International designer Oscar de la Renta and Lord & Taylor CEO Jane Elfers to present Genet lectures at SU

International designer Oscar de la Renta and Lord & Taylor CEO Jane Elfers to present Genet lectures at SUApril 04, 2003Judy Holmesjlholmes@syr.edu

Internationally renowned designer Oscar de la Renta and Jane Elfers, president and CEO of Lord & Taylor, will present the next two Genet Lectures at Syracuse University. Both lectures are free and open to the public.

De la Renta will present “My Career as a Fashion Designer” April 9 at 11 a.m. in the Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium.

Elfers will speak April 10 at 3:30 p.m. in the Genet Auditorium, Room 108 of Slocum Hall.

De la Renta left his native Dominican Republic at age 18 to study painting at the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid. After an apprenticeship with Cristobal Balenciaga, he joined Antonio Castillo as a couture assistant at the house of Lanvin in Paris. De la Renta moved to New York City in 1963 to design the couture collection for Elizabeth Arden; two years later, he began his own signature ready-to-wear label, consisting of the Signature Collection and the Pink Label. To compliment those designs, he has added bags, belts, jewelry, lingerie, scarves, sleepwear and swimwear. For men, he licenses products, hosiery, sport coats, suits and trousers. He also has a home product design collection that includes furniture and home fragrance collections.

Among the honors and recognitions de la Renta has received for his work are the 1995 Living Legend Award from the American Society of Perfumes, the CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year Award for lifetime achievement and the Coty American Fashion Critic’s Award.

Elfers joined Lord & Taylor as a buyer in 1989 and quickly worked her way up the corporate ladder. By 1992, she was promoted to divisional vice president, was named executive vice president in 1999 and assumed her current position as president and CEO in June 2000. A 1983 graduate of Bucknell University, Elfers is recognized in the retailing industry as an innovative leader, who is ahead of the curve in identifying emerging trends and their potential impact. Elfers has implemented a plan to reposition Lord & Taylor in the marketplace by giving customers a more focused assortment of fashion brands. She continues to support the loyal customer base, but is also reaching out to a new generation of consumers by updating collections and introducing new fashion-forward proprietary brands.

She was named the 2002 Innovator of the Year by the Accessories Council and received a Women of Distinction award from the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York. Other honors include the Equal Opportunity Award from the National Organization of Women Legal Defense and Education Fund and the 2002 Outstanding Mother Award from the National Mother’s Day Committee.

The Sue Ann Genet Lecture Series is offered by SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts in conjunction with the Genet Gallery for costume, textiles and decorative arts. The series brings prominent speakers to the University from retailing, fashion and design.