11th Annual Rising Star Aw a rd s

FEATURE
11th Annual Rising Stars Awards
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FRONTLINERS
Has Luxury Lost Its Luster?
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
2008
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FRONTLINERS
License to Thrill
11th Annual Rising Star Aw a rd s
AND THE WINNER IS…
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NEWLY ELECTED DIRECTORS
A CONVERSATION WITH...
Accessories
Kara R oss
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RTW COLLECTIONS
Trend Report, Fall/Winter 2008/2009
FGI PARIS
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BULLETIN BOARD
NEW MEMBERS
Beauty / Fragrance Corporate
Natasha Cot é
From left: Presenter Charla Krupp
with Beauty / Fragrance Entrepreneur
winner Francesco Clark, Clark’s Botanicals
Beauty / Fragrance Entrepreneur
Francesco Clark
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Fine Jewelry
Christine J. Br andt
Beauty / Fragrance Corporate
From left: Beauty / Fragrance Corporate
winner Natasha Coté for Givaudan with
presenter Donna Kalajian Lagani,
SVP Publishing Director,
Cosmopolitan magazine
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RISING STAR COCKTAIL PARTY
THE PUBLICATIONS C O M M I T T E E
Chair
Adrienne Youngstein Gruberg,
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Beauty / Fragrance Entrepreneur
Creative Consultant
Committee
Arlene Eisner, Cover New York
Hisham Oumlil
Charles Nolan
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Accessories
Wendy D'Amico
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Men’s Apparel
Retail
Co-Chairs
Freelance Writer, Reporter and Public Relations Consultant
QuantumStep, Inc.
Gilles-Fleur Boutry
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Creative Strategist, AY & A
Wendi Winters
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Home / Interior Design
From left: Presenter Holly Dunlap
with Accessories winner Kara Ross
Women’s Apparel
Jason Wu
Fine Jewelry
From left: Fine Jewelry
winner Christine J. Brandt
with presenter Temple
St. Clair
Katie Kretschmer, Departments Editor, Women’s Day SIPs
Dominique Pasqua, Creative Director, PasquaDirect
Foreign Correspondents
Christine Jackson
Yolanda Serra
Graphic Design
Debora DeCarlo, DDC Graphics
Photography
Miriam Driot, FGI Director of Special Events
Rising Star Winners & Presenters
C ONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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Rising Star Awards
Home / Interior Design:
Now in its 11th year, the Rising Star Awards celebration was established to recognize the
accomplishments of outstanding individuals drawn from eight categories in the fashion
and design industries.
From left: Home /Interior Design winner
Gilles-Fleur Boutry with presenter Eric
Villency
The process begins with over 100 candidates being nominated by the Rising Star
committee, the FGI Board of Directors and the membership. Along with their resumés,
the competitors submit samples of their work which are rated, via a numbered scale, for
creativity and innovation. Finalists are determined by their numerical scores and move to
a 2nd and final round of voting by the membership after which the award winners
are identified.
At the conclusion of the voting, the finalists are introduced at a cocktail reception (see
article in this issue) followed by the award luncheon itself, held this year in New York’s
Rainbow Room. Surrounded by river-to-river views of Manhattan, the capacity crowd
took to the dining room.
In her opening remarks, FGI president Margaret Hayes thanked the event’s sponsors
––bebe and Cosmopolitan––for their support, and the Movado Group, Inc. for creating
and donating the star-capped, crystal awards.
Retail
From left: Presenter Eugenia
Ulasewicz, president Burberry, with
Retail winner Charles Nolan
“Please welcome our keynote speaker, Cathie Black,” said Special Events Committee
Chair, Ed Hogikyan. “As president of Hearst Magazines, author of the best-selling book,
How to Get Ahead At Work (and in Life), Cathie serves as an inspiration to all those who
aspire to excellence and achievement.”
In addressing the audience, Black advised, “Never take no for an answer; walk like you
know where you’re going; and dress for the job you want, not for the job you have.”
Words of wisdom drawn from her own experience.
Setting the mood for the ceremony was an audio-visual presentation created by Chao
Yang Yan. As presenters announced the finalists’ names, images of works by each
seemed to float against luminous washes of color, as though wafting on air.
First up, Holly Dunlap of Hollywould awarded Kara Ross the trophy for Accessories
followed by C o s m o p o l i t a n ’ s Donna Kalajian Lagani bestowing the award
for Beauty / Fragrance Corporate upon Natasha Coté of Givaudan Fragrances. In a
moving moment, the award for Beauty / Fragrance Entrepreneur (presented by Charla
Krupp, author of How Not To Look Old) was presented to Francesco Clark of Clark’s
Botanicals. A former Harper’s Bazaar staffer turned entrepreneur, Clark has been
confined to a wheelchair after sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2002. “This gives me so
much strength and hope,” he said.
Finalists in the Home / Interior category were announced by Eric Villency with Gilles-Fleur
Boutry of Clodagh Design the winner. The jeweler Temple St. Clair did the honors in Fine
Jewelry, with Christine J. Brandt of Christine J. Brandt taking home the award. Men’s
Apparel found Hisham Oumlil of Oumlil the winner as announced by Michael Bastian.
Eugenia Ulasewitz, president, North America, Burberry Ltd. took the podium to reveal the
finalists in the Retail category. Winning that prize was Charles Nolan who, a week earlier,
had hosted the Rising Star cocktail fe^te in his spectacular downtown showroom.
Jason Wu of Jason Wu, in accepting the award for Women’s Apparel from the designer
Peter Som, remarked that he “couldn’t have asked for anything better before fashion week.”
In closing, Hayes thanked all the nominees for their participation and enthusiasm,
saying that “Whether or not you go home with an award, each of you deserves our
recognition and support.”
To paraphrase Wordsworth, “Look for the stars…you mark them twinkling. ..with silvery
light” right over the Rainbow Room.
–– Wendy D'Amico
Creative Consultant, [email protected]
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Men’s Apparel: From left: Menswear
winner Hisham Oumlil with presenter
Francisco Costa
Women’s Apparel
From left: Women’s RTW winner
Jason Wu with presenter Peter Som