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Our History
FNW (Fashion News Workshop) and Trends were created in the late 1950's by professional women in the fiber, textile and apparel industries as nonprofit organizations committed to the exchange of directional information in fashion and affiliated businesses.
The founding visionaries of both groups have always brought together and incorporated the philosophy of networking well before that term entered the lexicon.
To maximize effectiveness, FNW and Trends joined their two groups, now called FNW/Trends, to incorporate multiple strengths and targeted areas of interest and include experts from all areas of fashion and business related arenas.
Our Members
FNW/Trends's membership is comprised of both men and women who are actively working in fashion and associated fields. Our combined membership has grown to over 90 creative professional members and represent every aspect of the industry including: the fields of culture, media and technology, marketing, business development and graphic design, crafts, fibers, textiles, retail, executive recruiting, home furnishings, real estate, licensing and museum stores, as well as all levels of ready-to-wear and designer fashion, including accessories, footwear, beauty, intimate apparel and fragrance.
Reflecting recent changes in the industry, our members represent all size companies, from large and established multinational conglomerates to small-scale businesses and independent consultants.
Our Officers
The organization's officers are elected every two years.
2012 officers are: Carole D'Arconte and Ruth Finley, serving as Co-Presidents, Jerry Dellova and Erica Feinberg as Co-Vice Presidents, Dorothy Waxman as Treasurer, Elaine Gross as Web Editor, Lee Golde as Cyber Fashion Editor and Roseanne Forde as Membership Chair. Jessica Pfeifer serves as the organization's Administrator. Co-President, Carole D'Arconte
CAROLE D'ARCONTE is a prominent color and trend merchandiser with extensive product development expertise in the woven and knit textile markets. Her focus has been primarily in the men's, women's and kid's trend and design areas, and in the accessories and make-up markets.
She was President of COLOR PORTFOLIO, INC., a full service trend and communication marketing company for over 25 years, when she successfully sold her business in 2001. COLOR PORTFOLIO offered private trend presentations, providing directional color recommendations, lifestyle merchandising and textile design input. She continues to consult to retailers and manufacturers on trend and styling ideas under her new company name, CAROLE D'ARCONTE LLC.
In 2008, she also co-created a digital color forecasting company, called ColorEDGE, which is being marketed globally to this day.
Carole studied at The Fashion Institute of Technology and received their Mortimer C. Ritter Award for Achievement and The Alumni Star Salute Award. She continues to maintain active roles in The Fashion Group, Round Table of Fashion Executives, Color Marketing Group, The Retail Marketing Group, The Business Connection and The National Arts Club.
Co-President, Ruth Finley RUTH FINLEY has been a major force in the fashion industry. As the founder and publisher of the FASHION CALENDAR, Ms. Finley is the master planner of all of New York's fashion events.
Whether it's a seasonal opening, benefit gala, or a new designer's show, Ms. Finley is personally involved. She is the calming influence in an emotionally charged industry. She functions as traffic director, mother confessor, psychiatrist and referee in helping designers settle disputes and resolve potential date and model conflicts. Her publication, with its distinctive red cover and pink pages, can be found on the desk of virtually all industry executives, who rely on it daily as an information service and to schedule all fashion events.
In addition to the demands of her own business, Ms. Finley participates actively in several charitable and professional organizations. As a Citymeals-On-Wheels board member and chairperson of the Annual Fashion and Beauty Industry Salute to Citymeals, she has raised over two million dollars to help feed the homebound elderly of New York. In addition, she serves on the boards of the Lighthouse for the Blind, the Roundtable of Fashion Executives, Trends, The High School of Fashion, Fashion Delivers & K.I.D.S and the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising.
Ruth graduated from Simmons College and has written for the New York Herald Tribune and worked in the window display department of Lord & Taylor before creating Fashion Calendar.
Co-Vice President, Jerry Dellova
JERRY DELLOVA has a B.F.A. in Apparel and Accessory Design/Merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Technology. He also holds an A.A.S degree, from the Fashion Institute of Technology, in Fine Arts. Jerry has spent over 20 years as a fashion designer for upscale men and women’s sportswear companies. He has traveled the world extensively for fabrics, trends, new stores/restaurants and culture. Profiled in the Style section of the New York Times, and quoted in many trade [WWD,FGI & Premiere Vision] and consumer [Washington Post, People] publications; style savvy Jerry Dellova tells men and women how to look their best! He has dressed Katie Couric, for the Today Show; consulted on clothing for movies and TV; lectured to consumers on building a wardrobe and produced fashion shows. He has also written for many publications.Jerry is a member of numerous professional organizations; including Fashion News Workshop, DIFFA, The Fashion Group International, the F.I.T. Alumni Association, along with being a industry critic for graduating F.I.T. seniors, and Standing Tall, a school for special needs children.
Co-Vice President, Erica Fineberg-Linden ERICA LINDEN-FINEBERG is president of FINEBERG PUBLICITY INC., a publicity and marketing service to intimates and fashion apparel for men, women and children; accessories (jewelry, timepieces, handbags); toys, beauty and home fashions. Events, cross-promotional opportunities, in-store demonstrations, newsletters are provided to extend the visibility of a client’s brand and product line.
Fineberg Publicity Inc. also designs, writes, and coordinates the printing and ad sales for fund raiser and gala dinner journals. The journals have supplemented additional capital for these events.
Erica was an editor at Good Housekeeping Magazine, Vogue/Butterick and Accessories Magazine.
Erica graduated Pratt Institute with a BFA. She majored in fashion design and minored in journalism. Her short tenure as apprentice designer for a bridal manufacturer turned her to a happier career in editing and public relations.
Treasurer, Dorothy Waxman
DOROTHY WAXMAN is the New York Editor for Textile View Magazine, a trade trend magazine published in Europe. She founded the U.S. office for Trend Union, the fashion and design service of Edelkoort Inc. and headed it for 15 years. Dorothy worked for Associated Merchandising Corporation, the buying office of Federated Stores and leading independent department stores such as Hudson's of Detroit, Dayton Co. of Minneapolis and Bullock's of Los Angeles.
During her tenure at AMC, she became vice president of fashion covering the Haute Couture and the Ready to Wear Collections in Milan, London, Paris and New York and the streets of St. Tropez. After graduating from Cornell University, she started her career in the training program at Ohrbach's, a discount store originally based on 14th St., known for its copies of Haute Couture designs.
Cyber Fashion Editor, Lee Golde´ LEE GOLDE is the president and founder of LEE GOLDÉ ASSOCIATES, specializing in product and brand development. Lee’s clients have included women’s sportswear, knitwear, accessories, textiles, leather and home furnishings, manufacturers and retailers,where she combines her creative and visual talents in developing advanced trend and design information. Lee graduated with a BFA in painting from Boston University and then began her fashion career as Fashion Editor at Seventeen and Ingenue Magazines. Known as both a disseminator and presenter of color, trend and lifestyle information, her diverse background enabled her to work with a broad variety of product and brand development projects. She began writing for trend services and publications such as -TFS -The Fashion Service, Direction and Textile View Magazine. She made her successful entrance into Public Relations with The Italian Leather System/ Italian Trade Commission’s Arts & Tannery exhibitions.Lee has recently also returned to her first love…. ART. In her artworks she combines photography, painting, drawing and collage, with computers in exiting new ways. She created a mixed media piece “Painted Rocka” which was selected (& purchased) as the cover for The Creative Center’s/Novatis Oncology sponsored 2011 calendar.
Web Editor, Elaine Gross Elaine Gross is director of EGI, an editorial and marketing communications consultancy, and owner/designer of the recently launched All Ears, which sells knit and crochet kits to yarn stores. She is the author of Halston: An American Original (HarperCollins) and has an impressive roster of publishing credits in such publications as WWD, DNR, Textile World, Knitting Times, Seventeen and The New York Times, and has edited titles for several book publishers. Elaine wrote and edited the FNW web site.
While Men's Fashion Director for the Paris-based International Wool Secretariat (Woolmark), she developed color, fabric and garment trend forecasts for 34 countries and was the first American to participate in the prestigious Premiere Vision color committee and the multinational Intercolor group. Upon returning to the U.S., she became Fashion and Promotion Director of the American Wool Council and was a member of the Color Association of the U.S.
Her own marketing and consulting service, EGI, directed promotion for the Yarn Fair International and provided trend forecasting, reporting and promotion services for such clients as Celanese Fibers, DuPont Fibers, Tencel, Masters of Linen, Macy's, Joseph Abboud, Ike Behar, and K-Mart.
Website: www.elainegross.com Membership Chair, Roseann Forde Roseann Forde, president of Fordecasting, produces seasonal trend and color direction. She is the former global creative director of DuPont/Invista, where she developed color, fabric and silhouette presentations for the apparel and retail trades throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Roseann has served as chairperson of the women's wear committee of the Color Association of the U.S. and is a panelist for the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. She has also served on the advisory board of American Color & Trends as well as the textile department of F.I.T., where she taught color analysis as an adjunct professor. Roseann is the recipient of FIT's alumni star award.
In addition, she had the honor of being the first American to be named to the Premiere Vision color council. Her colors are the official palette of the Direction show, where she has given seasonal color and trend seminars. Roseann has often been quoted and featured in WWD and DNR. She has acted in an advisory capacity to the NFL and the automotive industry as well as to major retailers and apparel manufacturers throughout the country. Administrator, Jessica Pfeifer
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