Julie Gilhart
Fashion industry veteran Julie Gilhart is founder of Julie Gilhart Consulting, Inc. a boutique consultancy dedicated to creating, connecting and growing fashion brands with a desire to have a positive impact. Driven by the belief in a democratic vision of fashion, one that is engaging and should be celebrated, she brings a wealth of knowledge about the industry and how it works, and is sought out for her ability to identify and create innovative, often surprising connections and partnerships for brands, designers and organizations.
Prior to establishing her own firm, Ms. Gilhart was senior vice president, fashion director at Barneys New York for 18 years, where she oversaw creative, design and business direction. She was responsible for identifying and bringing up-and-coming, new designers into the store, playing a significant role in the building of their global businesses in the process.
Julie was tapped by leading online retailer Amazon to build out what is now Amazon Fashion, and collaborated with the Amazon team on the makeover of web-based fashion retailer Shopbop and the creation of their flash-sales site MyHabit. To further the company’s standing in the industry, she conceived and executed multiple partnerships, including sponsorship of the 2012 Met Ball and participation in the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).
Following her engagement with Amazon, Ms.Gilhart helped launch the LVMH Prize for Emerging Talent. There, she has been responsible for scouting and curating young, promising design talent from around the world, and is currently a member of the international experts that selects the finalists for the Prize. In addition, she focuses on establishing and guiding new brands, and developing new initiatives/special projects within existing organizations, to drive growth. Her work in this area includes Tomorrow London LTD, and size-inclusive startups 11 Honoré and Good Counsel, among others.
Julie brings her expertise to brands and organizations looking to further their efforts to incorporate sustainable practices as a core component of their operations. She has worked extensively with forward-looking companies that include Global Fashion Agenda/Danish Fashion Institute, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Harmony Hotel, H&M Global Fashion Awards, Ordre, Outerknown, The Woolmark Company, The RealReal, and ReMode.
Ms. Gilhart sits on the boards of Parsons The New School for Design, Mulberry, and Tomorrow London LTD. She is also an advisor to the CFDA + Lexus Fashion Initiative and jury member for multiple prizes including the Business of Fashion (China) Prize, and International Talent Support Contest.
She is a founder of Fashion Girls for Humanity, a nonprofit organization focused on raising funds for immediate disaster relief and currently supports several philanthropic efforts including Alice Waters Edible Schoolyard NYC, A Walk on Water, Surfrider, and Waves4Water. She serves on the board of The Montauk Oceans Institute.