2019 STYLE SUMMIT
What: Seattle Style bloggers + Influencers + Fashion Brands
When: Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Where: MOHAI Seattle
OVERVIEW
The Gossip & Glamour Style Summit is an annual event designed to bring Seattle fashion bloggers offline for a day of shared insight, inspiration, and community building. The high-energy day features four panel discussions, lunch & refreshments, coveted networking opportunities, MOHAI Style exhibit access, and an official after-party.
2019 Panel Discussions
PANEL 1: EXPLORING SEATTLE STYLE / 10 A.M.
This discussion led by Clara Berg of MOHAI will explore Seattle fashion history and uncover the local brands who have made their mark on the global style scene. The discussion will also include an overview of the Seattle Style: Fashion/Function exhibit which opens to the public on May 4th.
PANEL 2: INFLUENCER 2.0 / 11 A.M.
This panel will discuss next-level strategies for success including when and how to find an agent, how to maximize brand partnerships, the importance of understanding metrics, monetization, and how to prepare for mobile-first indexing.
Featured speakers include: Tiffany Ishiguro of I am Style-Ish, fashion photographer and social media strategist Karla Melgarejo, Youtuber Monica Church, Sydney Mintle, and Danny Done of The Marketeering Group.
LUNCH BREAK provided by gourmondo catering + fashion EXHIBIT ACCESS
PANEL 3: BALANCE + BLOGGING / 1:15 P.M.
This panel will focus on the importance of mental health + wellness for creatives and uncover the digital pitfalls commonly experienced by the blogging community. The conversation will also include strategies for navigating the highs and lows of digital content creation and the importance of establishing daily wellness practices. Featured speakers include: Melody Todd of Honest Chatter, photographer and author Masoud Torabi, retailer and author Moorea Seal, Dr. Ayla Hopkins of Voda Health, moderated by Lestraundra Alfred of Balanced Black Girl.
PANEL 4: THE FUTURE OF FASHION / 2:15 P.M.
What does the future of Seattle fashion look like? How will retail change with the emergence of technology? This panel will explore the future of fashion and dive deeper into retail trends, beauty, the independent designer scene, and the importance of sustainability in the fashion community. Moderated by Andrew Hoge of Seattle magazine, featuring insight from April Pride Of Like Minds, Liz Kang Yates of K Banana, Brittany Hicks of Girls in Fashion & Tech, and Jessica Couch of Luxor and Finch.
CLOSING REMARKS BY SYDNEY MINTLE / 3:15 P.M.
NICHE NETWORKING / 3:30 P.M.
EXHIBIT TOURS / 3:30 - 4:30 P.M.
ADDITIONAL ON-SITE ACTIVITIES
Refreshments provided by Gourmondo Catering
Seattle Style: Fashion/Function exhibit access
Photo opportunities
Speed networking hosted by Elisa Yip of E for Elisa, Cortney Bigelow of The Grey Edit, and Mary of MK Sportsanista
Brand activations
Meet the Speakers
Clara Berg is the curator of Seattle Style: Fashion/Function. Berg grew up in Seattle and received her MA in costume and textile studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She has been MOHAI’s Collections Specialist for Costumes and Textiles since 2011, managing the museum’s holdings of nearly 30,000 garments, textiles, and accessories.
Tiffany Ishiguro is the blogger behind I am Style-ish and her instagram @tiffanyish which is focused on everyday fashion, her life as an entrepreneur and being a mommy to two girls. Tiffany is the co-founder of a clothing line that quickly grew into a million dollar business based on her social media following and knowledge of the industry. She is now a full time blogger and influencer who has worked with brands such as Nordstrom, Olay, Amazon, Mattel and many more. In 2018 she was ranked #2 on Feedspot.com’s Top 50 Mom Fashion Blogs. (Fashion Blogger 2.0 panel)
Karla Melgarejo is a published fashion photographer, marketing strategist, and advocate for Latina makers and entrepreneurs across the U.S. Born and raised in La Paz, Bolivia, Karla currently lives in Seattle where she helps women from all over the world scale their businesses through intentional imagery and purposeful marketing strategies. She founded 3 different companies before turning 30 and launched the first digital magazine in Bolivia back in 2013. Karla deeply believes in the power of community and the importance of living an authentic life. (Fashion Blogger 2.0 Panel)
Les is the founder of Balanced Black Girl, an online community dedicated to helping women of color live their healthiest lives. Upon graduating college in 2011 and diving head first into “the real world” Les soon found that the happiest part of her day was during her gym sessions every morning before work. Each day she felt herself becoming stronger and more confident in a way she had never felt before. So in 2012, she became a personal trainer and nutrition coach to help others feel the same. She started her first blog The Balanced Berry in 2014 to share what wellness looks like in real life. After four years of sharing recipes and workouts on The Balanced Berry, Les is excited to focus more on amplifying women of color in the online wellness space through the Balanced Black Girl Podcast. Les is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, TRX Certified Instructor, and Level 1 Precision Nutrition Coach. (Moderator: Balance + Blogging Panel)
Masoud Torabi was born in Tehran, Iran in 1990. While growing up in the streets of Tehran, Masoud developed an urge to tell stories through various media such as short stories, audio recordings, drawing, and short films. With an eventual passion for travel and wanderlust, Masoud has created an impressive body of work that ranges from editorial/lifestyle photography, fiction novels, Instagram Influencer work, and more. He was most recently featured in Seattle Magazine's February 2019 issue. In addition to his creative work, Masoud has developed a successful career within the Financial Services industry, named amongst Business Equality Magazine's prestigious 40 Leaders Under 40 list. Masoud's imagery in his modeling repertoire, writing body of work, and his photography company Masoud Torabi Photo embodies his strong story-telling background, often creating elaborative aspects to all he does. (Balance + Blogging Panel)
Melody Todd resides north of Seattle in Lake Stevens, WA with her high school sweetheart husband, Scott, and 2 daughters, Holland (13) and Savannah (7). Melody has enjoyed 17+ years with local teen retailer, Zumiez, as the Office Manager and Executive Liaison at the Lynnwood Headquarters. Outside of office hours, Melody spends time with her family, including 2-year-old lab, Brutus, who steals the show. Cooking, hiking, and low-key weekends are just a few of the family favorites. Melody immerses herself in writing and sharing content for her blog Honest Chatter, where she encourages fellow women of the community to share their truth, talk about the real real, and find humor and joy in the unfiltered #momlife struggles. Put her in a room with wine, like-minded women, open hearts and laughter - and she’s in heaven. (Balance + Blogging Panel)
Born in Yakima, Washington, Andrew Hoge braved the pass to study at Seattle University, where he launched his career in fashion marketing at Luly Yang Couture, the famed Northwest-based couture house. He later cemented his love for the fashion industry as a public relations intern for Oscar de la Renta in New York City. After joining the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in his current role as director of celebrations, Hoge launched his personal blog, andrewhoge.com, as a way to continue sharing his passion for empowering others and working with the Northwest fashion community. He now also shares his passion at Seattle magazine, where he oversees the style, shopping, fashion and beauty features and the Flash/Talk party-pictures pages as the style and social writer. Off duty, you might find Andrew exploring the latest restaurant or cocktail bar, attending the ballet or networking with fellow fashion enthusiasts. He shares his perspective on Instagram at @andrewhoge. (Moderator: Future of Fashion panel)
Monica Church is an American YouTuber who is well-known for her videos featuring travel and lifestyle content. She has more than 1.1 million subscribers and has garnered deals with big brands like Samsung and The Real Real. Her Youtube channel has garnered more than 31 million views and Monica also regularly posts content on Instagram. (Fashion Blogging 2.0 panel)
Jessica Veronica Couch is a fit technology expert in the fashion technology space and Founder of Luxor + Finch Consulting. Jessica received her undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University's College of Textiles in Fashion Product Development and her Master’s in Digital Innovation and Fit from Cornell University under the guidance of Professor Susan P Ashdown. In 2018, she received her certificate for Digital Product Management: Modern Fundamentals from the University of Virginia.
Since the completion of her Master’s, she has worked with and advised numerous companies, brands and retailers in the fit technology space. Jessica has published over 60 articles on the matter of fit and fit tech, a thesis on fit and perception and curated events and panels on the subject of fashion and fit technology. As a consultant, Jessica works to resolve the pain points caused by fit through technology integration. Through Luxor + Finch Consulting, she is able to focus on integrating technology throughout the supply chain to improve fit, educate brands on fit as a competitive advantage and to devise sustainability solutions. In September 2018, she along with co-founder Brittany Hicks, launched the Women of Color Fashion The Brunch bringing together women of color in the fashion, tech, and finance industries for networking and support during NY Fashion Week. She has spoken at events across the country and including SXSW 2019 where she and Brittany Hicks launched “WTF Fashion?!? ( Will Tech Fix fashion) Podcast”. Jessica Couch is a speaker, writer, innovator and champion of body positivity. (Future of Fashion panel)
Moorea Seal is an entrepreneur, best selling author and fashion retailer based in Seattle, WA. Her retail site mooreaseal.com and store front on 1st Ave feature over 120 designers from across the US and a portion of all proceeds are donated to non-profits. She’s the best selling author of The 52 Lists Project series with over 1 million copies sold in under 5 years, and with notable acclaim from celebs such as Oprah, Cardi B, Tyler Oakley, and Khloe Kardashian. Her new "52 Lists Planner: Weekly Planning for Well-Being" comes out this summer, and her 4th journal, "52 Lists for Calm: for Soothing Anxiety and Creating a Peaceful Life" comes out Fall 2019. She has been featured by Oprah, People’s Style Watch, Buzzfeed, Elle, Refinery 29, and more. She also has over 1 million followers on Pinterest. (Balance + Blogging Panel)
Brittany Hicks, currently at Amazon Fashion, has always worked on the cutting edge of e-commerce. Throughout her career, Brittany noticed pipeline flaws in academia that continued into the corporate environment, inspiring her most recent venture Girls in Fashion and Tech, an organization focused on fashion and technology, the need for more women to be involved in this shift and pipeline flaws for fashion industry professionals and other creators. Brittany teaches merchandising as an adjunct professor at SPU and is the co-creator of the Women of Color Fashion Tech Brunch. (Future of Fashion panel)
Creative entrepreneur April Pride is a brand, design and product innovator. In 2016 she launched Van der Pop, which quickly became North America’s leading cannabis lifestyle brand for women. Recognizing the specific demands of this consumer, April’s emphasis on education and discretion while addressing stigma has become a benchmark in cannabis marketing. Within a year of launch, she negotiated Seattle-based Van der Pop's acquisition into the opportunity-rich Canadian cannabis market where she led the brand to its current home at Canopy Growth, the world’s largest cannabis company. After serving as a brand ambassador for Canopy, in early 2019 April co-founded Of Like Minds, a mission-driven cannabis marketing brand that continues her role as an advocate for women who choose to pursue cannabis as a profession and for personal consumption. (Future of Fashion panel)
Liz Kang Yates was raised in Washington where she graduated from UW Foster School of Business. From there, she started off her career in banking for 4 years and then took a leap to the merchandising world to become an assistant buyer for Zumiez where she worked her way up as Buying Manager. She also worked for adidas as Global Product Manager and US merchandiser for almost 3 years and currently manages sales for Key Accounts for Vans Footwear. In August 2018, she followed her passion for Korean Beauty and opened up K Banana, a pop-up shop in the University Village to feature all her favorite products from Korea. (Future of Fashion panel)
Dr. Ayla Hopkins founded Voda Health with the goal of making naturopathic medicine more accessible to the public, and more efficient in it’s delivery. Taking accountability for one’s health and breaking bad habits, all while solidifying healthy ones, can be difficult and often feel defeating. During her time in clinical practice, she found the most important predictor of long-term success and continual motivation for her patient’s health goals was to feel better quick. Vitamin B shots provide just that - a powerful platform for change in an easily delivered treatment, available to nearly everyone. A graduate of Western Washington University in Kinesiology and Pre-Med sciences, she then went on to graduate from the world-renowned medical school at Bastyr University to attain a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine. (Balance + Blogging Panel)
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