{"id":33465,"date":"2021-09-03T13:15:54","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T13:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=33465"},"modified":"2021-09-10T14:36:35","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T14:36:35","slug":"show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/","title":{"rendered":"Show Time: IMG’s Leslie Russo Talks to GRAZIA About the Return of NYFW"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Leslie Russo (Courtesy: Leslie Russo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This past summer IMG and the CFDA\u00a0(the two powerful entities that oversee New York Fashion Week)\u00a0issued a joint\u00a0<\/span>communiqu\u00e9<\/span>\u00a0emphasizing that they are working\u00a0\u201chand in hand\u201d\u00a0to present the shows and events\u00a0this season:\u00a0running from September 8,\u00a0when\u00a0Ulla\u00a0Johnson\u00a0kicks it off at 9 that morning,\u00a0to September 12,\u00a0when it all builds to\u00a0a\u00a0closing night with Tom Ford\u2019s presentation at 8 p.m. As NYFW renews itself and rebuilds its concept of live events in a post-pandemic social media world, a cooperative spirit is integral to its American one,\u00a0which is celebratory and inclusive.\u00a0The two companies are leading by example.\u00a0Indeed, when I mentioned to Steven\u00a0Kolb,\u00a0CEO\u00a0of the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), that I was writing a profile of Leslie Russo,\u00a0President of\u00a0Fashion\u00a0Events and\u00a0Properties\u00a0for IMG (the International Management Group, not that anyone ever calls it that),\u00a0he raved about her,\u00a0kvelling\u00a0even as he used the careful cadence of corporate-speak to do it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLeslie is the consummate pro during the\u00a0often-chaotic\u00a0process of planning New York Fashion Week. She\u2019s also a great friend and ally in our shared mission to represent American fashion at its very best on the global stage,\u201d\u00a0he said.\u00a0\u201cWe are both driven by our shared interest in maximizing opportunities for our talented designers. In any creative field and especially fashion, this can be quite complicated, but Leslie navigates our world effortlessly.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Russo, leading by example is in her personal and professional DNA:\u00a0She is the niece of Vito Russo, the legendary film historian and LGBTQ activist who died of AIDS in 1990.\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Vito was a giant in his activism, but\u00a0also in our family,\u201d\u00a0she told me, a mother now herself of two sons, ages 12 and 15.\u00a0\u201cHis influence has pervaded every area of my life, helping to define my character, my\u00a0principles, my outlook, my interests, and my personality, all from a very young age.\u202f\u00a0His legacy as a champion for equality is more relevant and important than ever in our world today.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Right\u00a0out of college, she got a job at Andy Warhol\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Interview,<\/span><\/i>\u00a0where she was mentored by Ingrid\u00a0Sischy, its beloved late\u00a0editor\u00a0in\u00a0chief who died of breast cancer in 2015.\u00a0 Her two most important mentors succumbed to\u00a0two health scourges that still stalk us as a society and, more importantly,\u00a0helped build\u00a0the industry that she\u00a0now\u00a0helps lead from her corporate perch at IMG.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was the ‘events girl,\u2019\u201d\u00a0Russo said,\u00a0describing that first job she had at\u00a0<\/span>Interview<\/span><\/i>\u00a0with an egalitarian, self-deprecating aplomb when we spoke via Zoom back in July.\u00a0Such aplomb is one of the secrets of her success. I worked at\u00a0<\/span>Interview<\/span><\/i>\u00a0as its\u00a0executive\u00a0editor for a couple of years before Russo\u00a0arrived\u00a0but we agreed we each looked on our roles there as having held\u00a0\u201cfactory jobs.\u201d\u00a0That pun instilled in us a real work ethic about steering culture even as we were stirred by it.\u00a0\u201cWe learned to be stevedores of glamour,\u201d\u00a0I kidded her.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Illustration by Peter Oumanski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Russo laughed\u2014there is an ease to her laughter that belies the seriousness with which she takes her corporate role, laced as it is with the deeper timbre that loss has layered into it\u2014and remembered her\u00a0own early days learning how, as\u00a0Kolb\u00a0so keenly observed, to navigate effortlessly the larger world of New York City by navigating the hallways of\u00a0<\/span>Interview<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI love that you put it that way,\u201d\u00a0she said.\u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u00a0We\u2019re stevedores of glamour.\u00a0People\u00a0always say,\u00a0\u2018You\u2019re in this big job.\u2019\u00a0I never aspired to be in a big job.\u00a0I never aspired to have a big career.\u00a0I really loved the work.\u00a0I love the\u00a0\u2018getting my hands dirty and making things.\u2019\u00a0That to me has always been the part that has been the most motivating. As the doors kept opening, I kept going through.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was at\u00a0<\/span>Interview<\/span><\/i>, it was the time when publishing was the hottest industry to be in.\u00a0So,\u00a0I feel like that was the best training ground,\u201d\u00a0she continued, recalling her 15 years at Cond\u00e9\u00a0Nast,\u00a0where she oversaw a rotating array of brands, including\u202f<\/span>Glamour, Details, W,<\/span><\/i>\u202fand\u202f<\/span>Brides.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0\u201cThat experience at\u00a0<\/span>Interview<\/span><\/i>\u00a0really shaped how I approach my work in general.\u00a0You know how it was there.\u00a0It was part magazine, part art project.\u00a0It wasn\u2019t like a formal office\u00a0environment,\u00a0but it was a\u00a0really tough\u00a0learning ground.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIngrid was an incredible person to learn from.\u00a0She taught me a lot,\u201d Russo recalled.\u00a0\u201cThere was\u00a0this one\u00a0day when I went to the copier and David Bowie was in front of me making a photocopy.\u00a0Julian\u00a0Schnabel\u00a0was in the library.\u00a0And as I was going out to Dean & DeLuca to get myself something for lunch, I ran into Ingrid who had scribbled a note and handed it to me.\u00a0I still have the note.\u00a0She wrote,\u00a0\u2018Stefano and Domenico are coming to\u00a0lunch\u00a0and you have to pick up something for them to eat.\u2019\u201d\u00a0Russo laughed again, referencing Dolce & Gabbana\u00a0in the familiar\u00a0way they were referenced when Ingrid scribbled down their names for her in her almost illegible script.\u00a0\u201cI realized,\u00a0O<\/span>hmygod.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>This is where all these things intersect<\/span><\/i>. You felt as if culture was happening and being made in real time.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, that experience continues for Russo, albeit in a different way. \u201cI work at Endeavor,\u201d\u00a0she said, now referencing IMG\u2019s corporate parent, the segue as graceful as her corporate rise itself.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a big company, but it\u2019s that on steroids.\u00a0It\u2019s a modern media company at its most evolved.\u00a0We have talent, events, sports, arts, culture, fashion, models\u2014all of that.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0like sitting in the middle of all of it and figuring out,\u00a0<\/span>How\u00a0do you connect the\u00a0dots?<\/span><\/i>\u00a0There is a sense of constantly creating culture.\u00a0So,\u00a0I do think there is similarity there.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Russo and IMG will be reconnecting the dots\u00a0of an industry shaken by crisis\u00a0during NYFW from the hub of Spring Studios.\u00a0\u201cThe pandemic is giving an inflection point to this long evolution we\u2019ve been experiencing.\u2026\u00a0\u00a0So now we are at\u00a0\u2018What is the reason for\u00a0Fashion\u00a0Week?\u2019\u201d she admitted.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a balancing act.\u00a0It comes down to\u00a0really simple\u00a0things.\u201d\u00a0One of\u00a0which is\u00a0the IMG Fashion Alliance,\u00a0a new initiative intended to spotlight\u00a0independent and emerging talent, the next generation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s who people are excited to see\u2014these brands that are up and coming and that have huge followings on social media and are becoming part\u00a0of the cultural consciousness,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time,\u00a0even legacy brands are redefining themselves in the light of the post-pandemic dawning, a cultural moment that Russo is grateful to both experience and celebrate.\u00a0\u201cThere is also this sense of freedom.\u00a0There are no rules,\u201d she explained.\u00a0\u201cWhat works for one designer who\u2019s really established doesn\u2019t work for another.\u00a0I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a certain way you have to show or present your collection.\u00a0I\u00a0think there\u2019s all these different ways that people are servicing their businesses.\u00a0So\u00a0<\/span>freedom<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is an important word.\u00a0And\u00a0<\/span>joy<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is the feeling of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29575,"featured_media":33466,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[38,16],"yoast_head":"\nShow Time: Leslie Russo - GRAZIA USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This past summer IMG and the CFDA\u00a0(the two powerful entities that oversee New York Fashion Week)\u00a0issued a joint\u00a0communiqu\u00e9\u00a0emphasizing that they are working\u00a0\u201chand in hand\u201d\u00a0to present the shows and events\u00a0this season:\u00a0running from September 8,\u00a0when\u00a0Ulla\u00a0Johnson\u00a0kicks it off at 9 that morning,\u00a0to September 12,\u00a0when...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Show Time: IMG's Leslie Russo Talks to GRAZIA About the Return of NYFW\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This past summer IMG and the CFDA\u00a0(the two powerful entities that oversee New York Fashion Week)\u00a0issued a joint\u00a0communiqu\u00e9\u00a0emphasizing that they are working\u00a0\u201chand in hand\u201d\u00a0to present the shows and events\u00a0this season:\u00a0running from September 8,\u00a0when\u00a0Ulla\u00a0Johnson\u00a0kicks it off at 9 that morning,\u00a0to September 12,\u00a0when...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Grazia USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-09-10T14:36:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/09\/Leslie-Russo_FeaturedImage.jpg?fit=1280%2C720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/\",\"name\":\"Show Time: Leslie Russo - GRAZIA USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-03T13:15:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-10T14:36:35+00:00\",\"description\":\"This past summer IMG and the CFDA\u00a0(the two powerful entities that oversee New York Fashion Week)\u00a0issued a joint\u00a0communiqu\u00e9\u00a0emphasizing that they are working\u00a0\u201chand in hand\u201d\u00a0to present the shows and events\u00a0this season:\u00a0running from September 8,\u00a0when\u00a0Ulla\u00a0Johnson\u00a0kicks it off at 9 that morning,\u00a0to September 12,\u00a0when...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Show Time: IMG’s Leslie Russo Talks to GRAZIA About the Return of NYFW\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/\",\"name\":\"Grazia USA\",\"description\":\"Driving tastemakers in Fashion, Beauty and Culture\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Show Time: Leslie Russo - GRAZIA USA","description":"This past summer IMG and the CFDA\u00a0(the two powerful entities that oversee New York Fashion Week)\u00a0issued a joint\u00a0communiqu\u00e9\u00a0emphasizing that they are working\u00a0\u201chand in hand\u201d\u00a0to present the shows and events\u00a0this season:\u00a0running from September 8,\u00a0when\u00a0Ulla\u00a0Johnson\u00a0kicks it off at 9 that morning,\u00a0to September 12,\u00a0when...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Show Time: IMG's Leslie Russo Talks to GRAZIA About the Return of NYFW","og_description":"This past summer IMG and the CFDA\u00a0(the two powerful entities that oversee New York Fashion Week)\u00a0issued a joint\u00a0communiqu\u00e9\u00a0emphasizing that they are working\u00a0\u201chand in hand\u201d\u00a0to present the shows and events\u00a0this season:\u00a0running from September 8,\u00a0when\u00a0Ulla\u00a0Johnson\u00a0kicks it off at 9 that morning,\u00a0to September 12,\u00a0when...","og_url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/","og_site_name":"Grazia USA","article_modified_time":"2021-09-10T14:36:35+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/09\/Leslie-Russo_FeaturedImage.jpg?fit=1280%2C720","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/","url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/","name":"Show Time: Leslie Russo - GRAZIA USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-09-03T13:15:54+00:00","dateModified":"2021-09-10T14:36:35+00:00","description":"This past summer IMG and the CFDA\u00a0(the two powerful entities that oversee New York Fashion Week)\u00a0issued a joint\u00a0communiqu\u00e9\u00a0emphasizing that they are working\u00a0\u201chand in hand\u201d\u00a0to present the shows and events\u00a0this season:\u00a0running from September 8,\u00a0when\u00a0Ulla\u00a0Johnson\u00a0kicks it off at 9 that morning,\u00a0to September 12,\u00a0when...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/show-time-leslie-russo-img-nyfw\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Show Time: IMG’s Leslie Russo Talks to GRAZIA About the Return of NYFW"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website","url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/","name":"Grazia USA","description":"Driving tastemakers in Fashion, Beauty and Culture","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Grazia USA","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/33465"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29575"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}