Ken Downing
Ken Downing is chief creative officer of Triple Five Group and the former senior vice president, fashion director of Neiman Marcus, where he interpreted, articulated, and set the fashion direction for the Neiman Marcus brand and served as its international fashion ambassador and spokesperson. He provided oversight for the company’s merchant and creative divisions, and was responsible for dictating the seasonal trends for Neiman Marcus stores and online businesses.
Downing is a constant fixture during the New York, London, Milan, and Paris Fashion Weeks. Annually, he hosted events in the 42 Neiman Marcus stores, alongside designers such as Stella McCartney, Derek Lam, and Zac Posen.
He has collaborated with PopSugar as well as Nest Fragrances and Le Métier de Beauté, and he has worked on partnerships and events with the fashion media elite, including Anna Wintour of Vogue, Glenda Bailey of Harper’s Bazaar, and Hal Rubenstein of InStyle.
Downing is also a frequent contributor to the media, speaking regularly at many of the nation’s art museums about fashion as art. He has recently hosted events at the St. Louis Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, and the Phoenix Art Museum.
A native of Seattle, Downing was educated at FIT, where he studied Fashion Design.
Danielle Bernstein
Danielle Bernstein’s popular site, We Wore What, began as a daily dose of outfit inspiration before growing into an aspirational–while still relatable–home for all things coveted. A true entrepreneur with a growing and engaged audience, Danielle launched her own brand, Second Skin Overalls in 2016. In late 2018, she launched her third swimwear collaboration with Onia Swim, which led to her highly coveted brand shop We Wore What (which now includes swim and jumpsuits, with new verticals coming in 2020). Her latest swim collection with Onia was remarkably successful, selling nearly $2 million in product in 12 hours. Danielle’s entrepreneurial accomplishments reach beyond the fashion realm. Through her successful collaborations with Highline Wellness, she has become an advisor for the CBD brand as well. In October 2019, Danielle launched a tech company called MOE Assist, an organizational workflow tool for social media influencers and solo entrepreneurs. The launch of her diffusion line, Danielle Bernstein, was announced in February 2020, a four season full women’s and plus line created exclusively for Macys. Her highly anticipated book is set to be released in May 2020. Danielle was included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list before the age of 25.
Nicky Hilton
Nicky Hilton is an American businesswoman and fashion designer. The FIT alumna penned her first book 365 Style, a go-to fashion guide full of tips and tricks acquired during her many years in the fashion industry. As a designer, Nicky has released her own handbag, apparel, and jewelry collections. Most recently, she launched a footwear collection in collaboration with French Sole.
Candy Pratts Price
Candy Pratts Price has dedicated her career to helping build many of the world’s most legendary brands and iconic institutions. As Bloomingdale’s director of display and visual merchandising, she created the “vignette window,” and traveled the world to ferret out display pieces for the store’s international promotions. As Vogue’s fashion director/accessories, she worked hand-in-glove with designers to create seminal fashion and accessories stories. As executive fashion director of Style.com, she built one of the first fashion websites into a magazine format.
Along the way, she helped evolve Ralph Lauren’s high-end Purple Label, curated a Manolo Blahnik exhibition, helped grow the Italian luxury brand Tod’s, and conceived and directed the entire fashion content for VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards.
A founding board member of GlassView, and an advisor to VFiles, Pratts Price is a graduate of FIT and the 2008 winner of the CFDA Eugenia Sheppard Award for excellence in journalism. Her animated online fashion video series, CandyCast, launched in 2007 and was nominated for an Emmy award.
Robert Verdi
Robert Verdi is a fearless entrepreneur, celebrity stylist, and television personality.
Famous for his wit and wisdom, Verdi has become one of the most recognizable faces in the world of fashion and design. His credits include his network show The Robert Verdi Show Starring Robert Verdi, She’s Got The Look, host of Surprise by Design, Brides Gone Styled, Full Frontal Fashion, Fashion Police, and E! Entertainment News Red Carpet. He was the style expert for The Wendy Williams Show, The View, The Today Show, Martha Stewart, and CNN, and had cameo roles in The Devil Wears Prada and the Anna Wintour documentary September Issue.
As a leading lifestyle expert, Verdi has worked with stars including Eva Longoria, Hugh Jackman, Terrence Howard, Kathy Griffin, Kristen Wiig, Joy Behar, Ana Ortiz, Sandra Bernhard, Mariska Hargitay, Bobby Flay, Fantasia, Joely Fisher, Bethenny Frankel, and Sami Gayle.
Verdi makes waves in the media, both online and in print. He’s been profiled in a cover story in The New York Times Style Section, and in The Daily, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Post, and has been featured frequently in publications like OK! magazine, Life & Style, US Weekly, and InStyle.
In 2014, Verdi launched Great Bag Co., and his signature series, The Model M., was named an “IT” bag by The New York Times and a “must-have” by Oprah. He is a co-host on Wendy’s Style Squad, a BET fashion-themed series with Wendy Williams.
With his latest venture, launched in 2018, LTD x Lizzie Tisch, Verdi “brings exciting collaborations and unique product to design lovers.” His goal is to “infuse shopping with an excitement and sense of discovery that digital fails to deliver by offering limited edition and exclusive product.”
