The inaugural CFDA Connects Summit lands in Bentonville, Ark. for a three-day gathering hosted by locally-based INTERFORM. Beginning on June 8, guests from fashion, arts, education, and cultural spaces throughout the United States will attend with the goal to build community, skill share, network, and gain professional development as part of the conference’s programming.

The keynote presentation on Friday, June 9, will feature a conversation between designer and CFDA member Brandon Maxwell and writer Jessica Iredale, previously a fashion critic and editor at Women’s Wear Daily.

A fireside chat on Black female entrepreneurship brings the summit to a close on Saturday, June 10, featuring CFDA President CaSandra Diggs and Lisa Price, the founder of Carol’s Daughter, a community-focused beauty line championing inclusivity in hair, body, and skincare.

The arts and culture non-profit organization INTERFORM joined CFDA Connects as a founding participant regional fashion organization (RFO) in 2021. In conjunction with the summit, the organization will also host ASSEMBLY, a month-long immersive experience including the works of over 60 artists, 10 exhibitions, three retail pop-up shops highlighting local and regional designers’ collections, as well as Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week, INTERFORM’s largest annual fundraiser.

Here’s a small and exciting preview of what attendees can look forward to at the 2023 CFDA Connects Summit.

Sessions and Speakers

GETTING “IT” DONE
Focuses on supply chain and manufacturing trends, processes, procedures, and best practices on leading designers to the sales floor. This panel of industry experts will empower RFO leaders to support designers before and after the runway show.

Moderator
Lubna Najjar, President, Columbus Fashion Council (Columbus, OH)

Speakers
Felicia Ruiz Loewy, Founder & CEO, The Assembly Line (Atlanta, GA)
Shawn Pean, Founder & Designer, June79 NYC (New York, NY)

GETTING THE WORD OUT
Focuses on publicity, marketing, and social media trends, techniques, and industry practices to build audience awareness and engagement. This panel of industry experts will empower RFO leaders to use content and technology to attract, build, and inspire through paid, unpaid media and storytelling solutions.

Moderator
Jeanelly Concepcion, President, Texas Fashion Industry Initiative (San Antonio, TX)

Speakers
Channing Hargrove, Senior Writer, ESPN’s Andscape (New York, NY)
Claire Brown, Social Media Manager, JC Penney (Dallas, TX)

GETTING “IT” PAID FOR
Focuses on finance and fundraising strategies, techniques and industry practices that garner support from local community, state and potential federal sources. This panel of industry experts will inform and educate RFO leaders on business development insights, legal considerations, political relations tips, and program strategy ideas.

Moderator
Marcia Masulla, Co-Founder, Nashville Fashion Week (Nashville, TN)

Speakers
Zeinab Chamsine, Founder, Zai Society (Dallas, TX)
Ebony Wiggins, Consulting Director, CFDA Impact (New York, NY)

ASSEMBLY and NWA Fashion Week 2023 were made possible by partnership with Walmart Beauty and several of the nation’s largest beauty retailers. INTERFORM partnered with Walmart Beauty along with several corporate suppliers such as Procter & Gamble, L’Oreal, Carol’s Daughter, Essie, and more, to pilot a new model of community-focused beauty and fashion activations that focus on providing underrepresented groups the opportunities to represent themselves.