NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tapestry, Inc. and kate spade new york introduce today a three-year partnership with Harlem’s Fashion Row’s annual HBCU Fashion Summit. As part of Tapestry and kate spade new york’s ongoing commitment to supporting and uplifting the next generation of diverse fashion talent, the program will offer students at Bowie State University - Maryland’s oldest Historically Black University - unique access to engage with kate spade new york’s team of executive leaders and designers. The HBCU Fashion Summit is a program first launched by Harlem’s Fashion Row in 2020, and is intended to transform the art and fashion programs at HBCUs across America by providing students with direct design expertise from industry experts.
The 2022 HBCU Fashion Summit will include exclusive courses, dubbed Tenacity Talks, where Bowie State University students will learn from kate spade new york leaders, including Liz Fraser, chief executive officer and brand president, Kristen Naiman, SVP of brand concept and strategy, Tom Mora, SVP and head of design, RTW & lifestyle categories, Jennifer Lyu, SVP and head of design, leather goods and accessories, Tapestry’s David Casey, chief inclusion and social impact officer, and more, alongside university professors. The curriculum will start on September 27 through the Spring semester, with topics including:
- The History of Kate Spade and Tapestry
- Kate Spade Accessory Design 101
- Concept, Print, and Color
- How to Build the Bones of a Brand
- RTW, Shoes, Jewelry, Eyewear
- Materials For Accessory Design
- Mental Health and The Fashion Industry
Harlem’s Fashion Row is dedicated to creating opportunities for designers of color and nurturing the growth of emerging fashion professionals. Tapestry’s three-year partnership with the organization will later expand to include leaders from across the global house of brands, including Coach and Stuart Weitzman. With the goal of aiding in the transformation and expansion of fashion programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the country, this program aims to help advance diversity, equity and inclusion within the broader fashion industry. As part of the initiative, Tapestry will also sponsor Bowie State University’s Senior Capstone Fashion Show and offer industry experience to students through internship opportunities across their roster of brands.
“With Tapestry’s overwhelming support for our core initiative, to holistically prepare Gen-Z for fashion’s workforce with comprehensive programming, I’m confident, together, we can provide scholars with an opportunity to thrive in an incredibly transformative externship experience,” shared Brandice Daniel, CEO and Founder of Harlem's Fashion Row. “The industry is vying for change, but we can only be most innovative when Black talent is included.”
Liz Fraser, CEO & President of kate spade new york, shared, “At kate spade new york, we have built a community around cultivating authentic and emotional connections with our customers based on how we meet their individual needs. We are aiming to foster a truly inclusive environment – both internally and externally - where people from all backgrounds and experiences can thrive, because we know that we are at our best when we embrace and celebrate diverse perspectives. We are committed to investing in and supporting diverse talent, and are excited to bring this partnership to life with Harlem’s Fashion Row - an organization we have long respected as a pioneer in the industry - alongside our parent company, Tapestry. We have designed the curriculum to highlight kate spade new york’s strengths and our teams' successes to give students an opportunity to work directly with the team members – from all levels - who are driving those successes.”
About Kate Spade New York:
Since its launch in 1993 with a collection of six essential handbags, kate spade new york has always been colorful, bold and optimistic. Today it is a global lifestyle brand that designs extraordinary things for the everyday, delivering seasonal collections of handbags, ready-to-wear, jewelry, footwear, gifts, home décor and more. Known for its rich heritage and unique brand DNA, kate spade new york offers a distinctive point of view and celebrates communities of women around the globe who live their perfectly imperfect lifestyles. Kate Spade New York is part of the Tapestry, Inc. house of brands.
About Harlem’s Fashion Row:
Harlem's Fashion Row (HFR) is the premier agency creating a bridge between brands and designers of color in fashion through brand strategy, collaborations, new media, experiential marketing, recruiting, and pipeline programs. HBCU Summit started in 2020 when Brandice Daniel created ICON 360. The non-profit arm was to assist the HBCU fashion department to gain access to resources and opportunities. Since launching in 2020, ICON360 has granted over $1.6 Million to Black designers and HBCUs. As the non-profit arm of Harlem’s Fashion Row, the goal is to eradicate the inequities challenging black designers and HBCU fashion departments by providing financial resources and professional development to students.
About Tapestry, Inc.:
Our global house of brands unites the magic of Coach, kate spade new york and Stuart Weitzman. Each of our brands are unique and independent, while sharing a commitment to innovation and authenticity defined by distinctive products and differentiated customer experiences across channels and geographies. We use our collective strengths to move our customers and empower our communities, to make the fashion industry more sustainable, and to build a company that’s equitable, inclusive, and diverse. Individually, our brands are iconic. Together, we can stretch what’s possible. To learn more about Tapestry, please visit www.tapestry.com. For important news and information regarding Tapestry, visit the Investor Relations section of our website at www.tapestry.com/investors. In addition, investors should continue to review our news releases and filings with the SEC. We use each of these channels of distribution as primary channels for publishing key information to our investors, some of which may contain material and previously non-public information. The Company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TPR.
