Stacey Bendet Eisner has been a CFDA Member since 2011. After six years, the alice + olivia Founder, CEO and Creative Director has now joined the CFDA Board of Directors—a perfect excuse for us to check in with Bendet Eisner about her goals on the board and the future of American fashion.

We’re thrilled to have you serve on the CFDA board. What are you looking forward to the most?

I am so excited to be able to support the industry through programs like the Fashion Manufacturing Initiative, and hopefully to help create some programs that focus on the future of fashion!

Do you have specific personal goals in this role?

I loved working on the ‘Future of Fashion Manufacturing Technologies’ [internship] project. Our Futures project goal was to research and understand what technologies and capabilities are important to have as resources for the industry in the new Brooklyn garment district. I look forward to continuing this and hopefully impacting the future of fashion and technology. I would also love to get more involved with helping to make sure sustainability programs and female empowerment programs become a larger part of the CFDA and industry’s overall goals.

What do you hope to accomplish on the board?

My overall goal is to make sure that we create a new Garment District with technology and manufacturing capabilities for the future. We are in a very interesting moment where technology has the ability to really transform how we think about fabric, sustainability and overall manufacturing, and I want to make sure the industry has domestic resources available to both big and small brands

Do you recall when you became a CFDA Member and how that moment felt?

I was so honored. Being an official member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America was a dream for many years.

What does being on the board mean to you and the stage in your career as a designer?

To me, being a board member is about helping future designers succeed, helping to create and develop resources and a framework for their growth, and ensuring that America remains a global fashion capital in terms of creativity and innovation!