Fern Mallis
Fern Mallis | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 26, 1948 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Fashion executive, consultant |
| Years active | 1970s–present |
| Known for | Executive director of CFDA (1991–2001); founder of 7th on Sixth/New York Fashion Week; senior vice president at IMG Fashion (2001–2010) |
Fern Mallis (born March 26, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York) held the position of executive director at the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) from 1991 until 2001 and was the founder of 7th on Sixth, which later evolved into New York Fashion Week. From 2001 to 2010, she held the role of senior vice president at IMG Fashion. Presently, Mallis leads her global fashion and design consultancy, Fern Mallis LLC. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University at Buffalo.
Career
Mallis launched her professional journey after winning a guest editor contest at Mademoiselle while still in college, which resulted in a six-year full-time tenure with the publication.
In 1993, during her time at the CFDA under president Stan Herman, Mallis spearheaded the creation of 7th on Sixth, a unified fashion week event held in New York City's Bryant Park. When IMG acquired 7th on Sixth in July 2001, Mallis took on the role of Senior Vice President at IMG Fashion and played a key role in expanding Fashion Weeks internationally to cities including Miami, Los Angeles, Berlin, Moscow, Mumbai, Sydney, and Melbourne.
As IMG’s worldwide ambassador, she provided expertise on organizing fashion events across the globe and supported emerging designers through mentorship. Mallis frequently appeared across fashion media platforms and television programs such as America's Next Top Model, She's Got the Look, and participated in four seasons of Project Runway. Additionally, she was a regular weekly judge during Bravo’s inaugural season of The Fashion Show and served as consulting producer for that show as well as CW's ReModeled.
Throughout her CFDA leadership, Mallis orchestrated ten editions of the CFDA Fashion Awards Galas and contributed to launching initiatives like the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign along with fundraising efforts benefiting AIDS organizations and scholarship programs for designers.
She is among the founding board members of Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA), has served on the board of Partnership for the Homeless—where she helped develop the Furnish a Future initiative—and supported The Heart Truth’s Red Dress campaign aimed at raising awareness about women’s heart disease. In 2010, she chaired Sidewalk Catwalk, an outdoor showcase featuring mannequins designed by top designers positioned throughout New York’s Fashion District.
After departing IMG in 2010 to establish Fern Mallis LLC, she joined advisory boards including Robert Graham (New York) and Tara Jewels (Mumbai). Her consultancy work extends to Charleston Fashion Week and Seoul Fashion Week, while she has also acted as Executive Advisor to Concept Korea during New York Fashion Week. Mallis contributes to advisory panels such as Industrial Revolution II and participates on the Steering Committee for NYCxDesign Week.
Mallis hosts Fashion Icons w/ Fern Mallis, a conversation series held at the 92nd Street Y, where she interviews prominent figures like Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Tom Ford, Michael Kors, Diane von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, and Cindy Crawford. She also leads Fashion Insiders w/Fern Mallis broadcast on Sirius XM’s STARS channel. In 2012, she made her Off-Broadway debut in Love, Loss, and What I Wore and introduced a jewelry collection named FERN FINDS.
Awards
- American Apparel and Footwear Association's Fashion Maverick Award
- Concern Worldwide's Woman of the Year Leadership Award
- Fashion Chamber of Commerce State of Style Awards' Fashion Legacy Award
- Diversity Affluence Organization's Special Award
- Leadership Award granted by the Fashion Center BID
- 2012 Fashion Industry Lifetime Achievement Award from Pratt Institute, presented by designer Calvin Klein
- 2013 FIT President's Lifetime Achievement Award, received during the keynote commencement speech at the Fashion Institute of Technology
External links
- Fern Mallis LLC
- "Fashion Culture: Fashion Lives: Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis" from Archive on Demand