Each month, the 202Creates team invites the District's creatives and entrepreneurs to OCTFME's Southeast office to attend skill-building sessions & workshops, tinker in our Podcast and Photography Studios, get drop-in support for specific business or legal questions, share thoughts & experiences during roundtables, and more! See below for the full line-up of speakers & activities we have planned throughout the day.
DENISE CALDWELL is a multi-platform fashion influencer and style expert with more than a decade of experience styling Hollywood’s elite and consulting with commercial fashion and beauty brands. Her fashion expertise extends across broadcast, print and digital platforms. Caldwell’s style expert content ranges from finding unique style solutions to transforming everyday wardrobe essentials and bringing red-carpet trends from the runways to the streets. Denise’s motto of “Dress With Confidence™”, offers tips and tricks on how women can confidently enjoy fashion that is slimming, flattering, fabulous and accessible regardless of size or shape. Additionally, she has been featured in Fortune, Elle, Glamour, Huffington Post, Essence, SELF and regularly appears on Dr. OZ, Today Show, E! News, FOX and HLN.
Connect with ReThread DC and the DC Sustainable Fashion Collective to learn how to find out how sustainable the brands you support are, and how to bring a little sustainability into your brand.
Take a break from lunch and join DONNA OMOREGIE as she shares her FreeStyle App for the beauty freelancer and their clients. Anyone who needs a good stylist needs to check it out!
What is intellectual property (IP) law and how does it effect the fashion, beauty, and music businesses? Join JON PARTHUM from Cahn and Samuels for all the answers!
Get to know commentator, social innovator, and entrepreneur, BRANDON ANDREWS, who leads a nationwide casting tour focused on bringing more diverse ideas and voices to ABC’s hit show, Shark Tank. His experience brings together policy, strategy, fashion, and a unique expertise on entrepreneurial ecosystem while hosting hundreds of castings and pitch opportunities for Shark Tank.
Whether you are pitching your startup, describing your work as a creative, or outlining your new fashion or beauty line, being able to speak about what you do is essential. DC Fashion Commissioner, BRANDON ANDREWS, is here to provide feedback for your 90-second pitch. When pitching, think about the following: What do you do? What is your product? What problem does your product solve? Why do you do what you do? Why is what you do necessary? What is the market opportunity for what your skill or product? What kind of traction has your skill or product received so far? What do you want/what is your ask? (FYI - the ask doesn't have to be financial. Just think about what you want and what your call to action is.)
Experience a fashion photo shoot with Indie Fashion Week! Brands will be onsite to discuss their products and what they are looking for in their campaign shots. In this session, you'll see how models transfer their visions to film during a live photo shoot.
During the photo shoot, we encourage you to ask us (designers, beauty professionals, photographers, models, creative directors) questions AND participate in the shoot if you so desire!