'Vogue' Announces Lineup for 2nd Forces of Fashion Conference

Rihanna and Hamish Bowles at the 2017 Vogue Forces of Fashion conference. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Last year, American Vogue extended its brand from its pages to real life by holding its first-ever conference in New York City. As one should expect from Vogue, which also handles star-studded events like the Met Gala, it was able to wrangle some top-tier industry icons, from John Galliano to Marc Jacobs to Rihanna. The first event set a high bar in terms of speakers, but its sophomore effort — taking place Oct. 11 at Milk Studios — sounds like it won't disappoint.
"We're thrilled [and] delighted to announce our second Forces of Fashion in New York on October 11th. Last year we enjoyed it a lot, and we learned a lot," said "indefinite" Condé Nast employee Anna Wintour in a statement provided to Fashionista. "This time round, we'll be discussing all of the positive and progressive changes going on in the fashion world; to focus on a moment when empowerment and creativity are really working together."
In a move that aptly reflects the undeniable fact that we're in a period of unprecedented change for the fashion industry and all that it represents, the theme of this year's event is Forces for Change. As such, the lineup will be made up of "disruptive figures" in the industry, from Clare Waight Keller to Ashley Graham to the designers of Eckhaus Latta, taking on such topics as women-led companies, runways that reflect reality and red carpet dressing. Again, the tickets will be $3,000.
"During a moment of tumultuous change, it's only right to celebrate those who are daring to do things differently, from the designers transforming haute couture from the inside out to the radicals reimagining street style; from the challengers upending the modeling industry to the women making their own rules about how to run their fashion businesses; from an environmentalist who brings business and activism together to the individualistic new stars of the red carpet," reads the press release.
Vogue is still in the process of announcing talent, but read on to see who's been confirmed so far for the eight panel discussions, and head here for tickets:
Banking Your Future on Couture and Street Cool
Pierpaolo Piccioli with Hamish Bowles
Don't Label Us: The Models Reflecting Today
Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Ashley Graham and Paloma Elsesser with Nicole Phelps
Moving In, Moving Up
Clare Waight Keller with Eva Chen
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The Runway Is Reality
Glenn Martens, Martine Rose, Rio Uribe, Yoon and Verbal with Chioma Nnadi
Don't Just Sell: Do Something
Neil Blumenthal and David Gilboa with Abby Aguirre
When Women Take Charge
Laura and Kate Mulleavy and Simone Rocha with Sally Singer
The Power Behind the Lens
Annie Leibovitz with Jonathan Van Meter
The Red Carpet the World Needs Now
Kate Young and Sienna Miller with Chloe Malle
Culture, Controversy and the Making of a Mega Hit
Andrew Bolton and Ryan Murphy
The Influencer's Influence
Kris Jenner with Sally Singer
Note: This post has been updated as additional speakers and panels are announced.
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