Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Sergio Rossi, Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta, Stella McCartney and Balenciaga. While these names may inspire desire in the hearts of fashionistas all over the world, for Domenico De Sole, these are simply bullet points on his resume.
Tonight, Dzine2Show, business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi and the Wharton Retail Club will present a keynote speech by fashion legend Domenico De Sole as part of Fashion Week. De Sole will discuss the progression of his career, as well as the current situation in the luxury industry. The speech will take place in Claudia Cohen Hall G17 at 6 p.m.
Wharton junior Susan Ho, one of the event's organizers and member of Delta Sigma Pi has been involved with Fashion Week since it began. She said she is looking forward to De Sole's presentation.
"He is legendary in the fashion industry. He is one of those people whose name is familiar to anyone interested in fashion," said Ho, adding that De Sole "revolutionized the fashion industry with his work with Gucci."
De Sole is the current chairman of Tom Ford International, a position he has held since 2005. Prior to that position, De Sole served as president and CEO of Gucci Group NV for 10 years, after having served as CEO of Gucci America.
Additionally, De Sole worked for the law firm of Patton Boggs and Blow from 1970 until 1984. De Sole also serves on the Board of Advisors for Telecom Italia, Gap Inc. and Harvard Law School.
Under the direction of De Sole, Gucci Group survived a takeover bid in 2000 and has since acquired a number of other fashion groups including Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Balenciaga.
Dzine2Show president Raja Ghanta, a Wharton junior who believes "fashion is a lifestyle," said he was excited for De Sole's speech because "you can't learn about fashion anywhere else except maybe in a magazine."
Ghanta added that he hopes De Sole's presentation will open students' eyes to the possibility of a career in fashion and show them that rising to the top of the fashion world is similar to achieving success in any other field.
"Fashion isn't that different from other industries," he pronounced.
