More than 40 female leaders from all areas of the industry were honored Wednesday night at Footwear News' annual Women Who Rock event, held in partnership with the Two Ten Footwear Foundation.
Held at Lavan Midtown in New York City, the event drew a record-breaking crowd of nearly 300 people for an evening of cocktails, networking, and mingling. During the evening, six innovators took the stage to share valuable career lessons and discuss successful mentoring and sponsorship strategies.
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Here, FN sums up some of the best quotes of the evening.
Tracy Knauer, Senior Vice President of North America, New Balance: «"As leaders, we are responsible for developing the next generation of leaders. Early in my career, I thought I could just walk into a conference room and tell the team, 'Here's what we need to do, here's how to do it, so go do it.' But that's not really true, is it? I think leaders need to listen and empower their teams to do the right thing and find solutions. And I've said many times that the best days for me as a leader are when my team is doing something phenomenal, and I get to watch them work.".
Jennifer Jones, senior vice president and general manager of women's accessories at Bloomingdale's, She said that, looking to the future, women can "reimagine and reshape what retail can be." She also spoke about supporting working mothers and how she can be a role model. Regarding her priorities, she said, "I don't ask permission. I tell people what I do because it's important to me." And "whatever I do, it's my priority right now.".
Footwear News, Women Who Rock, FN event.
Kate Pinkham, vice president and general manager of Chaco and The Collective at Wolverine Worldwide, She shared her experience working in consumer goods and what makes the footwear sector unique. She explained that in the footwear industry, "you need to understand your target audience well. That means getting to know them," including studying their social media posts to understand their thinking.
Emily Cole, Executive Vice President, Chief Product Officer and Chief Creative Officer of Kenneth Cole, She spoke about the company's priorities and the Mental Health Coalition, founded by her father, fashion designer and activist Kenneth Cole, to destigmatize mental illness and ensure equal access to vital resources for all. Globally, this priority is "culture, which has to come from the top, and values that [you also] receive from the top.".
Footwear News, Women Who Rock, FN event.
June Ambrose, creative director, fashion designer and cultural figure: «"High fashion at that time, over 30 years ago, didn't engage with pop culture. So, without asking permission, I was able to revolutionize a music genre and transform something very niche—hip-hop—into pop culture. And I have to say that hip-hop is now the number one music genre in the world, and why? Because we didn't see it as a single entity, but as something all-encompassing.".
Brandis Daniel, founder and CEO of Harlem's Fashion Row: «"They'd say, 'You're the strongest,' and he'd be like, 'No, I'm not. My mom raised me as a single Black woman, and that's the strongest.' We went, and I listened to hours of footage of him just talking about his mother, and we identified four words he kept repeating over and over: courage, dignity, loyalty, and strength. And I thought, 'How can I find designers who truly align with that, whose personal stories align with her mother's?'"„
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