June Ambrose: Creative director and designer, Women’s Hoops, Puma

Celebrity stylist, costume designer and inventive director June Ambrose’s profession has spanned greater than 30 years.

As a stylist, June Ambrose is accountable for a number of the most iconic music video fashion of the previous few many years, working with Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey and Missy Elliott — most notably the rapper’s beloved trash bag costumes from her “The Rain (Supa Fly)” music video. Her styling and design expertise caught the attention of many major brands, like Levi’s, Goal, La Mer and others, who’ve worked along with her on partnerships and collaborations.

In 2020, Ambrose was tapped by Puma to be the brand’s creative director for its women’s basketball category, creating a set called “High Court” that saw retail success. She followed up the gathering in 2023 along with her first co-branded Puma collection, called “Keeping Rating,” which celebrated the brand’s seventy fifth anniversary and the fiftieth anniversary of hip-hop.

Through all her profession milestones and partnerships, Ambrose has made a degree to remain authentic to herself, which she thinks has aided in her success. She says: “An important way for ladies to make use of their power is by at all times showing up as their authentic and full self. I feel we’ve got an authentic intelligence that makes us all unique and provides us our own superpowers. When women own that, take up space and show up on the earth with this, not only are we contributing to our current society but in addition impacting and influencing the following generation — so the cycle continues.” — Layla Ilchi

Francesca Amfitheatrof, artistic director for watches and jewellery, Louis Vuitton

A globetrotter born in Tokyo and trained at London’s Central Saint Martins, Francesca Amfitheatrof became the primary artistic director for watches and jewellery on the French luxury house in 2018.

“Feel the facility, don’t taste the facility” is her advice to women. This sense of empowerment is the throughline of the five high jewelry collections she has designed to date for Louis Vuitton, wherein she imagined daring designs served by striking gemstones.

Before joining Louis Vuitton, Amfitheatrof made a debut on the intersection of fashion and art when she presented silver jewelry designs on the White Cube gallery in London in 1993. Most recently, she was design director at Tiffany & Co., the primary woman to carry the position on the storied American jeweler, was instrumental within the reposition of the Tiffany Blue Book collections, and launched the HardWear wonderful jewelry range in 2017.

Deeply committed to education, Amfitheatrof has made mentoring an integral a part of her work, featuring a course at her CSM alma matter and awarding two internships at Louis Vuitton to students annually. She can be president of the U.S. board of Sarabande, the Alexander McQueen foundation, and on the board of the Royal College of Art USA chaired by Johnny Ive. — Lily Templeton

Delphine Arnault

Delphine Arnault personifies soft power. Earlier this yr, she became chairman and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture, one in every of the crown jewels of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the French luxury group helmed by her father, Bernard Arnault. Commenting on his eldest child’s promotion, he called it “one other milestone in a profession journey in fashion and leather goods defined by excellence.”

LVMH prides itself on creating desirable, high-quality products, and that’s at all times been Delphine Arnault’s m.o. 

“Creativity, attentiveness, listening, the art of detail, independence…are for me key vectors of ladies’s power,” she told WWD. “Fashion, creation typically, enables women to extend this plural strength, to deploy their formidable capability to weave connections, to lean in, generating meaning and collective energy.”

Schooled on the EDHEC Business School in Lille and the London School of Economics, Arnault began her profession by spending two years on the international management consultancy McKinsey & Co., joining the family business in 2000 as a development director on the John Galliano fashion house. She moved to Dior in 2001 as a industrial director, also joining the chief committee. She ultimately worked her way up, rising to grow to be Dior’s deputy managing director in 2008.

In 2013, Arnault was named executive vice chairman at Louis Vuitton, a commanding post answerable for supervising all of its product-related activities. Keen about contemporary art, she spearheaded an array of splashy collaborations with the likes of Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama and others.

Very much within the mold of her father, Delphine Arnault delights in nurturing the creative sparks that fuel the industry, following design ideas through the multiple steps until they reach the sales floor.

She’s also a key talent scout for the group, and the force behind the LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize, which marked its tenth edition this yr. — Miles Socha

Alessandra Biaggi, former politician

Along with her pathfinding work on the “Fashion Act,” former two-term Recent York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi has made her name known in fashion. Under the ambitious bill, Biaggi (alongside the likes of Stella McCartney) first called for Recent York fashion players with revenues of $100 million in revenue to be held accountable for environmental and social practices. This includes adopting standardized environmental reporting, aligned social due diligence policies and a longtime fashion remediation fund for wrongdoings, amongst other points. The bill is ready to weave its way into one other legislative cycle under policymaker Brad Hoylman-Sigal.

Because the bill’s introduction, countless supporters from ThredUp to Fashion Revolution and more have endorsed Recent York’s “Fashion Act.” Without query, the bill has spurred dialogue around what it takes to revive a domestic Garment District and sustainable fashion, more broadly. 

Prior to her foray into the style world, Biaggi led the charge in Recent York to pass laws that holds workplaces accountable for addressing sexual misconduct. During her time within the Democratic conference, Biaggi worked with colleagues to pass laws spanning tenant-centered housing reforms, climate-change initiatives, criminal justice reform, comprehensive workplace protections and voter protection laws. She even spearheaded the operations for the Hillary Clinton campaign through the historic 2016 presidential election yr.

“Women are strongest when despite being deemed difficult by men and ladies alike, remain unstoppable and unruly within the face of their loudest critics attempts to frighten them into silence,” Biaggi said.

A lifelong Recent Yorker and alumni of Recent York University and Fordham Law, Biaggi has, once more, regained her student status pursuing Harvard Divinity school in the autumn. — Kaley Roshitsh

Hailey Rhode Bieber, founder, Rhode

Rhode, Hailey Bieber’s beauty brand, debuted last yr with a serum, a moisturizer and a set of lip balms that garnered a waitlist within the lots of of hundreds.

As a component of the brand’s inception, Bieber also founded the Rhode Futures Foundation, which met its goal of supporting 1,000 women and their families by 2023. That entails donating no less than 1 percent of sales to different organizations that provide women of color with resources needed to “direct their very own futures,” per its website.

“As women, we are able to use our power to champion one another, which is why I created the Rhode Futures Foundation. It was incredibly necessary to me to bring this to life concurrently my brand, Rhode, to make use of my platform to uplift and spend money on solutions that position women to direct their very own futures,” Bieber, the founder, creative director and chairwoman of Rhode, said. “The outcomes we’ve seen from the muse within the last yr alone are reflective of the impact that women-led brands can create and we’re so happy with what we’ve been in a position to accomplish, along with our community.”

Since then, the brand has also released an essence in step with the brand’s barrier-protecting value proposition, and has expanded to latest territories just like the U.K. and Canada.

At the identical time, Bieber has continued a strong modeling profession, starring in campaigns for Saint Laurent and LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned Tiffany & Co., and been a catalyst for style trends — from lobs to glazed donut nails — amongst Gen Z. — James Manso

Grace Wales Bonner, designer

It’s been quite a yr to date for Grace Wales Bonner, who was awarded the BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund for menswear, and who staged a standout spring show on the Paris Men’s shows in June.

Starting in November, she’ll be collaborating within the Museum of Modern Art’s Artist’s Selection series. For her “Spirit Movers” theme, she is curating around 50 works from MoMA’s collection.

She has owed her success largely to the ladies who surround her.

Wales Bonner says she’s grateful for the strong female leaders “who’ve helped me understand a strategy to operate on the earth. All you’ve got to do is go searching to know the way to live fearlessly and shine brightly. There are such a lot of wonderful examples existing in real time.”

The accolades have landed often since she launched her menswear label, Wales Bonner, in 2014, shortly after graduating from London’s Central Saint Martins and winning the L’Oréal Professionnel Talent Award.

She is an LVMH Prize winner, and in June 2022 was Pitti Uomo’s special guest designer.

In 2015, Wales Bonner scooped the prize for Emerging Menswear Designer on the Fashion Awards in London and received the CFDA International Men’s Designer of the Yr award in 2021.

In 2022 she was awarded an MBE for services to fashion in Queen Elizabeth’s annual Birthday Honors list. MBE stands for Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, and holders include fellow designer Craig Green and musicians Adele and Ed Sheeran.

Wales Bonner has an extended history of collaborations and inspirations, a lot of which give attention to the experiences and cultures of African communities and diaspora on each side of the Atlantic.

Past collections have referenced the works of Caribbean poets Kamau Brathwaite and the Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott and the experience of Black Caribbean expats and intellectuals living and studying in England within the ’80s.

She has also been inspired by West African studio portraiture and the work of the artist Sanlé Sory within the ’70s, in addition to the lives of Don and Moki Cherry as they were making music and art in ’70s Sweden.

Earlier this yr, Wales Bonner introduced a much bigger, broader apparel offer, latest footwear, jewelry and accessories collections. She has also forged strong ties with retailers including Nordstrom.

She has a longstanding collaboration with Adidas and was among the many creatives that Maria Grazia Chiuri tapped to contribute looks to the 2020 Dior cruise collection. — Samantha Conti

Gina Boswell, CEO, Bath & Body Works

Bath & Body Works Inc. appointed Gina Boswell as chief executive officer and a member of the board in 2022 and she or he has hit the bottom running, working to rework the established retailer as a stand-alone business following its spin off from L Brands.

That features launching Bath & Body Works’ loyalty program nationwide. The corporate has said enrollment speed is one in every of the fastest within the industry, and this system has 38 million members up to now. Loyalty sales represented roughly two-thirds of Bath & Body Works’ U.S. sales since launch.

The retailer also entered fabric care, debuting its first laundry detergents and scent boosters online and in 80 stores this fall, with plans to introduce fabric softeners and other products throughout the category.

Bath & Body Works can be constructing on the success of its men’s business to incorporate grooming, initially specializing in face and beard care and has also launched hair care with shampoo, conditioner and a dry shampoo. 

Boswell previously worked at Unilever, first as executive vice chairman of non-public care in North America, before being appointed head of Unilever U.K. and Ireland. Most recently, she was president of customer development for Unilever USA. She joined Unilever through the acquisition of Alberto Culver Company, where she served as president of world brands. Earlier in her profession, Boswell held leadership and business development roles at Avon Products Inc., Ford Motor Co. and the Estée Lauder Cos.

“Retail and wonder industries have the chance — and I’d say, responsibility — to model how diverse representation delivers higher results,” said Boswell. “As a frontrunner, I’m committed to using my platform to proceed to advocate for and drive impactful change.” — Kathryn Hopkins

Carmen Busquets, entrepreneur, strategic investor and philanthropist

What do Net-a-porter, Moda Operandi, Farfetch and Cult Beauty have in common? They were all backed by Carmen Busquets.

The Venezuelan-born entrepreneur was a pioneer investor in the style tech space, cofounding Net-a-porter and putting her money behind a series of firms that also include Lyst, Flowerbx and Astley Clarke.

She has also focused on sustainable ventures comparable to Byronesque, the Paris-based luxury vintage retailer that recently relaunched as a web-based boutique department store.

Not only a business angel, Busquets supports a wide range of philanthropic causes, including the World Wildlife Fund; nonprofit Nest, which helps to attach artisans with retailers and types; and Glasswing, which operates health and education schemes for kids in Latin America and Recent York City.

Having began her retail profession while she was still studying on the University of Miami and, within the ’90s, founding Cabus, a multibrand luxury fashion retailer in Caracas, she can be obsessed with mentoring female business leaders.

“Women need to make use of their power to uplift other women. My goal is to see women grow to be the leaders they’re able to being. I devote a number of my time to mentoring female entrepreneurs, teaching them what I even have learnt about running sustainable and profitable businesses focused on growth,” Busquets said. “I also work with a variety of nonprofit organizations focused on promoting gender and racial equality as I value cultural diversity and feel that everybody, no matter their background, must have the identical access to opportunities and to being heard.”

Alexandra Van Houtte, founder and chief executive officer of fashion search engine Tagwalk, is one in every of her mentees. “Carmen does things unlike anyone else. She works through instinct and invests enormous amounts of time in other people. She is way more than an investor,” Van Houtte said. — Joelle Diderich

Carla Chalouhi, president and CEO of Arije

When Carla Chalouhi took over in 1994 after the sudden passing of her father, the family-owned duty-free operation had one store in Paris, 4 employees, and business, particularly in hard luxury industries, was still very much male-dominated.

Nearly three many years later, Arije has grown to a network of 14 doors across France, the U.K. and Monaco, including three multibrand flagships in Paris and London, carrying the timepieces of Rolex, Bulgari, Cartier amongst others, in addition to jewelry brands Boucheron, Chopard or Messika.

Chalouhi strongly believes that ladies can “mentor and uplift others to acknowledge and make the most of their unique traits, with a purpose to challenge the established order and create positive change of their environment,” she told WWD, having “witnessed firsthand the transformation of ladies’s purpose and power in society” throughout her profession.

Particularly, women’s “power of procreation and nurturing” means they’ve “an instinct to create and implement boundless ideas,” enabling them to “challenge and reshape the world around them, stopping conflict on corporate, political or other levels of society, without affecting the problems at hand through soft power,” she said.

On the helm of an organization that counts greater than 150 employees and with sales surpassing 100 million euros a yr, Chalouhi has carved a particular position in the chief spheres of high-end watchmaking and jewellery, where her discretion is as wanted as her expert insight.

“Influential women can encourage the younger generations to acknowledge their uniqueness and potential, reminding them that as a rule, the barriers that inhibit them from being successful are internal and preconceived beliefs,” she said. “It is just once we recognize and challenge the subtle yet defeating aspects that we encounter day by day, that we are able to break them apart, embrace our potential, and reach leadership positions.” — Lily Templeton

Prisca Courtin, chairman, Groupe Clarins’ supervisory board, and CEO, Famille C Participations, and Virginie Courtin, managing director, Groupe Clarins

Prisca Courtin and Virginie Courtin’s roles at Groupe Clarins, founded by their grandfather Jacques Courtin, were elevated in February 2022 to chairman of the corporate’s supervisory board, and managing director Groupe Clarins, respectively. 

Prisca Courtin also founded Famille C Participations, her family’s holding company that has recently made some headline-grabbing acquisitions. In April, it purchased a majority stake in Pai Skincare to assist step up the brand’s growth and switch it into selective distribution’s clean skincare leader. In March 2022, it acquired buzzy Ilia Beauty. Other beauty brands within the portfolio include Ceremonia and Joone.

“The ladies of our generation have a specific responsibility, because we’re moving into positions that ladies couldn’t have reached 50 years ago,” Prisca Courtin said. “Our responsibility as company directors is to establish open governance, mixed and diverse management teams, welcoming different profiles to complement decision-making. This query can be particularly necessary for us, as we work in an industry where the overwhelming majority of products are produced for ladies.”

Virginie Courtin, who spent 4 years serving as a bunch deputy chief executive officer before moving into the managing director role, has been instrumental in forming Clarins’ Corporate Social Responsibility roadmap, including the Clarins We Care approach for caring for people and the planet. That features aiming for B Corp certification by 2024, codesigning products with consumers, implementing a responsible purchasing charter and decreasing the variety of ingredients utilized in formulas. It is a component of the corporate’s ambitious strategy, called Clarins Unlimited, which should help the corporate pass the two billion euro net revenue threshold in 2024, in accordance with industry sources.

“An important way for ladies to make use of their power is to make use of it as a tool for positive change. I feel that we must use our skills and resources, our inner strength and influence to empower the following generation, create revolutionary ideas for the longer term,” said Virginie Courtin. “I personally use my voice to set Clarins one of the best example possible: to provide back what nature gives us, to create a more equitable world, to advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, for the environment…and to at all times learn, grow, listen and improve.” — Jennifer Weil 

Jennifer Coolidge, actor

A comedic character actor for 3 many years, Jennifer Coolidge achieved leading role status for her performance as Tonya McQuoid in HBO’s “White Lotus,” delighting fans on- and off-screen along with her real talk and assured style. She also starred in an E.l.f. Beauty Super Bowl industrial.

At age 62, she has a Golden Globe, an Emmy and one other Emmy nomination, and is being sent more scripts than ever. Next, she’ll be seen within the movies “Riff Raff” with Brian Cox and Dustin Hoffman, and in “Legally Blonde 3” reprising her role with Reese Witherspoon. — Booth Moore

Raffaella Cornaggia, CEO, Kering Beauté

Raffaella Cornaggia was named chief executive officer of Kering Beauté and member of Kering’s executive committee in February, following months of speculation about whether the French luxury conglomerate would take its beauty business back in-house. The corporate wasted no time doing so.

Cornaggia, a beauty-industry veteran with experience at L’Oréal, Chanel Parfums Beauté and the Estée Lauder Cos., is remitted with developing a beauty expertise for a bouquet of brands, including Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Pomellato and Qeelin. Industry experts imagine it makes good strategic sense for Kering to sharpen its give attention to beauty, especially because the group has a stronger balance sheet and net money position with which to perform deals.

And while many assumed Cornaggia and her team would first solely give attention to polishing up the brands already in Kering’s portfolio, major news broke in June that the group had acquired high-end area of interest fragrance house Creed in a deal reportedly valued at 3.5 billion euros. It is predicted that Creed’s existing network will let Kering construct the distribution capabilities for its fledgling beauty division.

Kering-owned fashion brands Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent even have beauty brands, outsourced to Coty Inc. and L’Oréal, respectively. Interparfums runs Boucheron’s perfume business, while Lalique Group develops Brioni fragrances.

All eyes are on how those will probably be lured back and what else Kering might snap up. Cornaggia’s stance on an important way for ladies to make use of their power? “Our power comes from our true self, and I feel our responsibility is being, in every way, who we actually are,” she said. “I also firmly imagine that we are able to effectively drive change through the use of our own influence to empower those around us. As we grow to be allies, we actually grow stronger — personally and collectively. A vision that’s shared can finally grow to be tangible, and an inspiration to so many.” — Jennifer Weil

Nell Diamond, founder and CEO, Hill House Home

Nell Diamond, the 35-year-old founder and chief executive officer of Hill House Home, runs an organization that’s been showing aggressive growth because it was launched in 2016.

Well-known for its Nap Dress, which became a sensation through the pandemic, the brand has expanded meaningfully into latest categories, including footwear and outerwear, and began opening stores. Hill House Home operates three retail stores in Rockefeller Center, Recent York, Nantucket and Palm Beach, and a Charleston store will open later this yr.

Hill House Home has many styles which have sold out quickly, and several other from its summer drop with 23 latest silhouettes were gone inside minutes, ultimately generating the gathering $5.3 million in sales inside per week of launch.

The corporate has been on a tear launching additional product categories. It launched a bridal capsule, expanded event dressing options, and added technical puffer jackets, swimwear and shoes. Hill House Home, which began as a direct-to-consumer business, launched an exclusive collaboration with Net-a-porter this summer, and has increased its wholesale presence with retailers such Saks Fifth Avenue, Net-a-porter and Shopbop. Hill House Home also launched within the U.K. in May.

Diamond is a mother of three, with a son and set of boy-girl twins who were born through the pandemic. She has an undergraduate degree from Princeton and an MBA from the Yale School of Management and was previously a set income analyst at Deutsche Bank.

Diamond told WWD an important way for ladies to make use of their power is “authentically and with none apologies. For me it happened over time — at first I used to be embarrassed after I stepped right into a more true version of myself.…I used to be at all times nervous I used to be too girly, too cringe, too weird. Now I even have found freedom in determining what makes me feel just like the truest version of myself, and I aim to embrace that each day. Probably the most powerful thing a lady can do is to be unapologetically herself.” — Lisa Lockwood

Mary Dillon, president and CEO, Foot Locker Inc.

When Mary Dillon was tapped as Foot Locker’s latest chief executive officer last fall, insiders immediately cheered the alternative. In spite of everything, Dillon transformed Ulta Beauty from a regional player right into a national powerhouse, leading a period of incredible growth at the sweetness retailer during her eight years on the helm.

The chief hasn’t wasted any time at Foot Locker, quickly revitalizing the chain’s all-important relationship with Nike, and bolstering partnerships with key growth brands like Hoka and On Holding. Amid a period of stagnation across the athletic industry and a highly promotional environment — Foot Locker and lots of other retailers had a rough begin to the yr — Dillon is targeted on closing unprofitable stores and cementing the retailer’s place at the middle of sneaker culture. She’s also overhauling the corporate’s executive ranks — and bringing other powerful female leaders on board, including Nike vet Blanca Gonzalez, who was recently hired to steer the WSS chain. 

“Women in leadership can use their position to uplift other women and the voices of other underrepresented groups to create inclusive and supportive environments — especially within the workplace,” Dillon said. “At various points throughout my profession journey, I’ve recognized the worth of representation and diverse perspectives, and have ensured that that is reflected across all levels of my leadership teams and boards. By empowering these voices, we are able to uncover incredible viewpoints and creativity we’d otherwise not have, positively impacting the success and culture of entire firms.” — Katie Abel

Angela Dong, vice chairman of Nike Inc. and general manager of Nike Greater China

Resilient, determined, creative: Angela Dong has been a formidable force at Nike, adeptly navigating intense change and challenge across the critical China market during a protracted pandemic lockdown. Through all of it, the leader — who has headed up the greater China business since 2015 — stayed focused by doubling down on hyper-local initiatives to bolster Nike’s relationships with consumers and retailers. Last yr, for instance, the brand opened its Nike Style retail concept in Shanghai, expanded its partnership with Tmall and debuted the China Technology Center in Shenzen. With sourcing and provide chain issues topping the agenda for each company, Nike also built a latest logistics center under Dong’s direction. With COVID-19 recovery now in full swing, the greater China market posted a 25 percent revenue increase within the fourth quarter, and market watchers are bullish on the prospects for the months ahead.

Outside of her business prowess, Dong is thought has a caring leader who puts her team first. “As women, an important way for us to make use of our power is to uplift and support each other,” Dong said. “We must always foster a culture of collaboration and empowerment, where we amplify one another’s voices and have fun one another’s successes. At Nike, we’re deeply committed to cultivating a working environment focused on diversity, equity and inclusiveness. Irrespective of where we come from, the love of sport unites us, and it is that this shared passion that brings us together.” — Katie Abel

Gina C. Drosos, CEO, Signet Jewelers

Gina C. Drosos is chief executive officer of Signet Jewelers, considered the world’s largest retailer of diamond jewelry. Signet banners include Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared, Banter by Piercing Pagoda, Diamonds Direct, Blue Nile, James Allen, Rocksbox, Peoples Jewellers, H. Samuel and Ernest Jones. 

Called transformative and credited with constructing a various senior team, Drosos was appointed Signet CEO in July 2017 and has served on Signet’s board since 2012. Under her leadership, the corporate’s market capitalization grew from lower than $1 billion initially of the pandemic to about $3 billion today.

“It’s incumbent on women leaders to ‘lift as we climb.’ We must prioritize diversity in leadership roles, mentor top talent, and be sure that diverse candidates have growth opportunities throughout the corporate, particularly in crucial roles,” Drosos said, when asked what’s an important way she will use her power. “In my experience, diversity is a strong business strategy and driver of results. Diverse teams see 360 degrees, discover latest opportunities faster, move with heightened agility, and are less more likely to grow to be complacent. Fresh perspectives are key to innovation. At Signet, our DE&I [diversity, equity and inclusion] strategy aligns with our business strategy and company sustainability goals. I’m personally involved in making a deep bench of diverse talent by driving a positive and inclusive culture and empowering our team members with the tools they must be successful.”

Drosos has greater than 30 years of executive leadership experience in the buyer goods, health and beauty care industries, in addition to retail. Her résumé boasts time leading Assurex Health, in addition to 25 years at Procter & Gamble, where she built multibillion-dollar brands and reinvented global categories. As P&G group president, global beauty, she led a $12 billion plus operation with a portfolio of greater than 20 brands.

Drosos serves on boards at Foot Locker, the Akron Children’s Hospital board and has long supported purpose-driven organizations, including her role on Back2Back Ministries, and Cosmetic Executive Women. — David Moin

Alix Earle, content creator

She’s the “It” girl heard around the globe. During the last yr, 22-year-old Alix Earle has captivated TikTok audiences along with her vigorous personality and wonder prowess, even causing products — like Mielle Organics’ Rosemary Mint Hair Oil — to sell out inside mere hours of featuring them in her videos. The recent University of Miami graduate counts greater than 5.6 million followers on TikTok and has inked deals with firms including Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty, GrubHub and Tarte Cosmetics, to call just a few. 

Amongst her rarest feats, though, is meeting Gen Z’s appetite for content that’s authentic and aspirational: Earle’s signature “Get Ready With Me” videos sometimes happen in her familiar, messy-in-a-loved-way bedroom, and other times within the Hamptons en path to Michael Rubin’s star-studded White Party. 

The social media darling has long been open about her struggle with cystic pimples, using her platform to debate the challenges she’s endured in her own self-confidence journey and subsequently making her followers feel just a little less lonesome in coping with their very own. 

“I feel an important way for ladies to make use of their power is by empowering other women,” said Earle, who recently established a scholarship at her alma mater. “It’s necessary to recollect anyone else’s success doesn’t take away from your individual, and we should always all surround ourselves with individuals who lift us up. By doing that, competition turns into collaboration where there’s no limit to what we are able to all accomplish.” — Noor Lobad

Silvia Venturini Fendi, artistic director of accessories and menswear at Fendi 

A member of the third generation of the Fendi family, from 1992 until 2019, Silvia Venturini Fendi flanked the late Karl Lagerfeld in artistic direction and has been, since 1994, answerable for the accessories and menswear collections. She revived the tradition of Roman master saddlers along with her 1994 Selleria line, characterised by handmade stitching. In 1997 she conceived the cult Baguette bag, and in 2009 launched the Peekaboo bag. 

Since 2010, she has been the president of AltaRoma, and has been instrumental in promoting fashion in the town of Rome. She has also promoted initiatives to support artisans and craftsmanship.

In 2020 she staged the primary “Hand in Hand” exhibition, calling upon an array of artisans to interpret the Baguette bag by applying their local crafts. “Above all, sustainability is about human commitment, transparency and civil respect,” she has said. Venturini Fendi can be particularly tuned in to the humanities, and through the years has teamed with architects and designers from Sara Coleman to Cristina Celestino or Chris Wolston and Oscar Wang, on collections for the brand’s home line, partnering with Design Miami.

Fendi has also helped restore several landmarks in Rome, from the Trevi Fountain to the Palazzo della Civiltà, where the brand is headquartered.

In June, the designer paid tribute to the corporate’s artisans and Fendi’s handiwork by staging its men’s spring 2024 collection at its factory in Capannuccia, Bagno a Ripoli, a 30-minute drive from Florence, as this season’s Pitti Uomo special guest, decamping from Milan, where it normally shows. For the occasion, she invited celebrated architect Kengo Kuma to chip in and choose an artisan to remodel the Peekaboo design.

“I feel softer types of power should prevail over patriarchal methods,” Fendi said, asked how she thought women should use their power. “Women should advocate for themselves, support each other, and lead by example through empathy, inclusivity and equality — values which might be crucial today.” — Luisa Zargani

Mandy Fields, CFO, E.l.f. Beauty

Mandy Fields joined E.l.f. Beauty in 2019 as senior vice chairman and chief financial officer, and since then the sweetness company has been flying high, with quarter after quarter of growth.

Fields got here to E.l.f. with greater than 16 years of finance experience, most recently because the CFO of BevMo, the West Coast alcoholic beverages retailer. Prior to that, she held positions at grocery company Albertsons Firms, and The Gap, where she began her retail finance profession after working in equity capital markets at J.P. Morgan.

“Inspiring the following generation and others to own their careers, their destinies and their dreams is one of the meaningful ways women in leadership can use their power,” said Fields. “I find probably the most heartful moments are after I encourage others to embrace their true (s)e.l.f., talents and passions, and I feel mixing them together can result in extraordinary success.”

Fields discovered her true passions early, budgeting and making financial decisions along with her mom as just a little girl. “Discovering that there’s an actual profession wherein you may do this on a big scale and influence the direction of an organization was magic for me. Becoming a CFO was my destiny. That was my dream for myself, and I encountered people along the best way that told me that was not going to be for me — not on my timeline, not in my way,” she continued. “I became CFO at 35 years old, when many told me it will take me well into my 60s to realize it. I’m now CFO of a $6 billion company, and seeing the success which I worked so hard to realize. I made my aspirations a reality, and I hope that with my leadership influence, I can blaze the trail for others and encourage future leaders to search out their unique superpowers.” — Kathryn Hopkins

Michelle Gass, president, Levi Strauss & Co.

There’s a small club of ladies who’ve led one in every of the massive, publicly traded fashion firms.

And Michelle Gass is about to have her membership card stamped twice.

Gass spent nearly a decade at Kohl’s Corp. and rose to grow to be chief executive officer, steering the corporate through the pandemic and inking a vital cope with Sephora. 

Now, she is ready to reprise that role at Levi Strauss & Co., where she is president and set to take over from CEO Chip Bergh by next summer.

It’s one other high-profile perch that may allow her be an advocate and C-suite role model. 

“When interested by power, probably the most impactful thing a frontrunner can do is give it away,” Gass told WWD. “Empower those around you. Seek to know. Create space for opportunities. Whenever you elevate others, you truly grow to be more influential. By fostering an environment where people feel seen, heard and valued, you’re not only constructing a team, you’re constructing leaders. And leaders will help your organization reach heights you would never attain alone.”

This yr, Gass has been on an around-the-world trip — from Levi’s headquarters in San Francisco to London, Paris, Barcelona and beyond as she each learns the business and steers the corporate’s flagship brand and its digital and industrial operations.  

She likes what Bergh built during the last 12 years at Levi’s and is seeking to “speed up” the business, she said in her first interview at Levi’s. 

While Gass sees potential throughout on the denim company, one area she has zeroed in on early in her tenure is e-commerce. “There may be a number of upside in that business,” she said. “And whether that’s the loyalty program, the app — I mean, in my prior two lives, I’ve seen the facility of each of those things.” — Evan Clark

Raissa Gerona, chief brand officer, Revolve

Raissa Gerona is arguably the face of Revolve.

A fixture in Los Angeles, the chief brand officer has been spearheading Revolve Group’s marketing strategy. She was a key player in the corporate’s 2019 initial public offering, scoring a $1.23 billion valuation, alongside founders and co-chief executive officers Michael Mente and Mike Karanikolas.

Gerona is an early adapter of influencer marketing, utilizing the facility of content creation. She’s behind two major events hosted by the L.A.-based e-commerce company, which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary: Revolve Across the World, the international trips taken with influencer partners (which headed to Mexico City this yr), and Revolve Festival at Coachella, the huge music production with big-name headliners.

Together with managing the events, she heads Revolve’s brand collaborations, working with the likes of Aimee Song, Remi Bader, Camila Coelho, Elsa Hosk, Chrissy Teigen and Nicole Richie, while overseeing marketing for greater than 20 Revolve-owned brands.

She’s created an endeavor of her own with Alliance Apparel, a fashion design and production company she cofounded that was acquired by Revolve in 2014. Lovers + Friends, which she launched in 2010, is among the many brands in its portfolio.

Born within the Philippines, Gerona emigrated to California along with her family on the age of seven. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from UC Irvine, and joined Revolve in 2010 before becoming chief business officer in 2014.

Gerona continues to maintain each Revolve and Forward, its sister site dedicated to luxury fashion, on the minds of Millennial and Gen Z shoppers as she goes on to construct brand awareness, drive traffic and sales through events, savvy campaigns and collaborations in person and on social media.

And he or she’s passing it forward; Gerona most recently joined the board of Girls Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering girls and young women navigating through economic, gender and social barriers. “An important way for ladies to make use of their power is to assist other women, empowering and uplifting each other. All the time do not forget that we’re on the identical team and that we’re stronger and higher together,” she said. — Ryma Chikhoune

Selena Gomez, recording artist, producer, philanthropist and founder, Rare Beauty

Selena Gomez is a force.

She’s a Hollywood star — from her early days as a toddler actor to acting-producing within the Hulu hit “Only Murders within the Constructing” — a pop star topping charts, and an entrepreneur because the founding father of Rare Beauty, a brand that has been promoting individuality, inclusivity and supporting mental health initiatives.

Rare Beauty has seen strong sales, with its blush taking off on TikTok.

Born in Texas, 31-year-old Gomez’s profession began at just 10 years old on the tv show “Barney & Friends.” She rose to fame as a young person playing protagonist Alex Russo on Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.” Amongst her early film credits is Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers,” which she shot at 19. A yr later she launched her solo music profession, and has since grow to be a multiplatinum recording artist with countless hits, from “Come & Get It” to “Lose You to Love Me.”

Through her production company July Moon Productions, Gomez has executive produced Netflix’s series “13 Reasons Why,” documentary “Living Undocumented” and — through the pandemic in 2020 — the delightful cooking show “Selena + Chef” on HBO Max.

She showed the general public a more personal side of herself on the Apple TV+ documentary “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me,” sharing her journey with fame, lupus and mental health. The film, up for an Emmy this yr for Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program, is an example of how Gomez has used her limelight for positive impact, unafraid to be vulnerable to assist open dialogue.

A philanthropist, she has been a UNICEF ambassador since 2009. She has helped raise awareness on causes and funds for those in need, often working with children and ladies. Amongst her endeavors is “Wondermind,” a mental health media platform. And with the Rare Impact Fund, created in 2020, the identical yr her beauty brand launched, she’s been helping young people gain access to mental health resources, with 1 percent of annual sales of Rare Beauty products going toward the fund. She goals to lift $100 million by 2030.

“An important thing we are able to do is sort of easy. We’d like to empower other women, show up for one another and support,” Gomez said. — Ryma Chikhoune

Felecia Hatcher, CEO, Black Ambition

Over the past eight years, Felecia Hatcher has helped entrepreneurs gain access to greater than $100 million in funding. That features her work at Black Ambition, Pharrell Williams’ nonprofit organization, of which she has been chief executive officer since 2021. The organization works to empower Black and Latin entrepreneurs, and since its inception in 2020, has hosted a contest to offer mentorship, resources, connections and as much as $3 million in funding to founders innovating in consumer services, media and entertainment, health care, technology and Web 3.0 industries. 

Previously, Hatcher cofounded the Black Tech Week conference and the Center for Black Innovation. She has also had stints as a marketing executive for the Minnesota Lynx/Timberwolves, and as an experiential marketing/brand manager for Sony, Nintendo and McKee Foods. She serves on the Amazon Black Business Accelerator Advisory Board, SXSW Diversity Advisory Board, Beacon Council Board, Center for Black Innovation and Airie Foundation. 

“An important way for ladies to make use of their power is to first define who they’re uninterrupted after which use their uninterrupted pathway to construct more income so that they can invest, influence so that they have leverage and most significantly impact so that they can use their power to vary the world,” she said. — Kathryn Hopkins

Scarlett Johansson, founder and chair, The Outset, and Kate Foster Lengyel, cofounder and CEO, The Outset

After a hugely successful acting profession, including two Oscar nominations and years as an envoy for beauty brands, Scarlett Johansson is adding beauty founder to her résumé with the launch of her skincare brand the Outset.

The clean skincare line initially launched with five products meant to reflect Johansson’s own minimal skincare routine and drew inspiration from French pharmacy staples. In April 2022, the Outset entered all Sephora doors within the U.S.

Johansson, who runs the corporate with chief executive officer Kate Foster Lengyel, believes an important way for ladies to make use of their power is to set latest standards for income equality, she said. 

“Easier said than done, right? But through the use of your power to have equal credit and pay for services rendered, etc., you might be raising the bar for others to demand and receive the identical. There may be much power in numbers, on every level,” she added.

Foster Lengyel is a beauty industry veteran who has worked in the sweetness divisions of Victoria’s Secret and Juicy Couture. She later founded SwearBy, a digital platform for word-of-mouth recommendations designed to crowdsource and share products that ladies “swear by” based on their personal experiences that was acquired by Meredith Corp in 2020.

“Women can empower more women by sharing their knowledge,” Foster Lengyel said. “By teaching, mentoring and collaborating, we are able to light the trail for others and cultivate a cycle of support that accelerates growth and opportunity.” — Kathryn Hopkins

Jennie Kim, singer, Blackpink

Jennie Kim — higher known by her first name as one in every of the members of K-pop supergroup Blackpink — has long been a fashion powerhouse as one in every of Karl Lagerfeld’s last handpicked Chanel muses, and more recently because the face of Calvin Klein.

This yr, she cemented her creative street cred by designing her first CK collaboration, which made its debut in May. The capsule of denim, essentials and knitwear with a ’90s bent crashed the brand’s site and sold out in minutes. Her single post in regards to the collection topped $2.1 million in media impact value, in accordance with data from Launchmetrics, while her campaign for the brand generated $6.8 million in MIV. 

Kim debuted two Chanel campaigns this yr, with Coco Crush wonderful jewelry kicking off in January and the Chanel 22 bag in March, and her Paris Fashion Week appearance generated $4.5 million in MIV alone — 17 percent of the full for Chanel’s February show.

She made her Met Gala debut in May wearing a recreation of a vintage Lagerfeld look, and followed that up with the Cannes red carpet for the premiere of HBO’s “The Idol,” which also marked her first acting role. That appearance dominated the film festival, as she topped Launchmetrics MIV list, along with her appearance generating $1.9 million in MIV.

That’s all to say she’s brand powerhouse that transcends genres. “I prefer to be versatile. Inspirations change on a regular basis. I’m a fan of the ’80s, ’90s, ’70s, the whole lot,” she told WWD backstage on the Chanel Paris Fashion Week show. “What I do back home isn’t pinpointed at one thing. We’re all about making a visual that goes with the song and what I wear has to harmonize, so the whole lot comes into play for me.” 

Kim notes that confidence is vital. “Women might be powerful by knowing that their voice matters and knowing their very own price. Especially in an industry like mine, being confident in what I feel in could be very necessary. After we’re free to be creative and go for what we wish, that’s how we might be powerful!” — Rhonda Richford

Jane Lauder, executive vice chairman of enterprise marketing and chief data officer, the Estée Lauder Cos.

After 23 years of working her way up through the ranks of the corporate, Jane Lauder moved into the Estée Lauder Cos.’ C-suite in 2020, when she was appointed executive vice chairman of enterprise marketing and chief data officer. On this role, Lauder leads myriad groups, including global corporate marketing, business insight and analytics, and marketing and consumer-supported technology.

Those are all areas the corporate is leaning on because it looks to position itself for the longer term.

Lauder’s remit includes deepening investments in talent management, recruitment and capabilities throughout the marketing and engagement teams. She has spent greater than 25 years on the business, including as global brand president of Clinique, where she led the transformation of brand name strategy, distribution, product innovation and consumer reach, positioning the brand for strong long-term growth. 

Along with her work on the Estée Lauder Cos., she is a member of the board of Eventbrite, a California-based global ticketing and event technology platform.

She said: “I’m fortunate enough to assist lead an organization that was founded by my grandmother, a really powerful woman, who was known for saying, ‘tel-a-phone, tel-a-graph, tel-a-woman.’ Estée knew the facility of ladies’s voices. Today, I’m determined to make use of my position to raise the various voices of our women employees, partners and consumers to proceed striving toward gender equality.” — Kathryn Hopkins

Barbara Lavernos, L’Oréal deputy CEO answerable for research, innovation and technology

Since entering into the brand new role of L’Oréal deputy chief executive officer answerable for research, innovation and technology in May 2021, Barbara Lavernos has been helping the world’s largest beauty company trail-blaze the longer term of beauty. Under her purview, L’Oréal has ramped up partnerships with technology developers and open innovation. The corporate has expanded its reach within the green sciences arena, including a dive into biotech. In June, as an illustration, via its BOLD enterprise capital fund, the group took a minority stake in U.S.-based biotech start-up Debut, specializing in cell-free ingredient manufacturing.

L’Oréal’s give attention to technology is allowing it to enable “beauty for all and wonder for every” — a latest tag line focused on ultra-personalization and nodding toward a more diverse, inclusive beauty sector. E-commerce generated 28 percent of company sales in 2022.

L’Oréal recently shifted its broader focus toward tech under Lavernos, now employing 5,900 people in digital-related positions, and has been buying in through acquisitions and investments, comparable to in January, when it took a stake in metaverse developer Digital Village.

Lavernos, who also sits on the board of Sanofi, has said to remain ahead, L’Oréal needs in-depth expertise in various fields to fight through what she calls “toys and noise” and deliver real advantages. She helps the group in its aim to show initiatives into tangible market solutions related to consumer needs, tensions and expectations. There may be, as an illustration, the Hapta device to assist individuals with disabilities apply makeup, from L’Oréal’s Lancôme brand.

Lavernos’ philosophy for a way women best use their power is “by not confusing authority with power,” she explained. “The facility to affect lies in the power to have a deep belief in yourself, while staying true to your individual values. That’s what gives you the actual power to have interaction and propel people in a collective ambition.” — Jennifer Weil

Pascale Lepoivre, CEO, Loewe 

Loewe’s inexorable rise during the last decade has been mainly attributed to the skill of its creative director Jonathan Anderson. But for much of his tenure, the brand has been run by a lady.

Pascale Lepoivre, chief executive officer of Loewe since 2016, doesn’t court the limelight. Her name rarely comes up in parent company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton’s results conference calls. As a substitute, her track record speaks for itself.

“For me, it’s most significant that ladies know our price and the tremendous value we bring to the table. In all arenas of life and business, women play crucial roles as organization builders and leaders — I feel it’s essential to pay attention to this power and the momentous opportunities that it may create,” Lepoivre said.

Recently, Loewe took the highest spot on Lyst Index’s hottest brands list for the primary time, having climbed 13 places within the last yr. The worldwide fashion shopping platform reported a 19 percent jump in searches within the second quarter for the maker of Puzzle bags and Anagram tank tops.

“In the eye economy, with brands fighting for relevance and front-of-mind, Loewe’s commitment to craftsmanship has succeeded in capturing the imagination of various cohorts of consumers, driving brand heat that’s backed up by surging demand and sales for hero products online,” it said.  

As well as, Loewe was the one Spanish brand to be featured on consultancy Brand Finance’s annual “Luxury and Premium 50” list of Most worthy brands, moving as much as the thirty first position in 2023 from number 34 the prior yr. 

Lepoivre, who joined LVMH in 1995, has helped the brand strike a balance between a rarefied cultural aura, exemplified by its annual Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, and popular appeal, with brand ambassadors including K-pop star Taeyong.

A graduate of business school HEC Paris and INSEAD, the chief cut her chops at Louis Vuitton and later at Celine, where she held the position of executive vice chairman and helped orchestrate the brand’s spectacular turnaround under then-creative director Phoebe Philo. 

Lepoivre’s quiet magic guarantees to ascertain Loewe firmly within the ranks of LVMH big hitters. While the posh group doesn’t break out brand revenues, the 2-billion-euro mark can’t be far off. — Joelle Diderich

Stephanie Linnartz, president and CEO, Under Armour

Stephanie Linnartz has created quite the stir since joining Under Armour as president and chief executive officer in February. A 25-year veteran of Marriott International, Linnartz has made daring moves, shaking up the C-suite and putting Wall Street on notice that over the following three years, she will probably be laser-focused on what she sees as priorities for her latest company. When she began, she joined a small list of ladies CEOs at publicly traded firms.

She calls her strategy for Under Armour Protect This House 3, and it’s centered around raising awareness of the Under Armour brand, delivering elevated designs and products to spice up U.S. sales and maintaining the corporate’s positive momentum overseas.

To realize those goals, she has surrounded herself with a latest team, including Jim Dausch, one other veteran of Marriott, who was named executive vice chairman and chief consumer officer, and is trying to find a latest chief product officer after Lisa Collier exited the corporate in August.

Linnartz, a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross with an MBA from William & Mary, said she believes achieving balance within the workplace is one of the best strategy to develop future leaders.

“My approach is centered on developing leaders who will foster a consistent and sustainable culture over time,” she said. “A powerful culture based on transparent communication, relationship constructing and problem-solving is crucial in creating an inclusive environment where diversity of gender, ethnicity, religion, age, and due to this fact, opinion thrives. There are leaders at every level, and great ideas can come from anyone. Who involves the table, how teams come together when it comes to strategic and tactical execution, and the leadership ‘hands’ that guide forward progress will need to have mutual respect and be aligned with an organization’s purpose.”

Equally necessary to skilled success, she believes, is to develop “emotional intelligence.” “Leaders able to interpreting emotions and synthesizing a teammate’s whole experience, including their industry expertise, individual background and private life, encourage a robust community that drives consistent productivity.” — Jean E. Palmieri

Alison Loehnis, interim CEO, Yoox Net-a-porter

Alison Loehnis has been on the sharp end of digital fashion almost since its inception.

After cutting her creative and industrial teeth at firms as diverse as Thomas Pink and The Walt Disney Co., Loehnis joined Net-a-porter in 2007 as vice chairman of sales and marketing, rising to the role of president in 2011.

She worked behind the scenes, spearheading a number of the site’s biggest projects. She headed the event of Mr Porter in 2011, and played a key role within the launch of The Outnet, the group’s discount site.

She rose to the position of president of Net-a-porter, Mr Porter and The Outnet, working with Yoox founder Federico Marchetti when he was chief executive officer of Yoox Net-a-porter Group, which is owned by Compagnie Financière Richemont. During that point she introduced latest categories and expanded the group’s markets.

In October, Yoox Net-a-porter Group named her interim CEO, succeeding Geoffroy Lefebvre, who left the corporate to pursue an entrepreneurial profession in a personal company.

As a part of her latest role, Loehnis will helm YNAP until the completion of its sale to Farfetch and Mohamed Alabbar, which is predicted to finish by the top of 2023. A latest external CEO will then be appointed.

Jérôme Lambert, CEO of Richemont, described her as “a passionate leader who will proceed to steer the corporate and her talented team” in the brand new phase of the business.

Loehnis believes an important way for ladies to make use of their power “is to steer by example — ambition and kindness are usually not mutually exclusive. Be generous together with your time in cultivating and supporting the following generation of leaders and change-makers,” she said. — Samantha Conti

Denise Magid, Bloomingdale’s chief merchant

Denise Magid is a merchant’s merchant. She began her retail profession in the Lord & Taylor executive training program, joined Saks Fifth Avenue in 2003 as the client of day and evening dresses and progressed in successive merchandising roles, ultimately becoming senior vice chairman and general merchandise manager of women’s ready-to-wear, outerwear, dresses, private label and youngsters. In that role, Magid led the team through an integration following the acquisition by Hudson’s Bay Co. She introduced the primary concession model in contemporary sportswear and focused the business on core and emerging brands.

In 2015, she became chief merchant for Intermix and in mid-2016 left to start out her consulting company, DVMagid Consulting, where she gained critical wholesale experience and have become deeply involved in product development and go-to-market strategies.   

In January 2019, Magid joined Bloomingdale’s as GMM of rtw, bloomingdales.com and concessions, subsequently adding responsibilities for outlets and center core.

In 2023, Magid was promoted to chief merchant, the primary person to be provided that title in the corporate’s history. “I imagine as a frontrunner, especially as a female, it will be significant to develop, empower and nurture talent. Encouraging the following generation to be curious and think in latest ways is an integral a part of the role,” Magid said. “One among the important highlights of my profession has been feeling like I even have made a positive impact on the longer term success of others. I’m most proud to see the expansion of those that have worked for me and love watching them ascend to latest heights.”

At Bloomingdale’s, Magid has focused on expanding the posh and advanced businesses and refining the curation and assortment architecture strategies. She is a graduate of Recent York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business and holds a Bachelor of Science in finance and marketing. Magid lives with her husband Micha, and youngsters, Gemma and Luca, in Recent York City. — David Moin

Carly Mark, designer, Puppets and Puppets

Puppets and Puppets began in 2018 as a sculptural project and has morphed into one in every of Recent York’s most fun next-gen fashion brands. Advantageous-artist-turned-designer Carly Mark has explored heavy themes in her collections, including Nicole Kidman within the 1999 film “Eyes Wide Shut,” Dante’s “Inferno” and Gaspare Traversi’s 18th-century painting “The Operation” depicting Old World medical gore. But she balances them with quirky and sexy industrial pieces, comparable to her signature surrealist accessories with resin cookies and fried eggs affixed, and her fall collection full or corsetry and resin red roses. This yr, she was a CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund award finalist and a Fashion Trust U.S. winner, she launched pre-collections and she or he grew her retail stockist to 35 accounts, including Bergdorf Goodman and Selfridges.

It’s a busy time, but for Mark, boundaries are key.

“An important way for ladies to make use of their power is by prioritizing ourselves and our boundaries. I’m a firm believer in putting yourself first while maintaining a way of empathy and respect toward other people, an actual superpower.” — Booth Moore

Leena Nair, Global CEO, Chanel

“Staying focused on the transformative power of creation and innovation” is how Leena Nair is leading Chanel and ensuring it stays “a beacon of inspiration for the following 100 years,” she said.

Global chief executive officer of the French fashion company since January 2022, Nair recently told WWD the brand’s philosophy is “to remain focused on constructing our brand equity in each of the markets we operate in.”

By all accounts, the approach appears to be working: Chanel reported revenues jumped 17 percent last yr to $17.2 billion, while operating profits rose 5.8 percent to just about $5.8 billion.

A charismatic executive with a warm personal demeanor, Nair joined Chanel after working for 30 years on the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever, rising to the position of chief human resources officer.

That’s a helpful background for a fast-growing company like Chanel, which grew its headcount by 12 percent in 2022, adding about 3,600 people. This yr, it plans to recruit greater than 5,000 employees because it seeks to pursue the “ultimate luxury experience” for its worldwide clientele. 

Chanel plans to expand its global headquarters in London and move its teams to a latest constructing at 38 Berkeley Square by the top of 2025.

“With power comes influence and responsibility,” Nair told WWD. “What’s so necessary is to make it easier for many who come after you. I’ve at all times said ‘to lift as you climb’ in order that others can follow in your footsteps.”

Nair was the primary female, first Asian and youngest chief human resources officer ever of Unilever. She joined the corporate in 1992 as a management trainee of Hindustan Lever in India. By 2006 she had grow to be general manager HR of Hindustan Lever.

Along with her role at Chanel, Nair is a board member of the Leverhulme Trust, which offers scholarships for research and education. — Miles Socha

Carolina Arguelles Navas, head of AR enterprise product strategy and product marketing, Snap Inc.

Because the helm of the teams at Snap leading the strategy and launch of its augmented reality enterprise products, development software and tech innovations in AI and ML, Carolina Arguelles Navas is, in some ways, the general public face of Snapchat’s AR initiative — a top priority for the corporate, because it pursues realistic digital apparel try-ons. The potential impact of virtual try-ons on the style industry looks massive as a catalyst for igniting online sales, cutting return rates and fueling latest levels of online customer experience and satisfaction. That is the promise that has innovators and tech giants alike, most recently Google, crowding the style AR field. But they’re jumping right into a fray that has been home to Snap for years, because it has been steadily honing its AR technology. What began as entertaining, but somewhat cartoonish sombrero Lenses in Snapchat, has evolved into looks from a number of the world’s most notable fashion designers and cosmetic firms, turning living rooms into personal runways and the selfie camera into a strong tool for branding, commerce and community.

Navas, as a part of the early team that helped the corporate scale its AR products, has played a pivotal role on this journey and continues to achieve this as its tools mature. Lately, the corporate has introduced cloth simulation, body mesh and SnapML, and this yr, alongside updates to Camera Kit, it also birthed the ARES division, short for augmented reality for enterprise services, and Shopping Suite, its first offering. Development isn’t just going forward, but expanding outward, busting AR beyond Snapchat’s partitions and into partners’ own sites.

Brands everywhere in the world that seek to know these advancements, what they mean, how they work and the way to implement one of the best practices will come to know and depend on Navas to interrupt all of it down. With a passion for helping people, businesses and developers succeed with technology — specifically Snap’s, in fact — she has taken what might have been mere app updates or product rollouts and turned them right into a latest, cutting-edge identity for the platform. In doing that, she may thoroughly come to define fashion AR for the long haul.

Navas contends that for ladies, emotions are a superpower.

“We are sometimes told as women that we’re ‘too emotional,’” she said. “But emotions are our Most worthy asset — it’s a superpower. Emotion builds connection; it lets you persuade, and to face with conviction. Most significantly, emotions can encourage and empower those around you. As a Cuban American woman, who wears her passion on her sleeve, I’ll proceed to lean into my emotions to encourage and lift those around me, just as I even have been uplifted by powerful women throughout my life.” — Adriana Lee

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, designers, The Row

There’s a delicious irony to the incontrovertible fact that The Row, the top of fashion’s “quiet luxury” trend, was built by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, who spent their early years within the glare of the Hollywood highlight. Founded in 2006, the American brand is giving European fashion houses a run for his or her money with its perfect, understated coats, tailoring, cashmere and logo-less accessories. Big-name celebrities, including Jennifer Lawrence, who has recently stepped out within the brand, and Brad Pitt are fans. Pitt told WWD, “I pick up a number of things which might be sold out and it seems to be The Row. I even have immense respect for what…[Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen] have done.” — Booth Moore

Jenna Ortega, actor

Nominated for an Emmy for lead actress in a comedy for her portrayal of Wednesday Addams within the Netflix hit “Wednesday,” Jenna Ortega was only the third Latina to be honored within the category following Rita Morena and America Ferrera, underscoring that the community continues to be vastly underrepresented in Hollywood. “[T]his was a personality that was so legendary and so badass — it’s also probably the most well-known role I’ve ever taken, and [it was a chance to give] Latin representation to a personality who has never really been shown in that light,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.

On a more surface level, the 20-year-old’s black-and-white Gothic style has been influential to fans recreating it on TikTok, and to fashion brands like Adidas, which tapped her because the face of its first latest label in 50 years, Adidas Sportswear. Ortega is lined up for “Beetlejuice 2” with Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, scheduled to be out next yr. — Booth Moore

Catherine Rénier, CEO, Jaeger-LeCoultre

When she arrived on the helm of Jaeger-LeCoultre in 2018, Catherine Rénier became the primary female chief executive officer of a historic Swiss watchmaker.

In her eyes, “an important way women can use their power is by remaining authentic to who they’re,” she told WWD, adding that it meant “using your voice to empower others, having a way of purpose, developing a deep sense of self-awareness, and never conforming even when it’s difficult to not.”

“Showing up as your true self and cultivating a profession which merges your passion and purpose to define your home on the earth is powerful. It is just then that younger generations will probably be inspired and can understand the true strength of ladies in leadership,” she said.

Under Rénier’s tenure, Jaeger-LeCoultre has encouraged the intersection with artistic practices through its Manufactured from Makers program; stepped up its effort to develop know-how and education with the inception of the Michelangelo Foundation Homo Faber fellowship program, the public-facing Atelier d’Antoine discovery workshops, and the creation of an apprenticeship workshop in its manufacture in Switzerland. The watchmaker also made inroads with transmission with the extension of its warranty to eight years and the 2023 launch of its vintage The Collectibles watch offer.

The French-born executive Rénier joined Jaeger-LeCoultre from Richemont-owned Van Cleef & Arpels, where she spent 15 years, including five because the house’s president for the Asia-Pacific region, and began her profession in 1999 as retail development director at Cartier. — Lily Templeton

Shonda Rhimes, television producer, screenwriter and founding father of production company Shondaland

One among Hollywood’s most influential creators, Shonda Rhimes has produced a spate of cultural phenomenons — “Greys Anatomy,” “Scandal,” “Bridgerton” and “Inventing Anna” amongst them — and inspired people through her work increasing representation on-screen. Costumes are one other selling point for her shows, which have spawned trends like “Regencycore,” and brand collaborations with The Limited, Primark, Pat McGrath Labs and lots of more. Uzo Aduba is leading her next series, “The Residence,” a whodunnit set within the White House with “Scandal” costume designer Lyn Paolo on board.

Rhimes champions women who support women.

“An important way for ladies to make use of their power is harnessing that power to uplift and empower other women. Opening a door and bringing another person through with you is probably the most effective use of power.” — Booth Moore

Rihanna, singer, businesswoman, founding father of Savage x Fenty and Fenty Beauty 

With nine Grammys and 60 million albums sold, Rihanna is one of the successful recording artists of all time. She’s also a cultural icon whose fresh tackle pregnancy style — including crop tops, low-rise pants and sheer dresses — has modernized maternity fashion. Rihanna unveiled her second pregnancy on the Super Bowl Halftime stage in February, appearing in a red flight suit, breast plate and puffer coat, and whipping out a Fenty Beauty powder compact for a sly touch-up and commercial for her cosmetics brand. Bringing it full circle, in August, the savvy businesswoman launched the Savage x Fenty maternity lingerie capsule collection. — Booth Moore

Monique Rodriguez, founder, Mielle Organics

Speak about starting 2023 with a bang: Mielle Organics, the hair care brand founded by Monique Rodriguez and husband Melvin in 2014, sold to Procter & Gamble Beauty earlier this yr after its products became so popular it couldn’t keep a few of them in stock.

It got here on the heels of a viral surge in sales for its Rosemary Mint Scalp and Hair Strengthening Oil, a treatment that now boasts 278.8 million views for its accompanying hashtag on TikTok. On the time of the deal, Rodriguez said, “It’s really about access and availability to our products for our consumers. Black women, we understand have limited access to products within the textured hair care space and we desired to have the ability to overserve our community with ensuring that they’ll find Mielle products of their local store.”

As a part of that deal, Mielle and P&G each promised $10 million to Mielle Cares, the brand’s nonprofit that gives support and resources for educational and economic opportunities in Black and brown communities.

“As an advocate for ladies’s empowerment, I feel an important way for ladies to make use of their power is by unapologetically embracing their authenticity, supporting one another and difficult societal norms. Together, we are able to create a world where women’s power is widely known and recognized,” Rodriguez said. “Every woman possesses a singular set of strengths, talents and perspectives that could make a profound impact on the world and encourage future generations to do the identical.”

Consistent with that ethos, Mielle tapped college basketball star Angel Reese as its latest ambassador in May. “The boldness, boldness and resilience she embodies on and off the court are a number of the qualities we search for when we decide brand ambassadors — she’s inspirational,” Rodriguez said on the time. — James Manso

Katerina Schneider, founder and CEO, Ritual

With Ritual, which launched in 2016, Katerina Schneider is working to create a vegan, clean and transparent complement brand, a mission which began during her first pregnancy as she struggled to search out suitable multivitamins.

With a give attention to women’s health and complement traceability driving Schneider, Ritual has acquired greater than 1 million customers, shipped greater than 10 million bottles of vitamins, secured key retail partnerships with Goal and Whole Foods throughout the last yr and amassed greater than $100 million in net sales. Throughout the saturated complement market, Ritual has made a reputation for itself with its traceability efforts. Consumers are in a position to trace each ingredient when it comes to its advantages, where it’s sourced and the way it’s supplied. Moreover, Schneider is aiming to vary the complement landscape at large — the category is unregulated — by petitioning Congress with a guide to make sure products are secure and efficacious.

As a frontrunner, Schneider believes it’s key to support women-led businesses to deal with the gender gaps in health care. 

“An important way for ladies to make use of their power is to empower other women to start out businesses. Women’s health has been underserved due to a scarcity of funding and a scarcity of investment in clinical studies with female populations. We’d like more businesses focused on pregnancy, postpartum, menopause and other areas of ladies’s health which might be underserved,” she said. “Supporting women during these key life stages isn’t only critical for improving health outcomes but in addition for the health of future generations.” — Emily Burns

Lucia Silvestri, Bulgari jewelry creative director

Lucia Silvestri is exclusive to the jewellery industry. She isn’t only creative director of Bulgari’s jewelry division, but in addition the corporate’s jewelry purchase director, picking and buying the gems she envisions within the brand’s pieces.

She was just 18 years old when she began her profession in Bulgari’s gemmological department, forsaking her biology studies as she fell in love with the world of precious stones. Nicola and Paolo Bulgari realized how passionate she was and saw her potential, a lot in order that they taught her the trade and at 20 she began to travel around the globe — “from jungles to banks,” she says — meeting with the world’s foremost gemological experts. She was promoted to her current role in 2013, the primary to carry that position at Bulgari. Trained by Paolo Bulgari, she learned that she shouldn’t buy a gem if she couldn’t envision it placed in a bit.

Today, she continues to expand Bulgari’s jewelry collections, but notes that her early days negotiating for the stones were difficult. “I used to be very young, the one girl in a male-dominated world, which stays so, but I’m very proud to be a lady so near our suppliers, coping with different cultures.”

She is thought also for her ability to attach with the purchasers on an emotional level. Silvestri’s passion for the gems is contagious, and she or he admits she talks to them as she fondly places them on her gem table, their sizes and colours, in her luminous office overlooking the Tiber in Rome, “fidgeting with them,” and turning them into exquisite Bulgari jewels.

Silvestri says after a few years, she feels it will be significant to make use of her power within the industry to assist shape the market. “Because of the know-how and experience developed through the years, today I even have the facility to influence and direct the trends of the market. At first, dealers refused to do negotiations with me, and it took me a few years of exertions, determination and an actual passion for stones to earn their esteem and respect. I’m proud today to have paved the best way for a lot of young women to even consider a profession in a male dominated industry.” — Luisa Zargani

Montse Suarez, founder, managing partner at Iris Ventures

Investors are likely to talk rather a lot about purpose, but Montse Suarez has taken things to the following level, investing in life-enhancing businesses that aim to unravel day-to-day challenges, and which have a robust sense of culture and community.

Suarez is using her Iris Ventures fund to speculate in purpose-led consumer brands and tech firms that support “healthier, happier and more convenient lives.”

Her aim with Iris is to speculate in “the following generation” of brands which might be “excelling within the intersection of community, branding, innovation and technology,” and to fill a spot in early-stage growth.

To this point, she’s taken stakes in firms that couldn’t be more different, but have one thing in common: community, culture and life-enhancement.

She is an investor in Allyson Felix’s female-focused footwear brand Saysh; in Artemest, a web-based interior design platform that champions Italian artisans, and in Olistic, a wellness brand that treats hair loss and its causes.

One among her latest investments is within the Spanish food delivery start-up Vicio. Earlier this yr, Iris teamed with footballers Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann on the multimillion euros investment within the fast-growing premium burger chain.

Suarez said founder-entrepreneurs operating on the intersection of community, branding, innovation and technology “shouldn’t need to compromise between a generalist tech fund and a neighborhood consumer fund.”

Investing and empowering entrepreneurs is her passion, and she or he believes other women can do the identical.

“An important way for ladies to make use of their power is to be true to themselves, understand their values and passions, and use their influence and talents to make a positive impact in their very own unique way,” said Suarez.

“By embracing our unique strengths and perspectives, we are able to contribute significantly to a more equitable and inclusive world, in my case, for instance, by difficult traditional gender stereotypes within the enterprise capital industry, an industry traditionally dominated by men. I hope I can’t only function role model and encourage others to pursue leadership positions throughout the industry, but in addition to support female entrepreneurs and help close the gender funding gap,” she added.

Suarez has greater than 20 years of investing experience: She previously launched Walgreens Boots Alliance’s corporate enterprise fund, and cofounded the London-based fund Vaultier7.

She spent the primary a part of her profession at Morgan Stanley advising on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets for retail, consumer, tech and luxury goods firms. — Samantha Conti

Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO, Copenhagen Fashion Week

A former communications director of the Global Fashion Agenda, Cecilie Thorsmark’s eyes have at all times been set on sustainability inside fashion. She took the post of chief executive officer of Copenhagen Fashion Week in 2018 and has since cemented the Danish city as a frontrunner in merging environmental solutions with creativity.

In January 2020, she laid out an ambitious plan to reinvent the style week by setting in place a three-year sustainability motion plan, which now includes 18 mandatory rules that span six focus areas including: fur-free collections, zero-waste set designs and show productions, signing the Danish Fashion Ethical Charter and considering diversity and inclusivity when casting models.

“In these times of world unrest, inequality and climate crisis, the importance of ladies in power can’t be overstated. Female leaders can — if we’re to embrace our role as catalysts for change — use our influence to encourage and empower other women to drive positive change,” said Thorsmark.

“Ultimately, it is thru the collective efforts of all, and never least women in power, that we are able to pave the best way for a more equitable and sustainable future for all,” she added. — Hikmat Mohammed

Charlotte Tilbury, founder, chairman, president and chief creative officer of Charlotte Tilbury Beauty

“I feel life is all in regards to the magic of confidence and that’s the reason I founded Charlotte Tilbury Beauty. Whenever you feel confident, it unlocks your power for excellent potential, creates opportunity and may change your life,” said Charlotte Tilbury. “After we are in a position to unlock confidence, the facility it brings is limitless. If one person is empowered, it creates a ripple effect and positive virtuous circle — meaning they’ll go on to vary their community, and people communities could go on to vary the world. That’s why I at all times say you’ve got to: ‘Dare to dream it. Dare to imagine it. Dare to do it,’ because all of us have the facility to provide everyone, in every single place, the arrogance to appear and feel their best, and make dreams come true.”

Her philosophy has helped construct the namesake brand right into a veritable powerhouse. Makeup has been a key sales driver at Charlotte Tilbury Beauty’s parent company, Puig, and in 2022, Charlotte Tilbury Beauty was the number-one-ranking makeup brand within the U.K. and placed first at Sephora within the U.S.

The brand strengthened its business due to the enduring Pillow Talk color line, while offering technological innovations merging digital and reality. The label’s leading skincare product was Magic Cream, and the brand became a formidable force on TikTok.

Charlotte Tilbury Beauty, which signed Bella Hadid in March, was the number-one beauty brand by media impact value in the primary quarter of 2023, in accordance with Launchmetrics. It was the first-ranking makeup brand and third-placing skincare brand by MIV. To assist have fun Charlotte Tilbury’s tenth anniversary this yr, the brand collaborated with Disney on a limited-edition skincare and cosmetics collection. — Jennifer Weil

Donatella Versace, chief creative officer of Versace

Donatella Versace, chief creative officer of Versace, has succeeded in carrying forward the brand after the murder of her brother Gianni in 1997. She was a muse to Gianni and worked with him for the reason that founding of the brand in 1978, becoming head designer of Versus in 1994 and bravely taking over the baton as artistic director after the family tragedy. She further developed the brand around the globe, constructing on its legacy, yet rendering it modern and attracting a latest generation of consumers, embodying the powerful woman she targets and support along with her designs. In September 2018, Versace was sold to Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. — which modified its name to Capri Holdings — for $2.1 billion.

Interested in trends and popular culture, she has not only discovered and nurtured several young designers, from Jonathan Anderson to Anthony Vaccarello, but has continued to construct the Versace brand in key lifestyle categories, from the house to wonderful jewelry, timepieces and fragrances.

She could be very lively on social media, has forged strong relations with the likes of Elton John, Madonna and Dua Lipa to call just a few, has arrange the Versace Foundation and has generously donated time and funds to charities supporting students, young designers and to fight AIDS. In June, the muse revealed it was supporting the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s Rocket Fund, making a five-year commitment to a latest fundraising campaign in support of LGBTQIA+ communities. Donatella Versace was named co-chair of The Rocket Fund. Capri Holdings launched The Versace Foundation during Pride Month in June 2022. The corporate has pledged $10 million to further the muse’s mission of fostering, promoting and supporting programs, projects and activities designed to generate awareness and support for the LGBTQIA+ community. Also, earlier this yr, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Versace partnered on an academic initiative focused on an LGBTQIA+ program.

For Versace, an important way for ladies to make use of their power is straightforward: “We must use our power to provide others a voice, to steer inclusive and diverse businesses and in fact to run the world!” — Luisa Zargani

Elena Velez, designer

Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born, Recent York-based Elena Velez is disrupting the style system along with her nontraditional approach. She works with Midwestern makers and industrial remnants outside the established creative capitals, and is transparent across the financial struggles of being a young designer. In 2022, she won the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Emerging Designer of the Yr Award, and her deconstructed corset dresses and workwear have been worn by Rosalía, Julia Fox, Solange Knowles and others. She’s been open on social media and in The Recent York Times about her struggle to show buzz into industrial returns, and her future will say rather a lot about where American fashion goes from here.

Honesty is an enormous a part of her ethos. “An important way for ladies to make use of their power is within the perpetuation of honest and self-searching representations of ourselves; each in moments of feat and shortcoming, to implore and encourage the following generation of powerful women,” Velez said. — Booth Moore

Serena Williams, tennis champion, entrepreneur, investor; founder, Serena Ventures and S by Serena

Since announcing last yr that she would “evolve away from tennis,” Serena Williams has turned her attention to a variety of skilled pursuits — a lot of them dedicated to advancing women’s causes. The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who revealed at this yr’s Met Gala that she was pregnant along with her second child, has built a portfolio of greater than 20 early-stage firms through her enterprise capital firm, Serena Ventures. The fund, which she began in 2017, focuses on investing in women and founders of color at a time when female start-ups proceed to face huge financial hurdles.

Williams also goals to raise women’s voices through Nine Two Six Productions, the multimedia production company she launched in April. Fashion has at all times been a passion for the designer, who debuted S by Serena, her clothing label, six years ago. She also has a stake in the jewellery business through Serena Williams Jewelry. — Katie Abel

Nina Yashar, founder, the Nilufar Gallery

Ever the catalyst of cross-cultural conversations, Milan-based art dealer, curator and gallerist Nina Yashar has played a serious role in shaping Italy’s design scene. 

Born in Tehran, the daughter of an Iranian antique carpet dealer has propelled key international creatives within the design world since launching her profession in Milan many years ago. She has sealed the successful destiny of old and latest visionaries by housing their creations under her roof. Over the past 4 many years, works from great designers including Gio Ponti, Alvar Aalto, Martino Gamper and Osanna Visconti have all passed through the doors of her galleries. With greater than 300 objects on display at any time, her “living museum” is credited with chronicling the continuing artistic era. 

She said she defines the artistic age as “Contemporary Baroque, because there’s a complete openness to materials, colours and sturdiness and there’s an ample ratio with respect to the past and the current.”

Looking back in her inspirational profession, she has this recommendation for future generations: “Silence is the truest demonstration of facts; words are sometimes the popular and easiest weapon of attack, and it’s easy to think that it’s vital to fight back using the identical weapon. Oftentimes, I prefer to dedicate time to reveal with facts what I had intended to do.” — Sofia Celeste

Annie Young-Scrivner, CEO, Wella Co.

You wouldn’t guess that Annie Young-Scrivner was latest to the sweetness industry when in October 2020, KKR, fresh from acquiring 60 percent of Wella from Coty Inc., named her chief executive officer of the brand new stand-alone business, whose brands include Wella Professionals, Clairol, OPI, Nioxin and GHD.

Diving right in, she used her strengths in brand, digital and talent development to assist Wella navigate a worldwide pandemic that affected salons globally, and oversaw the acquisition of Briogeo, the favored natural hair care brand founded by Nancy Twine in 2013. Wella got here in at number 22 on Beauty Inc’s Top 100 list, which ranks the most important manufacturers in beauty, with greater than $2 billion in sales.

Prior to Wella, Young-Scrivner spent three years as CEO of Godiva, seven years in a variety of senior positions at Starbucks and started her profession at PepsiCo where she held senior leadership roles in sales, marketing and general management during her 19-year tenure with the business.

Young-Scrivner is seeking to pay her success and experience forward, and advises others to “Mentor, sponsor and develop the following generation of leaders. It gives me great pride to see the people I’ve developed go on to do great things with their careers.”

She added that diversity, equity and inclusion is a critical component of business success to her. “Achieving gender equity, especially within the boardroom, is one in every of my great passion points. Whether it’s on Wella Company’s board or the company boards I’ve had the privilege to serve on, I feel all of us need to make use of our voice as power for impact where we’ve got the chance.” — Kathryn Hopkins