Editor

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Writers

Staci Demierre

Kristen Amato
Staci Demierre
Beth Lambert
Anja Riis

CFF Board 2006

President

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Treasurer

Secretary

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Sponsorship

Communications

Lana Fertelmister

Devin McKenna

Beth Lambert

Keri McCarthy

Rob Bramlette

Kari Epstein

Kiran Advani
Kristen Amato
Anja Riis

Karrie Blackburn
Fabia Talhame

Abby Dunn
Sandra Enimil


Staci Demierre

By Staci Demierre

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday season. Now is the time to prepare for new beginnings. We have 7 new board members so we are now 14 strong and looking forward to a year filled with great informative and entertaining events dedicated to the fashion industry as a whole. Please check our website for all updated information on CFF including bios of our new board members, which will be posted soon.

Chicago Fashion Foundation (CFF) wants to help you get closer to your goals by promoting involvement, teamwork and leadership through a strong unity with one common interest- the world of Fashion.

One of the ways this will be achieved is through this newsletter, which will be printed quarterly. Also, we have many activities lined up for this year including student events, luncheons, membership networking and many more. To make each event a success we will need the help of you, our members. Therefore I encourage each of you to sign up for a committee. This can be done on our website, www.chicagofashionfoundation.com.

By Kristen Amato




Last summer I was nominated by the CFF board members to present my jewelry line, K. Amato, to Marshall Field's for their first ever “Chicago Designer Shop.” This Shop within the store would be part of the first Chicago Fashion Week, Fashion Focus Chicago. After meeting with over 12 buyers, I was selected to be part of the shop, along with 19 other clothing, handbag, and accessories designers. Following my selection, I was invited to participate in a photo shoot for the Marshall Field's window display. They dedicated an entire window on State Street to our pictures and work. I was also invited to a breakfast and press conference with Mayor Daley and an opening night party. My designs were featured in the store for 8 weeks with the other designers to see how they would sell with Marshall Field's customers. The line sold very well. The “Desperate Housewives” Lead Stylist came into the store and bought some of the jewelry for an upcoming show (which goes to show that you never know what will happen!). Marshall Field's will be permanently carrying my jewelry line, K.Amato, starting in the spring of 2006. I learned so much from this experience. It was amazing and I have CFF to thank for my initial nomination.