I had the privilege to attend the Vogue Forces of Fashion in New York and painted exceptional people in the fashion industry, as well as upcoming fashion designers for The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc.: a not-for-profit trade association founded in 1962, whose membership consists of nearly 428 of America’s foremost womenswear, menswear, jewelry and accessory designers.

The mission of the CFDA is to strengthen the impact of American fashion globally by amplifying creative excellence, business longevity, and positive impact

Vogue Forces of Fashion, https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/inside-forces-of-fashion-2023

Here are some of the famous people that were painted :

Chioma Nnadi

Job Title: Head of Editorial Content

Company: British Vogue

Chioma Nnadi was named head of editorial content for British Vogue in September of this year. She began her career on the features desk of the Evening Standard Magazine in London before moving to New Y ork to write for Trace, an independent style magazine.

She went on to work as the style director at Fader, covering fashion through the lens of music. In 2010, she joined Vogue as a fashion writer, and in 2014 she took on a digital role News Director for Vogue.com, where she worked on the relaunch of the site and oversaw the fashion news team. In September of 2020, Nnadi was appointed Editor of Vogue.com and Global Network Lead where she oversaw the digital team and editorial content for the site. She also serves as the co-host for the Vogue podcast, The Run-Through.

Naomi Elizee

Job Title: Market Editor

Company : Vogue

Bio

Born and raised in South Florida, Naomi Elizée is a second-generation Haitian-American creative living in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

Naomi grew up with a drive to work in fashion with a heavy influence from her mother. She studied Retail, Merchandising, and Product Development at Florida State University and interned at various companies such as Seventeen Magazine, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Urbn.

Armed with resilience and perseverance instilled within her by her Haitian heritage, Naomi rose through the ranks after college working as a freelance Fashion assistant at Vanity Fair and then as a Jewelry assistant at Vogue. Now, she serves as the Market Editor at Vogue.

Virginia Smith

Job Title: Global Head of Fashion Network

Company: Vogue

Bio:

Virginia Smith is the Global Head of Fashion Network at Vogue. Virginia has worked at Vogue for over 20 years and held several different positions including Fashion Market and Accessories Director and Fashion Director. Previously, Virginia worked at Calvin Klein as Vice President of Public Relations.

Nicole Phelps

Job Title: Director

Company: Vogue Runway

Bio

Nicole graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Following a brief stint in public relations, she landed her dream job at WWD and W Magazine, assisting a senior editor and going on to become an Accessories Editor. Five years as Elle Magazine’s Fashion News Editor was followed by a 10-year stint at Style.com, where she reviewed runway shows in New York, Milan, and Paris.

She became the Director of Vogue Runway in 2015, launching the website’s fashion show vertical and the Vogue Runway App, which won the 2018 Webby People’s Voice Award. At Vogue, she was a member of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund jury in 2017 and 2018, and she has also sat on the juries of the ANDAM Award and the Festival d’Hyères. In 2020, she collaborated on the globalization of the Vogue Runway site and iOS app. In 2021, she was additionally named the Global Director of Vogue Business.

Arden Fanning

Job Title: Contributing Beauty and Wellness Editor

Company

Vogue: Speaker

Arden graduated with a degree in apparel design and business from the University of Texas. After interning in London with Luella Bartley, a trend forecasting position in New York led to a stint in fashion PR. It was working at the beloved Smiths Morrissey party at Sway, DJed by late designer Ben Cho, that brought her to Moda Operandi.

After covering stories for its digital magazine and styling editorial shoots, Lauren Santo Domingo shared word of an opportunity that landed her a dream job on Vogue’s beauty team. In 2016, she began contributing to Vogue, reporting on global runways, and writing for T, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Artnet, Paper, W and MasterClass.

In 2023, representing a new collaborative role across platforms, she was named Vogue’s first Beauty Editor at Large.

Ignacio Murillo

Job: Title

Global Casting Director

Company: Vogue

Speaker Bio

Ignacio Murillo is a casting director based in New York City. Previously he was the Bookings and Visual Director at Harper’s Bazaar US. He has contributed to numerous publications and he is currently the Global Talent Casting Director at Vogue.

Sherry Shi

Full Name: Sherry Shi

Bio: Born and raised in Houston, Texas,

Celebrated by French Vogue for walking the mostshows during the F/W 2022 – 2023 season, Sherry has graced the runway for many leading fashion houses such as Versace, Prada, Burberry, Saint Laurent, McQueen and Givenchy.

In 2021, she appeared on American Vogue’s cover alongside other industry leading faces including Precious Lee and Bella Hadid. To date, Sherry has featured in campaigns for Lanvin, Dior, J.W. Anderson and Calvin Klein, and has worked with the industry’s most renowned photographers including Annie Leibovitz, Ethan James Green, Tyler Mitchell, Willy Vanderperre, Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Gordon von

Steiner and Solve Sundsbo.

Drake Carr

Job: Title Artist

Speaker Bio

Drake Carr (born 1993, Flint, Michigan) is an American artist primarily known for his energetic, figurative paintings and drawings and large-scale, cut-out works. Carr has exhibited his artwork internationally and across the United States at numerous exhibitions including Ethan James Green’s New York Life Gallery,

The Hole, FIERMAN

gallery, and others. He lives and works in New York City.

Rachel Scott

Job Title: CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Designer

Company: Diotima

Speaker Bio

Growing up in Jamaica, Rachel Scott wanted the fullest arts education possible for her

undergraduate degree. She studied art and French at Colgate University, all the while

knowing that she ultimately wanted to design. With that in mind, Scott did coursework in

the summers at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Central Saint Martins, as well

as an internship at Vogue US. In 2006, Scott completed a one-year intensive fashion

design program at Istituto Marangoni in Milan. In 2007, she began an internship at

Costume National, which then transitioned into an assistant designer role. Scott moved

to NYC in December 2009 for an assistant designer role at J.Mendel. In that position,

she worked closely with the in-house atelier, in addition to embroidery manufacturers in

India.

Everard Best & Tela D’Amore

Full Name: Everard Best & Tela D’Amore

Job Title: CFDA

Vogue Fashion Fund Designer Speaker Bio In six years, notable contemporary creator Everard Best, more commonly known by the moniker Ev Bravado, and his creative partner Téla D’Amore have designed and consulted for several esteemed brands including NIKE, PUMA, Off-White, Evisu, New Balance, Neiman Marcus, Alice + Olivia, Levi’s, and Mr. Porter, cementing their footing in contemporary design.

After launching his clothing brand Ev Bravado in 2015, Bravado used this exposure and enormous social media presence to transition his platform over to a newly renamed brand: Who Decides War. Widely recognized for its new signature denim silhouettes, Who Decides War homes in on carefully crafted pieces, expert garment distressing, and multi-phase hand-dyeing, all with meticulous attention to detail. These key factors are what continue to set this creative team apart.

As Who Decides War continues to grow, its in-house team retains the same grounded outlook and mission statement of instilling faith, culture, and a handmade touch into each garment created.

Melitta Baumeister

Job Title: CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Designer

Speaker Bio

Melitta Baumeister is a German fashion designer based in New York. After getting a

tailoring education and a BA in fashion design in Germany, Melitta continued her

master’s studies in Fashion Design and Society at Parsons School for Design in New

York. Baumeister’s debut collection, one year after graduation, was the winner of VFiles

Made Fashion 2, a fashion show during NYFW in February 2014 for autumn/winter

2014. Dover Street Market New York, London, and Ginza were the first retail stores to

stock Baumeister’s first season.

Baumeister later displayed her SS15 collection as an independent showroom during

Paris Fashion Week, and created an installation in Dover Street Market London as part

of the Frieze Art Fair. Ai Wei Wei also transformed one of Baumeister’s pieces for V

magazine into a piece of art, and selected Melitta Baumeister pieces were part of

“Beauty,” the 2016 Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial. Baumeister was also shortlisted for

the LVMH Prize 2016. In 2018, Baumeister opened her first shop-in-shop at DSMLA,

and another at DSMNY in 2019. Baumeister was also selected for the exhibition

“Femmes Fatales: Strong Women In Fashion,” at Gemeentemuseum Den Haag +

Modemuseum Hasselt, in 2019. Baumeister opened shop-in-shop spaces at Dover

Street Market New York, Los Angeles, and Ginza in 2021

She’s by the left and is this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winner. The designer received a $300,000 grant for her business and a year-long mentorship with an industry leader.

And by her right is

Henry Zankov

Bio

After studying at New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology, focusing on womenswear and knitwear, Henry Zankov started his first job in the industry in 2003, as assistant designer at Donna Karan. In 2006, he was promoted to designer, reporting to the creative director of DKNY and Collection.

After five years at Donna Karan, in 2008 Zankov decided to transition to consulting and to collaborate with smaller or emerging designers in New York, such as Jason Wu, Robert Geller, TSE, and several others. In 2010 Zankov was approached by Edun right after it was acquired by LVMH. Here he was design director of knitwear and oversaw both the men’s and women’s lines. Edun’s objective was to build work and production in countries in Africa, with a focus on the sub-Saharan region. In 2014, Zankov was hired

at Diane von Furstenberg as head of knitwear. At DVF he oversaw the entire design and development process for the sweater category and reported to the creative director as well as directly to Diane. During his time at DVF he grew the knitwear category, which came to make up nearly 25% of the entire business.

In 2018, Zankov began consulting for various designers in New York as well as teaching a senior thesis class at Parsons. In 2020, he launched his namesake brand ZANKOV and began working exclusively with Christopher John Rogers on creating and building the brand’s knitwear offering and business.

Sami Miró

Job Title: CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Designer

Compan: Sami Miro Vintage

Speaker Bio

Sami Miró is the owner, designer, and creative director of the LA-based eco-conscious and ethical brand Sami Miro Vintage. The company was founded by a Black woman and is run by a team of women of color to create an empowering culture of female minorities. Miró’s social responsibility “to do better for our planet” is engrained in every step of the SMV supply chain. To support the local community and reduce its carbon footprint, nearly 100% of the supply chain is within a 25-mile radius of their office.

All garments are constructed from locally sourced deadstock and vintage fabrics, as well as SMV-exclusive eco-responsible certified base fabrications: Tencel, hemp, and organic cotton-based. SMV’s key sewing partners are family-owned and operated facilities. We are committed to ensuring fair wages and equal partnerships.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Miró landed in fashion after obtaining her master’s degree in global entrepreneurship and working at a tech start-up for four years, where she helped to bring a brand and product line from inception to market.

This background provided a unique perspective as she entered the fashion industry with no professional experience or education in fashion. Sami Miró debuted her 30-piece spring/summer runway collaboration with Heron Preston in Paris in June 2019.

She has also released a ready-to-wear collection with Nike, served as a design consultant for YEEZY, designed Samsung’s first-ever sustainable watch products in collaboration with Sami Miro Vintage, and designed and produced two collaborations with the climate education non-profit Future Earth.

Kim Shui

Job Title: CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Designer

Speaker Bio

Kim Shui is a New York City-based womenswear brand committed to celebrating

women and promoting diversity and inclusivity in the fashion industry. The brand has

featured richly diverse models of all skin tones, hair textures, body shapes, and sizes in

runway shows and campaigns since the very beginning, promoting an authentic

message of acceptance and representation. Shui’s aim is to push the industry forward

and create a more equitable and diverse fashion landscape for women—one where all

women can feel seen and celebrated.

Kim Shui has dressed the likes of Kylie Jenner and her daughter, Stormi, Bella Hadid,

Dua Lipa, Hailey Bieber, Solange Knowles, Cardi B, Gigi Hadid, Mary J. Blige, Megan

Thee Stallion, and more. Recent notable collaborations have been with the Jordan

brand, the WNBA, Afterpay (on a decentralized runway), and Gary Vaynerchuk. Kim

Shui was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Arts & Style List and has been a two-time

speaker at the Forbes Under 30 Conferences.