Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles

When Henry Rich was writing his senior thesis on beauty in the everyday, he wondered how he was ever going to parlay this into a serious career. Who was going to hire a Harvard philosophy major meets musician who had never taken a business course in his life? How could he combine his creative life with any kind of success?

The answers were actually pretty obvious: Only Henry would hire himself and success would follow. With the help of Jeremy Kahn, longtime friend Eric Lybeck and now world-famous designer as well as www.number27.org founder, Jon Harris, they were able to bring to life the company that “makes everyday products beautiful.”

After parting ways to attend their respective Universities, Eric and Henry reunited to form Oral Fixation in late 2002. The idea sparked during Henry’s stint working at a wine shop in Princeton, New Jersey, where he met Jeremy. Jeremy, an avid smoker at the time, excused himself for one of his cigarette breaks with the parting words, “I’m off to serve my oral fixation.” When Jeremy returned from his break Henry remarked what a good name “Oral Fixation” would be for a mint company.

This led these young men to research mint production, factories and distribution centers ultimately leading to the creation of Oral Fixation mints, LLC. The creation of the mints alone would not satisfy the appetite of these men; their passion for music would not disappear. Creating their own company, and serving as their own boss, allowed time for music and continuation of their band, Rich & Royal. As a matter of fact, the creation of Oral Fixation not only allowed, but also promoted, the advancement of the band. Over the past few years they have been able to take business trips and bring the band to tour at the same time – last year in Seattle, this year in Berlin. Making music isn’t that different from consumer products, according to Henry, if it’s not going to be very good, people won’t dig it. Being a young entrepreneur himself, Henry decided to hire fresh creative minds all under the age of 30 to keep the brand and the products as young and hip as possible.

The road from bloom to bottle has been a remarkable journey for Summersent founder, Marjorie Kitzrow; part poet, part muse, part fragrance visionary . The fragrance concept grew out of a dinner conversation in June 2003, when a friend described a mysterious fragrant blossom in her garden. After Kitzrow smelled the fairytale bloom at the Chicago Botanic Garden, the name and vision of the Summersent brand immediately came to her mind.

Kitzrow created Marjorie Midgarden Fragrances, an independent prestige fragrance company out of Evanston, Illinois and after three years of development debuted the Summersent fragrance and brand.

With over 30 years of experience in brand marketing for companies on a national and international level, such as Citibank and Reuters, Kitzrow’s in-depth expertise as a marketing strategist, designer and writer has allowed her to conceptualize and orchestrate branding campaigns, product launches and market positioning programs, earning her reputation as an image maker and revenue builder.

Her background, coupled with her experience as an entrepreneur, puts her in a prime position to handle the creative, marketing, sales and operational challenges inherent to a new business venture into fragrance. Kitzrow has accessed a lean and effective team of trusted vendors to produce the Summersent collection, including her creative and production professional team with whom she’s worked with for over 20 years.

Kitzrow’s marketing principles remain attuned to the soul of the buyer, the part of the consumer that recognizes something unusual, awakens the imagination, and encourages a step into a dream. So it stands to reason that the zenith of Marjorie’s long and creative career should come in the form of her own fragrance of a dream: Summersent.

Summersent is available at Takashimaya NYC, Von Maur stores, and www.vonmaur.com.

Amanda Che knows that the right accessory makes the outfit. She understands that a smart belt or tote can make even the most basic jeans & top combo into a stylish ensemble. This is why she created the A.Ché collection of handbags and accessories, which combine luxurious leather and unique detailing to create pieces that both timeless and fashion forward.

Amanda Che’s love of fashion and entrepreneurial drive was apparent early on. At the age of five, Amanda launched her first business selling handmade teddy bears to her neighbors. A Southern California native, Amanda is the oldest of four sisters, and comes from a family invested in the fashion industry. Amanda learned first hand about the industry from her parents who own a lingerie and swimwear manufacturing business. She received her formal training at the FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising) in Los Angeles and began working on the debut A.Ché collection after graduation.

Amanda traveled around the world before finding artisans in Thailand with the skilled handiwork necessary to create the signature knot detailing of the A.Ché line. All A.Ché products are adorned with a logo plate decorated with Swarovski crystals and are hand sewn in Thailand using silky soft deerskin leather. Deerskin is an extremely smooth leather that is flexible and lightweight, but durable, rendering A.Ché’s handbags, wallets, and belts as soft as silk.

Inspired by the sensuous Marilyn Monroe, the womanly Sophia Loren, and the elegant Audrey Hepburn, the Fall 2007 A.Ché collection offers the right handbag and accessory to match every occasion and mood.

You can see the complete collection from A.Che at www.a-che.com

A self proclaimed "product junkie," Cheri Tracy started out collecting and testing cosmetics at an early age. From her humble beginnings as the president of the Lip Smacker Club in the first grade to her present position at Urban Apothecary, she has an insatiable appetite all things beauty related.

Cheri previously owned a spa in the Chicago area that began as a 1000sqft labor of love. Fifteen years and 15,000sqft later, Cheri had 8,000 clients and began Urban Apothecary as a private label for her spa. Urban Apothecary focuses on mineral makeup, organic skin care and cosmeceuticals. In 1999 she began "Beauty of a Site," which was the first website to bring Indie niche brands to the U.S market. As Cheri received more press, Urban Apothecary became more popular; selling in high end salons and several apothecary's. Cheri decided to sell her spa after her second daughter was born so that she could be more focused on her Urban Apothecary brand and her daughters. Cheri has also launched a bath and body brand this summer called, "Haute Tub."

Working as an industry expert with savvy brands featured in international publications such as InStyle, New Woman UK and Lucky, over the past fifteen years, she has gained an unprecedented amount of knowledge and insight into the world of beauty. She’s a strong advocate for the consumer and is always in search of the latest and greatest beauty products and innovative ingredients. She’s dedicated to demystifying makeup and empowering women to explore their individual beauty.

Cheri Tracy's websites: Urban Apothecary & Beauty of a Site (which features Haute Tub)

Enzo Pinelli’s vision was simple: create a line of legwear and shapewear that combines tangible luxuries with health and beauty benefits that go deeper than the naked eye can see. Thus, the revolutionary line Solidea was born.

Pinelli began his career in the early 1970’s working for one of the world’s leading companies in the production of circular machinery for weaving stockings. Pinelli started his own legwear company in Northern Italy in 1976. Enzo Pinelli remains the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, overseeing the design direction and expansion of the Solidea brand. Pinelli’s wife Christina and his sons, Luca and Michele, are also executives for the company, making it a true family affair.

Designed for men and women, Solidea combines style with smarts. The MicroMassage collection creates a toned and smooth appearance. Solidea’s legwear collection is ideal for women on the go who need energizing support. Solidea’s Anti-Cellulite pantyhose and shorts are the only styles that offer “medical grade” compression, which is the strongest available on the market. With many styles to choose from, Solidea is designed to make women feel good inside and out.

Enzo Pinelli continues to research, imagine and create through technology and science. The science behind his designs is now covered under several patents. Pinelli’s dedication and attention to detail has made Solidea a strong yet chic brand that has forever changed the face of hosiery.

For more information on Solidea please visit www.solideausa.com or call 800-221-2520.

Dr. Anthony Youn is a fully-trained, Board Certified plastic surgeon who specializes in a full menu of cosmetic surgery. He is the graduate of a prestigious Advanced Aesthetic Surgery Fellowship in Beverly Hills, California where he spent a considerable amount of time learning the techniques of prominent Hollywood plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and even makeup artists. During his fellowship he appeared on E! Entertainment’s hit show Dr. 90210. He founded the Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery Centre as a place where people throughout the Great Lakes region can go to receive the latest techniques straight from the worldwide center of beauty: Beverly Hills, California.

Dr. Youn graduated with high honors from Kalamazoo College, and earned his doctor of medicine degree from the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. He then completed his general surgery and plastic surgery training at the Grand Rapids MERC Plastic Surgery Residency Program, known as one of the top community-based plastic surgery training programs in the country. Dr. Youn then made the decision to move to Los Angeles, California to work with a world-renowned cosmetic plastic surgeon, Dr. Richard Ellenbogen.

Institut' DERMed came to fruition as a result of Founder, Lyn Ross' battle with teenage acne. While most teens battle a pimple here and there, Lyn fought acne since age 11 with her defining moment being her Senior Prom. The embarrassment and heartache she felt over her blemished skin is what lead her to her life's purpose of formulating cosmeceuticals and founding her Georgia-based company, Institut' DERMed.

Growing up in the 60's, skin care was not as advanced as it is now and Lyn's only known way to fight her acne were with Clearasil and Noxzema. It became a never ending cycle of drying out her skin and attempting to cover it up with makeup. When her acne flared up, her self -esteem would sink and it is with that understanding of the connection between emotional well-being and skin health that Lyn Ross is able to do what she does best--helping others with their skin afflictions.

Lyn Ross is licensed through the Georgia Board of Cosmetology as a Master Esthetician and has over 25 years of experience in the field of professional aesthetics. Lyn is passionate about skin care and her focus is educating physicians, nurses, and estheticians on the benefits of clinical skin health care. She lectures frequently on the latest advances in skin and body rejuvenation. She has appeared as a guest on radio and television programs addressing common concerns of skin health including acne, skin discolorations and premature aging. She has been a contributor to several professional and consumer publications, in addition to authoring chapters for textbooks. Lyn is committed to researching and innovating the latest products and therapies for healthy aging.

Lyn is "hands on" when it comes to skin care, keeping in touch with her clients so that she can learn from them and develop new products to meet their needs. Their skin health is a priority for Lyn; watching her client's spirit heal as their skin heals is infinitely rewarding and inspiring to her.

About Institut' DERMed:

Institut' DERMed encompasses three distinct services: a MediClinical Spa, an education facility and an extensive line of treatment products. The Spa combines aesthetic beauty therapies with scientific medical approaches offering unrivaled care and superior treatment results. Institut’ DERMed offers the latest in technologically advanced skin and body care and medical affiliations include distinguished and nationally recognized plastic surgeons and dermatologists who endorse DERMed treatments and recommend the extensive therapeutic options for facial and body rejuvenation. The collaborative relationship between medicine and aesthetics insures client results, comfort and satisfaction for preserving a healthy, youthful appearance and creating radiant health.

Solessence began as a small act of kindness. Growing up, founder Hillary Fry’s mother shared from her heritage the wonders and uses of botanicals and herbs for healing, pleasure and pampering through creams, soap, salves. Her father, the one with wanderlust, enjoyed tracking down hard-to-find ingredients (this was before the age of the internet), and would share his stories from travels the world over. Family projects were learning experiences where beauty and art were always combined.

When friends who had moved to harsher climates began to lament of dry skin and cracked heels, it was only natural for her to seek a solution for them. It wasn’t enough to create a product that worked – it also needed to be a sensory experience worth repeating. She began personally blending oils and ingredients from her travels around the world to create natural/organic treatments for them...and they worked.

Since Solessence’s debut, the company has grown to not only pamper friends originally surprised with the products, but their friends, and their friends, and so on. Solessence is thrilled to be a part of the Billboard Awards, to be on shelves at Whole Foods Markets, and to be discovered by and invited to People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful issue for People en Espanol (Los Mas Bellos), the Emmy Awards and the SAG Awards. Most recently the company was featured on TV Guide Network’s ‘The Fashion Team’ show after a Senior Vice President called to say she was a ‘big fan’ of the product and wanted to help provide more exposure.

Although the application for the company trademark was applied for in 2000, it wasn’t granted until late 2005. During the (long) wait, a website was established and Hillary began marketing. Internet sales began to trickle in. Her first brick & mortar sale was made to a small health store for $200 after a casual conversation with the beauty buyer. Her second sale a few days later was to a larger health store chain, for $5000 – people were responding positively to the luxurious feel and upscale look of this natural & organic skin care line, to the point where they were emailing and asking for her formulations. Although there was a hesitancy to invest heavily if the trademark would not be granted, in 2004 Solessence made an appearance with only the soap collection, temporary scrub labels and unmarked lotion bottles at a New York trade show. It was important to find out if there was a substantial interest in this market to even pursue. It was at this event that two pivotal things happened:

1. The Vice-President of a well known body care company raved about how nice the scrubs were and asked if we would private label for them – to the tune of 70,000 jars a month
2. Whole Foods Market sought out the booth after seeing the soap in the ‘Best of Show’ display area (“That is the best soap I have ever seen!”} and picked up the line.

In a remarkable story of serendipity, an unusual product made its way into the home of an advertising executive about 10 years ago. A relative from Honduras had come to visit Denis Simioni and his wife, leaving behind a baby food jar filled with an unusual brown paste. Why did she leave it? What did she say it would do? It sat on the shelf for two years.

After coming out of the swimming pool one day, Denis' wife noticed her hair was very dry, brittle and unruly. She searched the bathroom cupboards for something to calm the frizz, and found her grandmother's jar. She decided to give it a try. Simioni recalls that the results were amazing. “I couldn't stop playing with her hair,” he says. “It was softer and shinier than I'd ever seen it.” He immediately set out to learn all he could about ojon oil.

The ojon oil that sat in the Simioni’s bathroom cupboards for two years was purchased from an Indian who travels from the depths of the Honduran mountains once a month to sell the oil on a street corner. It was the only source of the oil. The ojon tree is unique to the rain forest of the Moskitia region of Central America. Although the Miskito Indians (called “Tawira” in their native language) had been using ojon palm nut oil for centuries to clean, condition and protect their hair, it had never been exported beyond the region.

Before long, Denis was on a plane to Honduras to find out more about ojon oil from the people who knew it best. Remarkably, he set out to find the Miskito tribe not really knowing where to begin. A five-hour ride in a run-down single-propeller plane landed Denis on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. He hiked for two-hours before finding someone who could guide him further, chancing upon members of the Mopawi, a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping the Indians of the Moskitia.

Before she formed her cosmetics company in 1994, Jane Iredale’s background had been in film, theatre and television. She began as a casting director, working in television commercials with models like Lauren Hutton, Jacqueline Smith and Cybil Shepherd, and then in film and television with actresses like Susan Sarandon, Glenn Close and Sarah Jessica Parker. Among many others, she worked with Francis Ford Coppola on The Outsiders, Steven Spielberg on The Color Purple and on all major television networks, as well as the BBC.

She then formed her own production company and produced over fifty programs for PBS and HBO. Two of her feature films were named by TV Guide as the best films of their respective years. One was awarded the coveted George Foster Peabody Award. She also won an Emmy for a film series on which she was the writer. When she moved from film to theatre, she was nominated for a Tony Award for the Broadway musical Wind in the Willows, the show that brought fame to Vicki Lewis and Nathan Lane.

Throughout her career, she has worked with the best makeup artists in the field. She has seen at first hand that true makeup artistry comes not from trying to make a face conform to the latest fashion trends, but from enhancing the wearer’s natural beauty and, as a result, allowing her personality to shine.

Jane’s experience in working with women whose careers depended on a clear complexion allowed her to see how skin disorders and sensitivities not only threaten careers, but can also destroy self-confidence. This is what led her to develop a makeup line that could contribute to the lives of women by aiding the health of the skin.

Jane Iredale introduced her unique skin care makeup line in May of 1994. It was the first full makeup line on the market to offer not just color enhancement, but also benefits for the skin. The products are based on micronized minerals and are made without fillers and binders (such as talc and mineral oil) and without chemical dyes or preservatives. She was the first to supply the aesthetic industry with a full line of makeup based on minerals, and the first to see the potential of offering physicians a makeup that was good for the skin. She has worked with world-renowned plastic surgeons and dermatologists in the development of her line, and lectures all over the world on its benefits. As a result, the Iredale products are carried by destination spas, salons and medical clinics throughout the world.

Philippe Rohdewald, a native of Luxembourg, developed his interest in fashion photography during his teenage years while attending a high school for the arts. Having been closer to the world of film, however, he decided to study film production and in 1996 attended Pratt Institute in New York City, the place he now calls his home.

He concluded his film studies with highest honors. With directors like Bergman, Fellini, Argento and cinematographers like Alonzo, Kovacs and Nitkvist as major influences, he started a career as a cinematographer. However, this career was short lived as his interest in fashion photography took precedence, as fashion gave him a more controlled environment to create the images he was keen on producing. He sold his Aaton motion picture camera package, piled up on still cameras of various formats and soon enough – with the help of very dear friends – was able to build up a presentable portfolio and get his first client in 2002.

To this day Philippe has shot for Diane Von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, Club Monaco and Tracy Reese (among others) while his client list keeps growing on a monthly basis. Having come this far without an agent, he has learned to enjoy working his way up in what is a highly saturated and competitive industry; the most pleasurable moments being meeting new people, taking on challenges and trying new ideas whenever possible.

Being established in the commercial world (enough so that he is constantly occupied), he started dedicating more time to his personal work, a series of fashion editorials that fuse the film noir side of 1960’s and 1970’s Italian and French cinema with stills. Clearly the influences from his earlier film days still mark his work to this day. The results for the most part are too edgy and graphic to be displayed in most American fashion publications, independent or not, and hence seeks shelter for his personal work in galleries and eventually in book form.

You can see Philippe Rohdewald's portfolio online at www.philippe-ny.com

Born and raised in Israel to Iraqi immigrant parents, Boaz David spent most of his youth on the soccer field, or playing in a band with fellow classmates. However, it was his grandfather’s wardrobe and his custom-made suits from the early fifties that had the biggest impact on him that eventually led him into the world of fashion. He started by alternating and redesigning his clothes, making his own pieces by hand, “I could never find the things I liked in the stores, so the easiest way was to just make them myself.” By the time he was seventeen Boaz was selling his designs to friends and family, establishing himself as a local (and most likely the only) teenager couturier.

Boaz decided it was time to pursue his childhood passion so he entered the Shenkar Fashion College in Tel-Aviv after serving the requisite three years in the Israeli Army. His final collection before graduation brought him to an international competition in Italy. He returned to Israel invigorated and began his foray into professional fashion work as a designer and stylist for television and theater work. However, eager to learn and grow professionally, Boaz decided to move on and experience the larger world of fashion, so in 1996 Boaz left Europe for New York where he would encounter his greatest inspiration.

After gaining valuable experience from fashion companies such as Yigal-Azrouel, Alice & Trixie, and Nili Lotan, Boaz turned the dream of launching his own line into a reality. Since music is one of Boaz’ greatest loves (2nd to design) his spring ’08 collection skillfully fuses these two art forms, the result is an edgy hip women’s contemporary collection.

The trouser collection pays homage to women rock icons of the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s that greatly influenced Boaz’ design aesthetic and style. The six distinct pant styles are named after musicians such as Chrissie Hyde (referred to as the Chrissie pant), Annie Lennox (Annie pant), Janis Joplin (the Janis pant), Debbie pant (as in Harry), Joni pant (Mitchell) and Nico pant (Christa Paffgen). Feminine fitted blouses with option of a tie, the quintessential little black dress, fitted blazers & motorcycle jackets complete the collection. The line’s trademark logo in the shape of a red X is cleverly displayed on the pocket, yoke, sleeve or collar of the collection.

The Boaz girl is a young-at-heart, modern thinking woman. Boaz was inspired by the women he had come to love in his years in New York. “She is fashion-forward, edgy and confident, a woman who follows her own path in life and loves to express her own individuality through her clothes.”

You can see Boaz' entire collection at www.boaz-ny.com

The Celebrity branding of yesteryear mainly consisted of a celebrity almost obnoixously parading around with their name and face attached to some new fragrance, clothing line, or in Derek Jeter’s case a 24 hour Fitness center named Jeter24.  The idea here is to directly use a public figure as a brand with little or no departure from the celebrity’s own image by including the famous moniker in the brand’s name.