In this month's co-lab Marketing Lunch Hour, we are thrilled to welcome five incredible creatives and trend forecasters to discuss The Future of Trend Forecasting. Co-lab member and Marketing Director of Brahmin Leather Works, Libby Gluck, will lead the discussion. We will cover a range of topics from the importance of knowing your customer versus chasing trends to the impact of social media on the trend cycle. Our speakers include Abbey Cook of the Taste Curators, Karen Santoyo Ruenitz of Soludos, Katie Irving of MOONSHOT, Gretchen Jones of Weird Specialty, and Tsveti Enslow (bios below).
The Marketing Lunch Hour is open to all co-lab members, and Marketers of all levels. We encourage everyone to bring questions, and participate in this timely discussion.
ABBEY COOK is the co-founder of The Taste Curators and has been a color and trend forecaster in fashion, design and marketing for over 16 years. Traveling the world to turn her observations of culture into global trends and “it” colors like millennial pink, Abbey has worked with brands and industry leaders such as Malhia Kent, The Color Association of the United States, Martha Stewart, Doneger Group and Cotton Incorporated. Abbey is also a guest lecturer for New York’s St. John’s University and The School of the New York Times.
KAREN SANTOYO RUENITZ is the Creative Director of product for Soludos, a sustainable footwear brand. During her 15 years in the fashion industry, she has designed iconic footwear for fashion and lifestyle brands including Soludos, Loeffler Randall, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Tory Burch, and Helmut Lang. In addition to her role as creative director, Karen pioneered the Soludos Sustainability Commitments transforming over 70% of footwear to be made using Environmentally Preferred Materials per FDRA industry guide.
KATIE IRVING is the founder of MOONSHOT, a consulting agency that leverages unparalleled consumer insights to build superior product assortments for fashion brands and retailers. With 20+ years of industry experience including Consulting Director of Abercrombie & Fitch & Consulting Director of Fashion at WGSN, Katie is trusted by the world’s leading brands to deliver the critical insights that build best-in-class product assortments.
GRETCHEN JONES, a designer by trade, combines business acumen with keen insights to inspire leaders to think differently - questioning bias, diagnosing subjectivity, and illuminating intention. A keynote speaker/lecturer and ambassador for sustainability, her work/ideas have been featured in The Business of Fashion, WWD, The New York Times, SXSW, Style.com, Refinery29, Elle, Glamour, etc.
TSVETI ENLOW is a trend strategist and cultural researcher who partners with brands, design and innovation agencies to deliver bespoke solutions. By exploring the intersection of consumer behavior, technology, lifestyle, and design shifts, Tsveti identifies and translates emerging trends into new product opportunities to help clients anticipate and plan for the future.
Café Co-Lab's are small 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.