Learn from LVMH, Norma Kamali and Roblox at The BoF Professional Summit

There is less than a week left to purchase your Early Bird ticket to join us at The Times Center, New York on March 22, 2024 for the BoF Professional Summit – New Frontiers: AI, Digital Culture and Virtual Worlds.

Together with global business leaders, technologists and creative innovators, our half-day programme of provocative talks and in-depth conversations with leaders from LVMH, Norma Kamali, Timberland, e.l.f. Beauty and Roblox will delve into the transformative power of generative AI and other disruptive technologies set to impact the fashion and beauty industries this year.

Click here to purchase your ticket before February 14 to secure your place at the Early Bird rate of just $495 — saving $200 on the full ticket price.

What You Will Learn

SESSION 1: The AI Imperative — Learn how the rapid advance of artificial intelligence is reshaping fashion, from enabling traceability in the supply chain to transforming how shoppers find and buy clothes.

How Algorithms Changed Culture: Much of what we see online today is mediated by algorithms, from the videos in our TikTok feeds to the products recommended by retailers like Amazon. Kyle Chayka, a New Yorker staff writer and author of the book “Filterworld,” explores how this web of algorithms is influencing consumer tastes and reshaping culture.

Can AI Deliver Supply Chain Transparency?: AI start-ups are allowing brands to fill in data gaps on topics like emissions and forced labour by extracting information from public records. Namrata Sandhu, co-founder & chief executive at Vaayu, and Evan Smith, co-founder & chief executive at Altana will dive into the problems they aim to solve, as well as share potential solutions.

Can AI Carry on a Designers Legacy?: Generative AI is giving designers a way to use their archives to keep producing new designs, even after they’ve left the company. Norma Kamali, founder of her namesake brand, and Cyril Foiret, founder and chief executive of Maison Meta will lift the lid on the AI tool primed to continue Kamali’s legacy.

More talks to be confirmed.

SESSION 2: Digital Culture — Understand how online culture is evolving and influencing the ways brands reach their audiences, craft their identities and create deep, meaningful relationships with their fandoms.

Beauty’s Big Opportunity in Gaming: Roblox is becoming a new hot spot for beauty brands looking to connect with the next generation of shoppers. Justine Higueras, global group director for beauty at Roblox, and Ekta Chopra, chief digital officer at e.l.f. Beauty will explore the influence of Roblox with beauty consumers, and share their thoughts on why it’s a compelling place for brands to establish a presence.

BoF Brand Magic Index Reveal: Hear the latest insights from BoF Insights and Quilt.AI from our index examining if customers see a brand the same way a brand sees itself. The Index quantifies and ranks 50 global luxury and fashion labels using AI-driven analysis of tens of thousands of social media posts by brands and their customers.

More talks to be confirmed.

SESSION 3: Virtual Worlds — As companies like Apple and Meta introduce new products that can add a digital layer on top of the physical world, explore the opportunities available in areas from design to marketing.

Digital Innovation at LVMH: Technology is reshaping how luxury businesses operate internally and interact with their customers. Nelly Mensah, vice president of digital innovation, head of crypto and metaverse at LVMH will discuss what new frontiers of computing will mean for the way fashion and luxury brands interact with customers.

Designing in Virtual Reality: VR is finding its place in footwear as a design tool, letting brands work with genuinely three-dimensional models. Chris McGrath, vice president of product design and innovation at Timberland, and Joey Khamis, footwear designer at Khamis Studios, will unpack their use of VR for footwear design and examine how the technology could be adopted at a wider scale in the years ahead.

More talks to be confirmed.

Click here to purchase your ticket before February 14 to secure your place at the Early Bird rate of just $495 — saving $200 on the full ticket price.

Meet Our Speakers

Kyle Chayka is a staff writer for The New Yorker covering technology and culture on the Internet. His work has also appeared in The New Republic, the New York Times Magazine, and Harper’s, among other publications. His reporting on tourism in Iceland was included in “The Best American Travel Writing 2020.” Chayka’s first nonfiction book, “The Longing for Less,” a history of minimalism, was published in 2020. His second book, “Filterworld,” which explores the impact of digital algorithms on culture, was published in 2024.

Ekta Chopra is the chief digital officer at E.l.f Beauty, a company she joined in January 2016. In this role, Chopra is responsible for the digital transformation of the brand, including reinvigorating e-commerce, engineering, consumer technologies and cyber security. She also leads E.l.f Beauty’s efforts to increase the label’s digital footprint across the globe. Prior to joining E.l.f, Chopra worked at the James Irvine Foundation developing technological strategies for investment portfolios. She has over 20 years of technology experience having spent a bulk of her career working private equity as well as for retail companies, including Charming Charlie where she held the role of vice president of technology. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in technology and operations management from California Polytechnic State University.

Cyril Foiret is the founder and creative director of Maison Meta, a generative AI creative studio which launched the first AI Fashion Week. At Maison Meta, Foiret is charged with creating generative AI marketing campaigns for brands such as Moncler, L’Oréal and Victoria’s Secret. Maison Meta also consults for companies including Google and Mango. Foiret began his career as a stylist in Paris. He later moved to Los Angeles to launch digital lifestyle publication Trendland and served as the creative director of UX/UI at Trendland for over 10 years.

Justine Higueras is the global group director of beauty at Roblox, where she and her team create new ecosystems to help beauty companies scale their presence on the platform. Higueras also oversees the consumer packaged goods and QSR verticals at the company. Prior to joining Roblox, Higueras held roles at Pinterest where she led West Coast partnerships with technology and telecommunications companies like Google, Apple and Microsoft. She also held roles at TikTok where she worked with key technology partners managing business and creative strategies.

Norma Kamali is a fashion designer and founded her namesake label in 1967. Kamali is known for creating the Sleeping Bag Coat, the High Heeled Sneaker, and is credited as one of the first designers to popularise the Shoulder Pad in the 1980s. Many of Kamali’s designs are part of the collections at national museums, including The Smithsonian National Museum of American History and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has won numerous awards including an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, the Fashion Institute of Technology, a Coty Award, the CFDA Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award. Kamali is also an author, and her book “I Am Invincible” was published in 2021. Kamali’s interest in technology has been evident throughout her career, from her training on a UNIVAC computer in 1964, to establishing herself as the first designer to create an online store on eBay. Her interest in AI has led to a collaboration with Maison Meta, where they are creating an AI tool that replicates her creative thought process to continue her legacy.

Joey Khamis is an independent footwear designer and the founder of footwear design studio Khamis Studio. Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, Khamis Studio uses virtual reality 3D visualisation to design shoes. Prior to founding Khamis Studio, Khamis worked as a footwear designer at Columbia Sportswear and Reebok where he designed the Cardi B Classic Leather sneaker.

Chris McGrath is the vice president of product design and innovation at Timberland where he works closely with the brand’s merchandising and development teams in footwear and apparel. Some of McGrath’s achievements at Timberland include the creation of the brand’s in-house design and maker space called ‘The Shed,’ which opened in 2022. The space’s mission is to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation and speed up the ideation process. Prior to joining Timberland, McGrath held design positions at Musto, Puma, Clarks, Nike, Speedo and Pentland Brands. He holds a bachelor of technology degree in product design from Pontypridd Art College and a master of design degree in consumer product design from Coventry University.

Nelly Mensah is the vice president of digital innovation and the head of the crypto and metaverse departments at LVMH. In this role, Mensah, drives the education and adoption of emerging technologies such as web3, generative AI and immersive experiences across the group’s 75 labels. Prior to joining LVMH, Mensah worked as a developer and user experience designer and has consulted a number of companies, start-ups and nonprofits on digital strategy. She holds a Master’s in business administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Namrata Sandhu is the co-founder and chief executive of Vaayu, an automated software platform that allows retailers to track and cut carbon and environmental impact in real-time. Born in Mumbai, India, her 20-year career includes time at retailer companies the Arcadia Group and Zalando — experiences that led her to want to find a way to fill the critical gap in the market for a real-time, impact-tracking tool to speed up reduction at scale. Her goal with Vaayu is to put environmental impact at the forefront of decision-making and empower retailers to avoid 1 gigaton of carbon use by 2030. Sandhu was the 2023 winner of the Reuters Sustainability Trailblazer Award and was listed in TechRound’s Top BAME 50 Under 50 Entrepreneurs 2022 as well as EU Startups Most Influential Women in the Startup and Venture Capital Space. Vaayu currently works with over 60 global brands including Klarna, Vinted, Veja, New Balance, Axel Arigato, Missoma, Ace & Tate, Asket, Lestrange, Otrium and Wunderman Thompson Commerce.

Evan Smith is the co-founder and chief executive of Altana Technologies. Altana Technologies uses public and non-public data to create a map of the global supply chain, helping organisations build more secure and sustainable paths towards globalisation. Prior to founding Altana, Smith has been a founder, investor, and leader in several supply chain, clean technology, and data businesses. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Yale University.