VPA announces establishment of Shemin Family Lecture Series on the business of the fashion industry

VPA announces establishment of Shemin Family Lecture Series on the business of the fashion industryJanuary 14, 2008Erica Blustesblust@syr.edu

Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) has announced the establishment of the Shemin Family Lecture Series in the School of Art and Design’s fashion design program. The series, which will bring young alumni and other industry professionals to campus to meet with students and help them understand the business of fashion, was created with the generous support of Emanuel “Manny” Shemin ’52, an emeriti member of the SU Board of Trustees; his wife, Rhoda Zisman Shemin ’53; and the Shemins’ daughter, Leslie Shemin-Lester ’84.

A collaborative effort between VPA and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, the series’ focus on fashion and business promotes interdisciplinary study, an inherent part of SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor’s vision of Scholarship in Action.

“I realized that the series would be a good way to bridge the two areas and have successful alumni from both areas talk about their jobs and what they have learned,” says Manny Shemin.

The series will feature two guests each semester who will speak with sophomore and junior fashion design majors. The guests will have lunch with the students; give a presentation about their role in the industry, focusing in particular on the business element; and offer a critique or have a conversation with the students about the students’ projects. The series is also open to students majoring in retail management in the Whitman School. It is not open to the public.

“It’s important for students to understand what it is they have to do to prepare for a career in fashion design,” says Shemin-Lester. “It’s nice to be able to give them a fresh and current view of the industry.”

The first guest of the series is fashion design alumna Danna Weiss ’95, who will visit campus on Friday, Jan. 25. Weiss is a television host and eco life stylist whose ability to consistently forecast the future’s societal trends and convey them with wisdom, wit and style allows her to counsel everyone from celebrities and networks to Fortune 500 companies, on air and off.

Manny Shemin is a graduate of The College of Arts and Sciences. Rhoda Zisman Shemin is a graduate of VPA and past member of the college’s Advisory Council. Shemin-Lester is also a VPA alumna and a current member of the college’s Advisory Council.

The four-generation Shemin family tradition at SU also includes granddaughter Rachel Katz ’05, who graduated from VPA’s fashion design program and is a designer of accessories for the Armani Exchange, and grandson William Cass, who will graduate this year from the Whitman School. The family’s history of commitment to VPA and the University also includes Shemin Auditorium, located in the Shaffer Art Building.

For more information about the Shemin Family Lecture Series, contact Susan Tooley, VPA director of alumni relations, at (315) 443-4728 or sktooley@syr.edu.