Fashion Business iQ 2025: A week of immersive learning at the heart of the industry in New York City

From July 7 to 11, ISEM held a new edition of the Fashion Business iQ executive program in New York, bringing together a group of fashion industry professionals from different continents who traveled to the U.S. business capital for five days of intensive training and direct market experience attend

This intensive program, which combines classes with experts, visits to leading companies and group dynamics, has become a transformative experience for those who want to understand how business is done in the creative and commercial capital of fashion.

A unique format combining theory, internship and people

Over five days, participants attended sessions given by brand leaders from FARM Rio, Richemont group (including Chloé), Capri Holdings (Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo), Old Navy, IAMBIC, Lyssé and La Mer, and by academics from institutions such as Harvard Business School, Wharton, Boston University, NYU Stern and FIT. They discussed digital strategy, emotional retailing, creator Economics , international expansion models and the evolution of merchandising and platforms in the age of artificial intelligence.

Each session offered a complementary view on how brands must adapt to a global environment marked by technological transformation, cultural fragmentation and the urgency of connecting with consumers from an authentic and differential proposal .

 

A week to understand the present (and future) of the industry

From the outset, the focus was clear: to understand how artificial intelligence, new platforms, changes in consumer behavior and the transformation of the point of sale are redefining the fashion industry. All speakers offered solid conceptual frameworks for rethinking the business from strategy, branding and digital disruption.

An exceptional cloister

Each session brought a unique perspective. Thomaï Serdari (NYU Stern) opened the program by reflecting on the cultural role of luxury and analyzing the Tiffany case as an example of brand reinvention. Barry Horwitz (Boston University) offered models for translating vision into strategic action. Marc Beckman (DMA United + NYU Stern) invited us to enter the "Age of Imagination", where creativity and technology must coexist and shared practical tools to apply these technological advances in fashion.

Barbara Kahn (Wharton) broke down how brands gain relevance in a hypercompetitive marketplace, explaining her strategic model of retail's "four promises," while David Bell (Idea Farm Ventures) offered frameworks core topic for scaling DTC brands in an omnichannel world. Ann Cantrell (FIT) introduced the "Flow Fashion" model , integrating agility and intention, and Joshua Williams (Fashion Consort) invited the audience to think of retail as an emotional customer experience beyond the sale and analyzed how space, narrative and sensory experience become core topic factors to connect with today's consumer.

In addition, John Deighton analyzed the impact of creator Economics on fashion marketing, focusing on the loss of narrative control by brands and cases such as Shein as an example of radical efficiency.

 

An insider's view of the business

The industry spoke loud and clear. Ehren Jaleel-Wenrich (La Mer) showed how art direction builds desire from visual coherence. Maeve Wang (IAMBIC) presented her disruptive model of personalized footwear with AI, while Mahesha De Silva (Lyssé) offered a concrete roadmap for turning a digital strategy into real revenue, presenting practical tools and focusing on post-purchase automation, customer segmentation and personalization through AI. Later, Elizabeth Frees (Chloé, Richemont group ) explained how purpose and heritage merge into a brand's powerful narrative and Jessica Bonari and Laura Lee (Richemont) showed how team learning and talent development is a strategic lever in luxury groups.

Whitney Jordan (Old Navy, Gap Inc.) gave students a better understanding of the transition from the traditional product-led shopping and planning model to platform-led and marketplace strategies, emphasizing the use of AI, real-time data and omnichannel experiences. And Kevin Vuong (CAPRI Holdings: Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo) shared how store design becomes an immersive storytelling tool and how it impacts sales, and noted that it is important not to underestimate your consumer. "Merchant first, designer second" he said: aesthetics must be at the service of commercial objectives. Daniel Martinez (FARM Rio) detailed how to maintain local identity when scaling internationally and offered tips for global expansion. His recipe: intentional growth, subtle adaptations and consistency in the narrative.

A transforming experience

Beyond the content, something that made a difference was the chance to hear directly from those who are leading change, from inside their companies. Students visited the offices of Carolina Herrera, Calvin Klein and Altuzarra - sharing candid conversations with their teams. In the first, Rebecca Kita shared how luxury wholesale has evolved: it is no longer a simple transaction, but a strategic relationship based on partnership, exchange data and joint planning with each retailer. At Altuzarra, we spoke with its President, Marta Lastra (ISEM alumni) about product and value chain development in an independent brand with a global vocation. On the other hand, Benoît Tordeur (Calvin Klein) shared how the visual experience is managed in different regions and channels, and the importance of maintaining global coherence with local flexibility. "It's magic and logic. The most successful know how to do both," he noted.

The students were also able to explore Printemps' immersive experience at its New York store on Wall Street, whose visit was the starting point for Joshua Williams ' session on cultural codes, architecture as narrative and the differences between U.S., European and Latin American consumers.

 

A bridge between Europe and the United States

After all this experience, the 2025 edition of Fashion Business iQ consolidates itself as a strategic bridge for talent in the fashion business.

The program not only allowed attendees to learn first-hand about the dynamics of the U.S. market, but also to reflect on the role of creative leadership, the need for strategic agility and the importance of training talent capable of anticipating and acting in the face of disruption. An intensive week of strategic immersion and global vision, deeply, with applied learning in one of the most demanding and dynamic markets in the world, to understand - from the inside - how success in the fashion industry is built today.