On March 22, 2024, at The Times Center in New York, The Business of Fashion hosted the BoF Professional Summit on New Frontiers: AI, Digital Culture and Virtual Worlds. Watch on-demand now to learn from leaders at brands including LVMH, Calvin Klein, Norma Kamali, e.l.f. Beauty and Roblox.

We will delve into three key technology themes shaping the fashion and beauty industries this year:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Please find the full agenda and speaker lineup below.

BoF Professional Summit – New Frontiers: AI, Digital Culture and Virtual Worlds is made possible in part through our partners Ekimetrics, ZERO10 and The Invisible Collection.

BoF Professional Summit – New Frontiers: AI, Digital Culture and Virtual Worlds, March 22, 2024

The AI Imperative

1PM LONDON | 9AM NEW YORK

• How Algorithms Flattened Culture with Kyle Chayka, a New Yorker staff writer and author of the book “Filterworld”
• Generative AI: Putting the Powerful Technology to Use with Raghu Krishnananda, chief product and technology officer of Indian e-commerce giant Myntra, and Seda Domaniç, co-founder of Istanbul-based start-up Refabric
• Enhancing Visibility in Fashion’s Supply Chain with Namrata Sandhu, co-founder and chief executive at Vaayu, and Evan Smith, co-founder and chief executive at Altana
• Using Al to Create Customer Centric Business Strategies with Sona Abaryan, partner and global fashion & luxury sector lead at Ekimetrics
• Can Al Carry on a Designer’s Legacy? with Norma Kamali, founder of her namesake brand, and Cyril Foiret, founder and chief executive of Maison Meta

Digital Culture

3PM LONDON | 11AM NEW YORK

• How Calvin Klein Taps Into Culture with Jonathan Bottomley, global chief marketing officer at Calvin Klein
• The New Paradigm for Influencers with Chrissy Rutherford, creator, writer and co-founder of 2BG Consulting, and Katie Sturino, founder of Megababe
• Beauty’s Big Gaming Opportunity with Tian Pei, director of partnerships at Roblox, and Ekta Chopra, chief digital officer at e.l.f. Beauty

Virtual Worlds

4:30PM LONDON | 12:30PM NEW YORK

• Designing the Future in Virtual Reality with Joey Khamis, footwear designer at Khamis Studios
• LVMH: Reconciling the Physical-Digital Paradox with Nelly Mensah, vice president of digital innovation, head of crypto and metaverse at LVMH

Meet Our Speakers

Sona Abaryan is a partner and the global fashion and luxury Lead at data science firm Ekimetrics, where she helps brands understand their data, optimises their marketing mix strategies, and helps them find operational efficiencies through data science. As a key member of the Ekimetrics team, Abaryan has played a role in the company’s international growth, advancing its presence in London and, more recently, across the Americas from her base in Los Angeles.

Jonathan Bottomley is the global chief marketing officer at Calvin Klein, where he oversees all aspects of the brand’s marketing including its much talked-about campaigns including Jeremy Allen White’s and Jennie Dance’s recent spreads. He joined the company in 2022 having previously held roles at Ralph Lauren, Boll and Branch, Virtue and Bartle Bogle Hegarty. Bottomley holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Oxford.

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.

Dr. Seda Domanic is the co-founder and chairperson of Refabric, a generative AI software company that provides fashion companies with an AI design assistant. Domanic, who spent over a decade as the founding editor-in-chief of Vogue Turkey, has played a significant role in shaping the fashion landscape in the region. She has also served as a strategic consultant for fashion and luxury brands, is the editor-in-chief of the travel book series “Monday to Sunday Book” and is a regular contributor to international publications. She holds a bachelor in science degree in foreign service from Georgetown University, a master of arts in international economics from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in political science from Sabancı 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.

Raghu Krishnananda is the chief product and technology officer at Indian e-commerce company Myntra, where he leads its technology and product end-to-end functions. Krishnananda has over 25 years of experience in product development holding senior management positions in global companies including Samsung and Yahoo. He holds a masters in computer science from New Jersey Institute of Technology and a business management degree from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

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.

Chrissy Rutherford is a content creator and the founder of 2BG Consulting, an organisation that helps fashion and beauty brands implement anti-racist strategies in their brand communications. She also is the writer behind FWD JOY, a weekly newsletter dedicated to self-care and self-discovery. As a content creator, she’s worked with brands including J.Crew, Vince and Cartier. She also served as the host for two seasons of Maybelline’s mental health podcast, “I’m Fine, You?” where she interviewed mental health experts, influencers and celebrities to help destigmatise anxiety and depression. Previously, she served as the digital special projects director at Harper’s Bazaar.

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.

Katie Sturino is a body acceptance activist, content creator and the founder of MegaBabe, a body care label sold in Target and Walmart. Her regular content series include #SuperSizeTheLook, where she recreates celebrity fashion for her body type and #MakeMySize, where she takes brands to task for offering a limited size range. Both of which become viral hits on Instagram, where she has over 800,000 followers. In 2021, she published her first book, an illustrated workbook called “Body Talk.”