Join us as Michelle Diamond, co-lab member, Sweater Designer + Knitwear Development Consultant, moderates a discussion on consulting vs full time work with guests Grace Fooden, Laurence Goldberg, and Kimara Mitchell.
Michelle Diamond is a sweater designer and product development consultant specializing in fully-fashioned knitwear, helping companies build a successful knitwear offering to grow their business.
From Chicago originally, Michelle completed her BS at Cornell University in Textiles and Apparel Design and promptly began her fashion career in NYC. She has been advancing in the industry for over 15 years, working with notable brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Elizabeth & James, Nine West and Ramy Brook.
Michelle’s approach to design is informed by her deep understanding of the technical aspect of knitwear creation. She values collaboration and craft, working closely with factories to achieve high standards of fit and workmanship while ensuring that styles align with company margin goals and customer needs.
Grace Fooden is a bi-racial black woman who graduated from Parsons School of Design with a major in Fashion Design. She rose through the ranks of the fashion industry to become a senior executive at Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Spanx, & Victoria’s Secret among others. Grace is also an entrepreneur and was the Co-Founder and CEO of a skincare brand, Biophile The brand has been featured in Vogue, Forbes, Elle & Marie Claire and was sold in over 30 retail stories in three countries. Grace now works as a consultant who helps Fashion and Beauty brands scale profitably.
Laurence Goldberg is a brand strategist specializing in storytelling, creative directions, and communications. With over 20 years experience in fashion and lifestyle public relations, Laurence helps brands define their identity, tell their story, and increase their exposure and their customer base.
She began her career in New York as the first assistant and employee of fashion publicist Pierre Rougier when he started PR Consulting in 1998. Her first accounts were Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Helmut Lang, Hermes and Narciso Rodriguez.
Eager for new experiences, Laurence moved to Los Angeles in the early 2000s and through a turn of events, became a fashion stylist. Over the course of five years, she worked closely with Hollywood’s A-list talent gaining essential knowledge of the world of celebrity dressing and red-carpet appearances. Laurence returned to public relations in 2006 as the West Coast PR and Special Events Director for Balenciaga. During this time Laurence secured all Balenciaga celebrity dressing and managed the brand’s image within the Hollywood community establishing her relationships with top celebrity stylists.
In 2013 Laurence partnered with Pierre Rougier and Sylvie Picquet-Damesme to open the PR Consulting Los Angeles office where she worked with numerous clients including, Acne Studios, Louis Vuitton, COS, Pierre Hardy, Rachel Comey, Studio Shamshiri, Thomas Keller, Moncler, Miu Miu and Fendi.
Kimara Mitchell is an award-winning freelance creative director, photo art director, brand strategist and designer. She is passionate about customer experience and the evolution of brands, and that curiosity coupled with a strategic mindset helps her create solutions that engage and inspire. She's worked on the agency side, at design firms, and in-house for brands large and small like Gap, Banana Republic, Grey, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Levi’s, Quay Australia, and Walmart. In addition, she is a content creator whose blog j’adore couture has been featured in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and PORTER Magazine and collaborated with brands such as The OUTNET, Valentino Beauty, Wyndham Hotels, and AllModern.
Café Co-Lab's are small, bi-weekly networking groups focused on specific topics. They are an opportunity for co-lab members to connect, share resources, and engage with other members.
All co-lab events are free to members. Zoom details will be posted on the day of the event in our private community Slack in the #cafe-co-lab channel. All questions can be directed to info@jointhecolab.com. To become a member and receive access to these exciting events, join us here.