areas enjoyed a successful attendance during four days, bag designers in hall 2.2 lamented the poor number of buyers.

WHO’S NEXT Prêt-à-Porter Paris also launched a brand new area, LE CUBE, devoted to leather goods and luggage. Leather good retailers were happy to find back a real luggage and leather good offer at Porte de Versailles and praised the product visibility. Exhibitors also enjoyed the business-oriented as well as joyful atmosphere of this first edition.

If MESS AROUND suffered on account of a low attendance Saturday and Tuesday, the purchasing atmosphere proved positive Sunday and Monday. For most exhibitors however, the turnover remained as satisfying as in January and September last year. If French visitors were not as present, the number of foreign retailers, mostly from Europe, but also from Asia and America, was on the rise. Visitors and exhibitors all praised the quality of the space design and the very clear offer.

The true revelation came from MR. BROWN, an area devoted to urban and men’s fashion. Buyers, just like exhibitors, who massively attended the event, praised the organizing team’s space design choice and brand selection. The special state of mind and high impact events organized (late opening hours, live showcases, trend forum, exhibitions…) were also an opportunity to assertmthe personality of this area.

After this “premiere”, the organizing team will learn from this experience and make the necessary adjustments and improvements to prepare the June 2012 edition of the trade show (30 June – 3 July), WSN DEVELOPP EMENT’s second big challenge as part of the new
group strategy.

These improvements will include an even more consistent segmentation and clarity, the promotion of the areas devoted to traditional retail (LE CUBE and MESS AROUND) and working on the identification of the various areas to improve the visitor flow.

On top of these improvements, WSN DEVELOPPEMENT will focus on the international promotion of the event, foreign customers being the group strategy’s core target. Within two years, a goal should be reached and the event should welcome 50 % international visitors. French visitors will however not be neglected and be addressed through a special communications strategy.

—————
ATTENDANCE KEY FIGURES:

FRANCE
With 44,396 visitors, France remains the leader, representing 68% of the global attendance. Whether from the province (58%) or the Paris region (42%), French buyers massively attended this first edition of WHO’S NEXT Prêt-à-Porter Paris, proving thereby that sales are not a major obstacle to a satisfying trade show attendance.

EUROPE (except France)
European buyers (except French buyers) represent 76.9 % of the foreign attendance (i.e. 16,366 visitors). Utterly loyal, Italians once again rank first this session with 3,920 buyers, i.e. 18.4% of the foreign attendance. Coming second and third are Belgium with 2,240 buyers and Spain with 2,180 buyers (i.e. respectively 10.5 and 10.2 % of the foreign attendance). Great Britain and Switzerland are the other runners-up, accounting for 1,300 and 944 buyers.

ASIA
With 2,606 buyers and 12.2 % of the foreign attendance, Asia is the second most represented continent. The Japanese have more than ever shown their loyalty to the trade show as the 4th most represented foreign country at WHO’S NEXT Prêt-à-Porter Paris with 1,714 buyers, i.e. 8.1% of the foreign attendance. Korea and China each totalized 310 and 312 buyers.

AMERICA
For its first edition, WHO’S NEXT Prêt-à-Porter Paris registered 946 buyers for the American continent, with a significant number of visitors from the USA and Canada (374 and 218 buyers). Brazil was also a significant actor of the trade show with 116 visitors. Altogether, the American continent represents 4.4 % of the foreign attendance.

MIDDLE EAST
Among the buyers from the Middle East who attended the trade show, the most represented were the Lebanese with 216 visitors. Israel and Saudi Arabia respectively ranked second and third with 166 and 94 visitors.

AFRICA
With 520 buyers, the African continent represents 3.4 % of the global foreign attendance. Tunisia and Morocco stand out with a larger number of visitors, i.e. 112 Tunisian and 114 Moroccan buyers.

OCEANIA
The 148 buyers from Oceania were mostly Australian with 128 visitors.

Photocredit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe

“Great style should be available in all sizes because fabulous, fierce, kick-ass women come in all sizes- Serwah Asante”

Rue 114 is inspired by and created for women who believe that every shape and size should be celebrated as beautiful. This season, Rue 114 is proud to present its Intro 2012 Capsule Collection, “Et Dieu Créa La Femme” (And God Created Woman). The collection is an homage to and celebration of the female form at all its sizes. Beauty is too mysterious, too coy, too “Saturday night” to be confined into a size 6. The Rue 114 design aesthetic is deeply informed by what it means to be a modern woman of the world, and as such, the inspiration for each collection is limitless. This season, bold African prints in sexy and feminine silhouettes serve as the palette for the Rue 114 introductory collection.

Creative Director/ Founder
Serwah Asante is the Creative Director and Founder of Rue 114. Style has informed her existence since before her birth. Hailing from two of the most suave looking parents this side of the Atlantic, one could say that style and fashion were ingrained in her genetic makeup. After graduating from Dartmouth College with a BA in Sociology, Serwah continued her studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology, NY. In November of 2010, Serwah launched Rue 114 as a platform upon which to celebrate beauty and style at all sizes. Inspiration for the Rue 114 brand is deeply informed by the designer’s Ghanaian roots, New York City upbringing, and eternal love of travel. Each collection is born of the global perspective and responds to the call of what today’s woman; whether in Laos, Lagos, or Los Angeles; needs to be edgy, unique, powerful, and always feminine.

UNICEF’s share will go to the Schools for Africa projects in seven countries and two projects in Russia and China. Save the Children’s equal share will support education for children in some of the most marginalized groups (minorities and children with disabilities) in Asia (Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines) and Eastern Europe (Lithuania and Romania).

_________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fashion Net Education Center Düsseldorf is New Fashion Business Forum for Trade and Consumers. Focus of 2012 Event: Asia

The second Fashion Net Education Center takes place on February 5, 2012, in Düsseldorf and is timed to coincide with city’s fashion trade events Premium, Supreme, CPD Signatures, and Showroom Order Days. With this year’s spotlight on Asia’s role in fashion industry innovation, the unique event offers educational presentations and seminars about current fashion business topics to trade visitors and is also open to consumers. Speakers include American couture designer Jean Yu, and German GALA Magazine’s Fashion Director Marcus Luft.

Düsseldorf, Germany – Movers and shakers of the fashion world in town for international fashion trade events Premium, Supreme, CPD Signatures, and Showroom Order Days will meet at the second Fashion Net Education Center (FNEC) in Düsseldorf on February 5. Fashion enthusiasts and anyone interested in the business side of fashion can meet them in a rare one-day industry event that is open to trade visitors and consumers.

Düsseldorf will be buzzing with fashion business representatives from all over the world around February 5 as they travel there for serious business at the various trade events. FNEC offers a platform for all of them to get together and create synergies through an educational program that features speakers and events from all fashion industry areas and is designed to break down barriers between the various areas.

The theme of this year’s FNEC is “Asian Roots,” inspired by industry innovations from Asia such as QR-Codes, already heavily employed in Japan but not well known in other parts of the world, and new production methods in China. Speakers and topics include Jenny Brucherseifer (Fashion Made in China); Thai designer shooting star Pim Sukhahuta (on her label “Sretsis”); industrial designer Jannis Hülsen (Xylimum – Bacteria, Fabric Sources of the Future?); American fashion designer Jean Yu (180 by Jean Yu); and German Gala Magazine’s Fashion Editor Marcus Luft (From Runway to Reality).

FNEC is organized by Fashion Net, an association of Düsseldorf-based fashion-related businesses, organizations, and designers, such as Bugatti, Fashion Square GmbH, Fashion Design Institute, Düsseldorf Trade Shows and the city’s Economic Development Office. FNEC takes place at Düsseldorf’s Cubic Studios. The event is open to everyone, and tickets are available for single events (starting at € 9) or the entire day (starting at € 59).

Düsseldorf’s Tourism Office offers special hotel and visitor packages, called “Düsseldorf à la Card,” including hotel nights, breakfast, free public transportation and more, starting at €49 per person.

For more information on FNEC, visit www.fashion-net-duesseldorf.de

For more information of hotel and visitor specials, visit www.visitduesseldorf.de

# # #

Düsseldorf Marketing & Tourism GmbH is the visitors and convention bureau of the city of Düsseldorf. Its responsibilities include tourism and city marketing, as well as conference and meeting marketing, hotel reservation services, fairs and convention services, city event ticket sales and advance ticket reservations. For more information, visit www.visitduesseldorf.de.

Düsseldorf International Airport, Germany’s third largest, offers several non-stop flights from US & Canadian cities (Atlanta, Chicago, Ft. Myers, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark, Toronto, San Francisco, Vancouver), as well as convenient connections to many European cities.

For more information about the airport, visit www.fly2dus.com

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Isabel & Ruben Toledo

Accessories:
Adriana Castro, ADRIANA CASTRO, Michelle Vale, MICHELLE VALE, Michelle Watson, MIMI & LU, Serra Turker , MISELA, INC., Katherine Kim, ROMAN & SUSNSTONE, Ron Donovan, RON DONOVAN FOOTWEAR ACCESSORIES, INC, Blythe Harris, STELLA & DOT, Deborah Sawaf, THALE BLANC

Beauty/Fragrance Corporate:
Celine Barel, INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC., Remi Pulverail, GIVAUDAN FRAGRANCES, Sue Saadat, NARS COSMETICS, Donna Ramanauskas, ROBERTET FRAGRANCES

Beauty/Fragrance Entrepreneur:
David Moltz, D.S. & DURGA, Kelly Van Gogh, KELLY VAN GOGH HAIR COLOUR COSMETICS, Kaya Sorhaindo, SIX SCENTSPARFUMES, Michael Sedlacek & Liesa Helfen, WORKER B

Home/Interior Design:

Coco, COCOCOZY, Joe Manus, SHINER INTERNATIONAL, Tamara Eaton, TAMARA EATON DESIGN

Fine Jewelry:

Jessica Kagan Cushman, JESSICA KAGAN CUSHMAN STUDIO, Yolanda Torrrubia & Amaia Torrubia, TORRUBIA & TORRUBIA, Wendy Brandes, WENDY BRANDES

Retail:

Tom Wilscam, HOMMAGE Atelier by Julien Farel, Randi Jacobson, REALM BOUTIQUE, Vasken Demirjian, VASKEN SALON

Menswear:
Rob Magness, GROWN & SEWN, Ian Velardi, IAN VELARDI, Luis M. Fernandez, NUMBER: LAB, Simon Spurr, SIMON SPURR

Women’s Ready-To-Wear:

Elene Cassis, ELENE CASSIS, Joel Diaz & Christina LaPens, JOLIBE, Nary Manivong & Alexandria Hilfiger, NAHM, Nara Paz, NARA PAZ DESIGN INTERNATIONALE, Miguel Antoinne, MIGUEL ANTOINNE, Misha Nonoo, NONOO, Norman Ambrose, NORMAN AMBROSE, Stacy Lomman, STACY LOMMAN: NEW YORK, Steven McDermott, STEVIE MAC NEW YORK, Wes Gordon, WES GORDON

SPONSORS: Saks Fifth Avenue, InStyle, BeBe, CHIC.TV

January 26, 2012 at The Cipriani 42nd Street

-Photocredit: FGI
-Photo description: FGI Rising Star Nominees “Menswear”