SYDNEY: New Zealand designer Annah Stretton rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in fashion during a high profile summit in New York last month.
The Morrinsville-based retailer and wholesaler, represented in Australia by Victoria Urgarte, was one of 150 leaders and strategists to attend the WWD/DNR CEO Summit headlined by the man responsible for building his own $4.3 billion apparel powerhouse, Ralph Lauren.
Other guests at the invitation-only event included Gucci CEO Mark Lee, J Crew CEO Millard "Mickey" Drexler and VF Corp CEO Mackey Macdonald.
Speaking on her return from the US, Stretton - who runs more than 30 retail stores and boasts more than 100 wholesale accounts both sides of the Tasman - said the opportunity to attend the seminar had been a dream come true.
"Rubbing shoulders with CEOs of international brands certainly helps you sharpen your game. Having such successful people on which to benchmark my performance has allowed me to set new exciting goals for my group of companies."
Stretton, who also appeared at Fashion Group International global conference in Sydney earlier this month, said her time at the conference had lead to the development of a strong network which would help her launch into the US market next year.
PIC: Wendell Teodoro