making an impact in sustainability

Event Details

Thursday, October 20, 6–8 pm

Bloomingdale's Corporate Offices, Long Island City

28-17 Jackson Avenue, Queens, NY 11101

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT

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Join Bloomingdale's and FIT for an evening of networking and conversation on Thursday, October 20. This event is part of FIT's Sustainability Awareness Week and will center on a panel conversation with FIT alumni and industry leaders on a range of topics including unlocking innovation for capital fundraising, sustainable product marketing, social ethics, consumer education, industry insights and more! Attendees will enjoy welcome drinks and refreshments prior to the start of the panel. 

We welcome those who are both curious as to how to get started as well as industry professionals. We hope to see you there!

Moderator

Lara Eurdolian King, Founder, PrettyConnected.com, Guest Editor, NewBeauty, FIT Alumni Advisory Council Member

Lara Eurdolian King is a beauty + fashion expert, on-air-talent, and entrepreneur. She founded Pretty Connected, the award winning, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle blog turned accessories line. Eurdolian is also a guest beauty editor and trend reporter for NewBeauty magazine, is on the FIT Alumni Advisory Council, and runs the beauty donation non-profit, Share Your Beauty, which she co-founded. To date she has helped get 400,000 unused beauty and hygiene products sustainably donated to shelters in the NYC tri-state area. 

Panelists

Lisa Diegel, Director of Global Sustainability, Faherty Brand

As the director of global sustainability at Faherty, Diegel is responsible for building strategy and leading initiatives to fulfill the brand’s objectives. Diegel has worked in the fashion industry for over 20 years. She began her career in design and development at Aritzia, moved into raw materials at Ralph Lauren and then pivoted from production into sustainability at Marc Jacobs International. At Marc Jacobs she managed the environmental and social responsibility program and was the liaison for all sustainability initiatives with parent company LVMH. From LVMH she continued her work in the sustainability sector as director of sustainability and compliance at Supreme, integrating the brand into VF Corporation’s responsibility program. 

Diegel  is originally from Canada and of First Nations heritage (a member of the Nisga’a Nation of Northwestern British Columbia). She grew up surrounded by talk of land, trees, and water and the importance of respecting, protecting, and preserving culture and the environment. She loves textiles and design but believes the impact of the industry on people and planet is too great and we must all do better.

Alyssa Hardy, Journalist and Author

Alyssa Hardy is an author and fashion journalist living in New York City. She was formerly the fashion news editor at Teen Vogue and the senior news editor at InStyle. Her debut non-fiction book Worn Out: How Our Clothes Cover Up Fashion’s Sins was released in September.

Hardy is an advocate for garment worker’s rights, and has a deep passion for educating others about fashion’s environmental impact — ideas that are explored throughout her weekly newsletter This Stuff.

Her work has also been featured in InStyle, Vogue, Marie Claire, NYLON, Refinery29, TeenVogue, Glossy, Ladygunn, Fashionista and more.

Laurie Rando, Senior Director of Sustainable Product and Human Rights, Macy's

Laurie has been with Macy’s Inc for 15 years. She started in their Private Brands Division as head of color services. While in this role, Rando was part of a small group of colleagues passionate about sustainability. Together they started a grassroots committee to find quick wins in a long journey to becoming a more sustainable company.

In 2019, the leadership team at Macy’s created a dedicated team for sustainability, where she now serves as head of sustainable product and human rights.  Before working for a major retailer, she designed lace for vertical manufacture in New Jersey. During this time, Rando learned about the environmental impact of mills and dyehouses and ways to mitigate the effects.

Julia Viner, Associate at Closed Loop Partners

Closed Loop Partners is a New York-based investment firm comprised of venture capital, growth equity, private equity and project finance as well as an innovation center focused on building the circular economy.

Prior to joining Closed Loop Partners, Viner was a research analyst for a New York-based consulting firm, and has varied experience working in retail, marketing, and business development within the fashion industry. During her studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Viner conducted her senior thesis research on supply chain transparency and the benefits of blockchain utilization from both a business and consumer-facing perspective. Outside of Closed Loop Partners, Viner runs an online re-commerce business and advises independent vintage shops on how to expand their omni-channel presence.