FAB: Fashion and Beauty Brands Making it in Tech

Hosted in collaboration with the Fashion and Beauty Tech (FAB) Community, this event at Istituto Marangoni Miami (IMM) will explore how cutting-edge technologies like augmented reality, AI, and social media analytics are reshaping the fashion and beauty industries. Join us for an insightful panel discussion on the intersection of fashion, beauty, and technology in Miami, featuring industry leaders Haniff Brown, Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, and Cristina Nuñez, moderated by IMM faculty member and entrepreneur Mitali Saxena.

The evening will kick off with a panel discussion in IMM’s 4th floor open classroom space, where speakers will share their expertise and the latest trends and innovations driving the industry. Following the panel, there will be a Q&A session, offering the audience a chance to engage with the experts. The event will conclude with a networking opportunity on the 5th floor’s Edicola and terrace, ice-breaking hors d’oeuvres and refreshments to ease the mingling with professionals from the fashion, beauty, and tech sectors.

Alexandra is best known professionally as Co-Founder of ecommerce sensation, Gilt, which grew to $650M+ in revenue within 5 years of its launch and sold to Hudson’s Bay Corporation. She was also Co-Founder of beauty services leader GLAMSQUAD, as well as a closet organizing and styling company Fitz, which sold to Tradesy the peer-to-peer luxury ecommerce company.

Today, Alexandra is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of growth equity fund called Clerisy, investing in consumer and techsumer companies. Alexandra has been an avid angel investor and/or advisor to 80+ consumer tech companies including Rent the Runway, The Mirror, Carbon38, Tula and Bubble to name a few.

Alexandra is an active champion of female founders and the co-author of New York Times bestseller, “By Invitation Only: How We Built Gilt and Changed the Way Millions Shop”.

Don’t hold it against Alexandra that she is a double H – Harvard B.A. and MBA. Alexandra’s humility is disarming, especially when she speaks to you in your native language (of which she speaks five).

Alexandra is a relentless consumer, forever testing new platforms and products. When she is not analyzing a new consumer concept, Alexandra can be found on the tennis court, and not missing her New York roots as she soaks up sunshine with her husband and two kids in their new Miami digs.

Haniff Brown is the Founder and CEO of FIT:MATCH.ai, a groundbreaking technology that scans bodies to provide exact measurements, revolutionizing the consumer experience for major brands like Macy’s and Levi’s. Based in Miami, Florida, Haniff is a first-generation Jamaican immigrant passionate about transforming the retail landscape through innovative AR and AI technologies. With a background in Mathematics and Psychology from Williams College and over a decade of experience in retail investment banking and private equity at Credit Suisse and Freeman Spogli, Haniff launched FIT:MATCH in early 2018.

Under his leadership, the company has partnered with notable brands like Savage X Fenty and Fabletics, helping them scale through cutting-edge fit technology. In his free time, Haniff enjoys soccer, spending time with his family, and staying active in the fast-paced startup scene.

With over 15 years of experience in the consumer products industry, Cristina Nuñez is a brand investor and leader with a passion for building and growing emerging and entrepreneurial businesses into enduring brands. She co-founded True Beauty Ventures, a venture capital firm dedicated to finding, partnering with, and scaling early growth stage brands exclusively in beauty, personal care, and wellness.

As a Co-Founder and General Partner, Cristina leverages her expertise and network in the beauty and wellness sector to identify, evaluate, and support promising founders and companies with the potential to disrupt the market and create value for consumers and investors. She also serves as a board member or observer for several portfolio companies, contributing to their strategic, operational, and financial decisions, and helping them navigate the challenges and opportunities of scaling their businesses.

Mitali Saxena is an entrepreneur, TEDx speaker and fashion technology strategy leader with a proven track record of building and scaling fashion tech startups from zero to multi-million-dollar businesses.

Frustrated by the fashion industry's beauty standards, Mitali founded Fashom, a fashion tech startup in Miami. Currently, she's launching a B2B SaaS platform using AI/ML to help retailers reduce returns and manage inventory. With expertise spanning machine learning, data analytics, strategy, operations, product development, marketing, and Web3 technologies (Blockchain, NFT, and Metaverse), Mitali excels in establishing teams, functions, and processes that scale alongside company hypergrowth.

As an IMM faculty member, she brings her vast experience and insights to guide the discussion on the evolving roles of fashion, beauty, and technology in today’s marketplace.

Host or Publisher Istituto Marangoni Miami