THE INSIDE SCOOP ON OUR INAUGURAL SUMMIT.
THIS YEAR’S DEFINING METRICS
AND SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS…
The success of DBFS would not be possible without the help of our sponsors. Thank you to all of the brands that made our inaugural summit possible.
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Our culture panel featured Heidi Zak, fonder of Third Love, Jamie Okuma founder of Jamie Okuma, TJ walker, founder of cross colors, and was moderated by Amanda Grant from Conde Nast.
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For our Lunch & Learn event component, Chloe Songer, Songer, founder of Super Circle and ThousandFell to spoke in person, while guests enjoyed Zweli's catered lunch. In 2019, Songet embarked on her mission to revolutionize the fashion world with a circular future. Wishing to create a pair of sneakers that were not only fashionable but also entirely recyclable, Songer co-founded Thousand Fell, a company that sells recyclable sneakers. Made from materials like yoga mats, food waste, vegan leather, recycled rubber, and even sugar cane, this zero-waste footwear can be seen on the shelves of prominent retailers including Bloomingdale’s, Madewell, and Zappos. Committed to a future of circularity, Songer’s company has raised $4.7 million in funding as it continues to redefine the future of fashion.
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Keynote speaker, Rebekah McCabe, the General Manager of Fashion at Chanel shared with us her insights on breaking in to the fashion industry, highlighting the key aspects and values of working at a luxury fashion house.
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Our culture panel featured Bruce and Glen proctor, founders of BRUCEGLEN, Vanessa Barboni Halik, founder of ANOTHER TOMORROW, and was moderated by Cassel Ferere of Forbes.
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Our second keynote speaker, Ramy Sharp, founder of Ramy Brook, shared with us her insights on how she broke into the fashion industry after she noticed a gap in women's fashion - a lack of high-quality tops and blouses at a contemporary price point. Guiding listeners through her journey from finding a manufacturer, to selling her pieces at trunk shows, to Bergdorf Goodman, and to her very own store on New York's famed Madison avenue, DBRS attendees got the full scoop.
SPEAKERS & PANELS
On Thursday, April 11, we welcomed guests to the Sarah P. Duke Gardens for our inaugural launch party. Including a fashion show, featuring 7 designers — Ramy Brook, Bleu Story, Urban Jungle, POOR DAD, Bull Dreams Collide, Outlyer Effect, and Melis H. The fashion show was accompanied by an on-site DJ, and fully catered Hors D'oeuvres. We invited guests to interact with other creatives through engaging event activations, including a live tote-bag screen-printing station, a photo booth, and a live sketch artist illustrating guest’s outfits. To close off a successful launch event, we also hosted a raffle with all proceeds going to our philanthropy partner, Dress For Success. The winners took home a Hermes Scarf, Kate Spade Purses, and a $150 Gorjana gift. Finally, guests were sent off with Goodie bags featuring graciously sponsored products from leading beauty and wellness brands. See our Day 1 photo gallery here.
DAY 1: AN ELEGANT AFFAIR
APRIL 11 2024
APRIL 13 2023
On Thursday, April 13th, we welcomed guests to the main event — our innagural summit in partnership with the Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship department, at the Fuqua Business School Bullpen. Following opening remarks by founders Sophia Yassinger, Gabby Perry, and Nina Venter, the summit began. In a hybrid format, we hosted in live zoom panels with as well as engaging in-person speakers from experts in the fashion industry. See our impressive list of speakers here. Guests received catered lunch from Zweli’s and Juice Keys, two local Durham businesses central to the Duke community. See our day 2 photo gallery here.