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How is the definition of fashion changing, particularly in light of technological advances?

· How are brands leveraging technology to reach consumers in a more targeted way?

· Society is becoming increasingly app-focused when it comes to fashion. How is this impacting designers, labels and consumers?

· What are the most effective mobile app features? The most ineffective?

· Smart watches, fitness trackers and prominent headphones have all become must-have accessories of the fashion digerati. What could be the next big thing?

Join Layla Sabourian (http://www.laylasabourian.com/) and First Thursday Silicon Valley as we explore engaging perspectives from America's Top Model: Naima Mora, America's Tweetheart: Sarah Austin, and China's visionary behind My Runway (http://www.myrunwayapp.com): Li Gong.

AGENDA

5:30: Hors d'oeuvre and Networking

5:45: Welcome & Introductions

6:00 Social Contest

6:15 Panel Discussion

7:30 Fashion Show

8:00 Exclusive book signing by Naima Mora

MODERATOR

Layla Sabourian (http://www.laylasabourian.com) - Founder of First Thursday Silicon Valley Marketing Professionals Meet up and Sr. Product Marketing Manager, SAP

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Layla is an active blogger, the Marketing lead on My Runway (http://www.myrunwayapp.com), SAP's newly released fashion app, and has a background in Fashion and Marketing, speaks 4 languages fluently, and holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Westminster in UK. Layla has presented and moderated panels at UC Berkeley, Fashion Tech Week, Google, the United Nations, and the White House.

PANELISTS

Naima Mora - Model, Actress & Musician

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"Naima Mora reached international fame and broke into the world of high fashion modeling after winning the title of America’s Next Top Model (2008). She remains an all time ‘fan favorite’ and has shot spreads and landed on the covers of many high profile magazines around the world. She has walked the runway for some of fashion’s top designers and been the face of world-known cosmetic lines such as Cover Girl.

Naima is also an emerging singer/songwriter and front woman for the band Galaxy of Tar, a published author (Mode Behavior is her first book), and has taken on the challenge of connecting with people through her music, her literary pursuits, and online and in social media. She listens to young people’s stories of how and why they are able to achieve impossible pursuits and overcome great adversity, and then spreads that wisdom as an intentional life purpose. Technology plays a significant part of how she engages with people all over the world.

Naima’s global voice of a generation works to help others find what she calls their own “model life,” which are the model qualities of a global citizen hoping to change the landscape of their own limitations and of a human race able to use their own unique kind of inspiration to change the world. Technology is the bridge that enables that mission to become a reality."

Sarah Austin - Video journalist and Internet & TV personality

http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/3/3/7/4/event_247093172.jpeg Silicon Valley native, Sarah Austin is the Internet’s first “life-caster”. Sarah attended business management at the Dominican University of California and made her reality TV debut in Start-Ups: Silicon Valley on November 5, 2012 series premiere. She produced the web series Party Crashers, where she crashed tech parties, before being selected to lifecast for the Justin.tv test runs. She later went to produce Pop17, a web series documenting Internet culture. She is a contributor on Forbes belonging to Forbes' video network.

Stephanie Rahlfs - Owner, Stiletto Jungles Enterprises

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Stephanie Rahlfs is the Owner of Stiletto Jungles Enterprises. She is also the publisher and editor of Adventures in the Stiletto Jungle, a fashion and beauty shopping blog dedicated to serving recent college graduates and young professional women. Stiletto Jungle is written by a nine-woman team of working professionals from the fields of law, medicine, finance, marketing and talent management. Stephanie is an award-winning public policy advocate and political law attorney whose past work includes advising the mayor and city council of the City of San Diego. Stephanie is currently the Social Media Manager for the web's most popular legal information site. A lifelong resident of California, Stephanie now lives, works and blogs in the San Francisco bay area.

Li Gong - VP of Product & Head of My Runway, SAP AppHaus

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Li Gong is VP of Product in SAP AppHaus, a product innovation team in SAP in Silicon Valley. He is passionate about using smart and simple-to-use technology to improve people's life. He launched My Runway initiative and mobile app in US and China for the goal of making online and offline fashion shopping easier. He has also worked in the areas of helping the bottom billion of poor people and intercultural relations. He holds a Ph.D degree in communication (consumer psychology and human-computer interaction) from Stanford University.

Paul Friedland - Director of Marketing, Levi Strauss & Co

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Paul is a results-driven, consumer marketing executive with 15 years experience on both the client and agency side with such brands as Levi’s, Coca-Cola, and Guinness. He delivers a proven ability to develop brand strategies, marketing plans, and campaigns that enhance brand equity while driving significant business growth. He is adept at identifying consumer insights and marketplace trends and translating them into actionable marketing plans for digital, print, broadcast, in-store, out-of-home, social media, ecommerce, and mobile.

As the Director of Account Marketing at Levi’s, Paul leads all aspects of brand management and strategic planning for Levi’s North American Wholesale business as defined by product, season, segment, and marketing mix. When he is not asking the creative agency to change a layout so, “it pops off the page,” he develops product-marketing strategies and plans that reach the consumer through multiple marketing vehicles, in-store environment, and e-commerce channels.

Before and after the panel, you have the chance to view a beautiful collection by SAP Fashion Ambassdor Soodabeh Sheiki. She will feature her collection of modern and vintage crochet ornaments (brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings) and accessories (belts, hair clips,...). All pieces are designed and handmade by women who love fashion and style. They are made with cotton thread, beads, plastic rings and wood.

Layla Sabourian

First Thursdays Silicon Valley

Career & Business

Social Media Marketing

Online Marketing

Product Marketing

Social Commerce

Secret ingredients to a successful fashion App? America's Top Model--Naima Mora!

San Francisco Art Institute (10 UN Building)

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First Thursdays Silicon Valley

Secret ingredients to a successful fashion App? America's Top Model--Naima Mora!

First Thursdays Silicon Valley

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