Ian Gerard (he/him) is the co-founder of The Curio (2022-), a fashion events organization with a mission to "bring together and champion the Chicago fashion industry, and to showcase and elevate the best local fashion talent". [1] He was also the co-founder of Gen Art and was the company's CEO (1997-2010). [2] Gerard also founded Syndicate-5 [3] and worked for IVY, as its chief partnership officer. [4]
Gerard first attended Vassar College after which he attended NYU School of Law. In 1993, he founded Gen Art with his brother, Stefan Gerard. [5] Gen Art focused on producing fashion shows for emerging designers, film festivals for independent film-makers, exhibitions for visual artists, live music productions and custom programs. [6] [7] It was described by the New York Times as such: "With an advisory committee of blue-chip artists, press representation to rival any profit-making organization, a promotional video that could have been the trailer to the film 'Reality Bites' and a phalanx of no-nonsense assistants at the tables by the door, it was perhaps the most professionally run event for a fledgling charity in the history of civilization". [8] During his tenure, the company opened additional offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami, and produced over 100 events each year. [9] The company showcased talent including Jennifer Lawrence, Zac Posen, Adrian Grenier, Rooney Mara, Rebecca Taylor, Zoe Saldana and Jeremy Renner [10] as well as visual artists including Gary_Baseman and Dalek (James Marshall). [11]
In May 2010, Gen Art shut temporarily due to the economic ramifications of the great recession. [7] It was sold to Sandow Media and relaunched in January 2011 [12] with Gerard acting as a consultant until his departure in March 2012. [3]
In October 2011 Gerard founded Syndicate-5, [3] a lifestyle consultancy that claimed to help align brands with consumers through their arts & entertainment interests. Clients included Cadillac who presented the music and fashion program called "Sound Waves" in Montauk [13] and the IVY Innovator Awards. [14] Additionally, they launched the inaugural "Underground Fashion Weekend" [15] in partnership with their client, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau's Office of Film, Music, and Entertainment, a three day fashion event including industry leaders Nicole Miller, Nina Garcia, and Susan Bartsch. [16] [17]
In the fall of 2017, Gerard joined his client, IVY - The Social University, for whom he had consulted since its launch in the spring of 2013. He became its Chief Partnership Officer overseeing partnerships, external communications, and its content division, IVY Media. [18] Gerard secured partnerships with brands including The Macallan. [19]
Gerard's most recent venture is with The Curio, co-founding it [20] in January of 2022 with entrepreneur Matt Woodburn and quickly including fashion designer and writer, Maggie Gillette. [1] The organization has produced multiple events in Chicago including their launch party, [20] "Fashion Holiday Soiree", [21] "Panel Discussion on Fashion & The Metaverse", [22] and multiple "Fashion Socials". [23] Their most notable event was "A Celebration of Chicago Style" which was co-hosted by Nigel Barker and Cynthia Rowley, and showcased designs by Maria Pinto along with emerging Chicago designers as well. [24] [25] [26]
Gerard has been mentioned in various publications including Crains New York Business "40 Under 40" [2] In 2005, Gerard was personally asked to join Klaus Schwab's "World Economic Forum of Young Global Leaders" [27] in preparation for Schwab's Great Reset and Build Back Better campaigns.
Isaac Mizrahi is an American fashion designer, actor, singer, television presenter and chief designer of the Isaac Mizrahi brand for Xcel Brands. Based in New York City, he is best known for his eponymous fashion lines. Mizrahi was previously a judge on Project Runway All Stars. In 2022 he played Amos Hart in the long-running Broadway revival of Chicago.
Las Olas Boulevard is a major east-west thoroughfare in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States that runs from SW 1st Avenue in the Central Business District to Florida State Road A1A in Fort Lauderdale Beach. The name "Las Olas" means "The Waves" in Spanish. The road once carried the designations of State Road A1A Alt. and State Road 842.
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Cynthia Rowley is an American fashion designer, known for her books, television appearances and "flirty" and "carefree" women's clothing designs.
Timothy MacKenzie Gunn is an American author, academic, and television personality. He served on the faculty of Parsons School of Design from 1982 to 2007 and was chair of fashion design at the school from August 2000 to March 2007, after which he joined Liz Claiborne as its chief creative officer. Over 16 seasons, Gunn has become well known as the on-air mentor to designers on the reality television program Project Runway. Gunn's popularity on Project Runway led to two spin-off shows; Bravo's Tim Gunn's Guide to Style and Lifetime's Under the Gunn, as well as five books. In addition to being an executive producer, Gunn has served as mentor for the teen designers on Project Runway: Junior. He also provides the voice of Baileywick, the castle steward in the Disney Junior television show Sofia the First and narrated the sitcom Mixology.
Gen Art is an arts and entertainment organization that showcases emerging fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians and visual artists. It has produced over 100 events annually, which included fashion shows, film premieres and screenings, live music and art receptions and tours. Gen Art's offices are located in New York City and Los Angeles and since 2014, the company has been headed up by Keri Ingvarsson and a small team of private investors. Previous offices have included San Francisco, Miami and Chicago.
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Rochas is a fashion, beauty, and perfume house founded in 1925 by French designer Marcel Rochas, the first designer of 2/3-length coats and skirts with pockets and one of the two designers, along with Elsa Schiaparelli, who launched the fashion for padded shoulders in 1931. Rochas had been known primarily for its signature perfume, "Femme," which was packaged in a pink box with black lace.
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA), founded in 1962 by publicist Eleanor Lambert, and headquartered in Manhattan, is a not-for-profit trade association comprising a membership of over 450 American fashion and accessory designers. The organization promotes American designers' participation in the global economy.
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Adidas Originals is a brand of a line of casual and sportswear created by German multinational corporation Adidas. It consists of a heritage line, specializing in athletic shoes, t-shirts, jackets, bags, sunglasses and other accessories.
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Ivy Ross is an American business executive, jewelry designer, and, since July 2016, vice president of hardware design at Google. She has worked at Google since May 2014; prior to being appointed VP of hardware design, she led the Google Glass team at Google X. Ross's metal work in jewelry design is in the permanent collections of 12 international museums, including the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. One of few recognized fine artists to successfully cross over into the business world, Ross is also a keynote speaker and a member of several boards, and has been hailed as a “creative visionary” by the art world. In February 2019 she was named one of the 15 Most Powerful Women at Google by Business Insider. In July 2019 she was named #9 on Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business. Ivy is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling book Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us with Susan Huganir Magsamen. This book shares the science behind humanities birthright - to make and behold art and its power to amplify physical and mental health, learning and build stronger communities.
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William "Bill" Helburn was an American fashion and advertising photographer, best known for images published in magazines including Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Life, Town and Country, Esquire and Charm. Over the course of his career, Helburn won more than 46 professional awards for magazine and television ads. He died in November 2020 at the age of 96.
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