On Wednesday, the CFDA hosted the third and final session of its new webinar series, “Changing the Fashion Wholesale Landscape to Support Minority-Owned Businesses,” a virtual conversation providing insights into opportunities and resources that minority-owned businesses can utilize to navigate the challenges of the wholesale market.

The webinar was moderated by Felita Harris, Chief Revenue Officer and Co-Founder of Raisefashion. Panelists included Charles Harbison, CEO and Creative Director, Harbison Studio; Edwina Kulego, VP, International & Men’s Fashion, Informa Markets; Busayo Olupona, Esq., Founder & Creative Director, Busayo; Amira Rasool, Founder and CEO of The Folklore, and Ibada Wadud, Assistant Professor, Strategic Design & Management at Parsons as well as Executive Consultant, Sustainability & Equity, Founder & Head of Impact of LULAH.

The conversation discussed the progression of the wholesale business to support BIPOC brands, the benefits of launching with a wholesale partner, the complexities brands still face getting buyers to review their collections, as well as provided ways in which brands can get wholesale ready.