The Rise of Beauty and Fashion Tech

NOTE: You MUST RSVP in the Meetup with your FULL NAME for admission to this event. Anyone not providing a full name and matching identification on the day of may not be admitted.

In the past few years, we’ve seen a massive growth of beauty and fashion technology. As more and more consumers demand accessibility, sustainability, and personalization, digital-first companies and tech startups have emerged to democratize and disrupt this massive industry. Join us as we discuss the rise of beauty and fashion technology with product leaders who've greatly contributed to the movement. Refreshments will be provided, and, as always, all genders and product job families are welcome!

Speakers:

Jan-Niklas Kokott (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jankokott/), Head of User Experience, Glossier (https://www.glossier.com/)

Jan is the Head of User Experience at Glossier and runs the beauty brand's design and research teams. Prior to that he was Glossier's Head of Product & Customer Insight. In 2017 he was named Forbes 30 under 30 in the category Marketing. Jan is originally from Berlin and based in New York City.

Chaya Cooper (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chayacooper), Chief Product Officer & Founder, Click2Fit (http://www.click2fit.com/)

Chaya Cooper is the Chief Product Officer and Founder of Click2Fit, which is creating the first automated and scalable expert recommendation system enabling retailers to quickly and accurately recommend clothing you'll love, that flatters and fits.

Chaya started out in fashion tech 18 years ago, when her experience on Bloomingdale’s buying team, combined with her own difficulties shopping and a desire to make it easy for women to find clothing that makes them look and feel great, inspired her to launch her first company, and pioneer the concept of mass-customizing clothing by body type. That experience led her to realize that many of the consumers’ pain points and industry inefficiencies could be addressed by making it easier for shoppers to find the needle in the haystack. And the idea for Click2Fit was born.

Chaya is a two-time fashion tech entrepreneur, a long-time strategy and product development consultant, and a self-taught full stack developer. She serves as an adviser and mentor to other female founders and women in tech through Dreamers // Doers (http://www.dreamersdoers.me/), and has been featured on CNBC’s “Power Lunch” and in AlleyWatch’s “Women in NYC Tech”.

Kate Devine (https://www.linkedin.com/in/devinecatherine/), Product Manager, Vogue, Condé Nast (http://www.condenast.com/)

Kate is a product manager at Vogue and works closely with engineering, design, and editorial to bring the brand to life across all of its digital properties. Prior to Vogue, Kate was on the product development team at Estée Lauder and was a digital editor at Allure. She recently completed her MBA in management and strategy at NYU’s Stern School of Business. Kate is originally from Buffalo and is now based in New York City.

Christine Park (https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-park-6119353/), Co-Founder, Shop Sailo (http://shopsailo.com/)

Christine Park, a native New Yorker, has played vital roles in the fashion industry as a mentor in the CFDA Incubator program and by developing brands such as Time’s Arrow, Steven Alan, Rogan, Loomstate and Housing Works. Park began her career as a buyer at Steven Alan, evolving the men’s and women’s collections, and building the brand’s retail business. Then as director of operations for Housing Works, she re-invented the New York thrift store into a shopping destination for discovering vintage and modern designer furnishings. Park was COO of Rogan, the CFDA Fashion Fund Award-winning sportswear designer and most recently as creative director / ceo, she launched Time’s Arrow, a luxury hand bag collection. Now as co-founder, of Sailo, Park brings her deep knowledge of creative and commerce into retail technology.

Kelsey Conophy (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelseyconophy/), Senior Product Manager, Rent the Runway (https://www.renttherunway.com/shop/rent_my_style_hp_landing)

Kelsey Conophy is a Senior Product Manager at Rent the Runway, focusing on building and scaling the unique, just-in-time logistics systems that create Cinderella moments for RTR customers every day. Previously she was the product lead for the Membership team at Birchbox where she launched the company's new women's subscription offering, Birchbox Select, among other personalization and customization offerings for customers. Prior to Birchbox she was the Founder of WorkZeit and Featherlight, two startups focused on improving how companies hire and develop top performers, based on behavioral neuroscience. To add to her diverse background, she studied Design & Management at Parsons, School for Design, where she discovered how to formalize her study of systems design, driven by her insatiable need to solve complex problems.

Details:

• Date: Monday, September 18th, 2017
• Time: 6:30-8:30pm
• Location: Conde Nast, 222 Broadway, 17th Floor, New York NY
• Event: Doors open (30 minutes), panel (one hour), Q&A and networking (30 minutes)

Thanks so much,
Preety, Marisa, Caroline, & Kate

Mission: Voices of Product seeks to inspire, provoke and teach by showcasing women and diversity in product development and by creating an inclusive environment in which to share and learn from each other’s experiences around relevant product development topics.

Vision: We envision a world in which product organizations hire, equip and recognize women and diversity in product development roles, in such a way that they are visible decision-makers and leaders at all levels of an organization.

About Sponsor: This event is kindly sponsored by Condé Nast. Condé Nast is a leading media company with brands and mediums including Allure, Wired, and The New Yorker.