Andrea Praet's inspirational career path began when she pursued her childhood dream of living in Manhattan. After over a decade in trend forecasting, a meditation retreat to India led her to leave fashion and start The Uplift Project. Through The Uplift Project, Andrea curates positive and transformative programs and ...

Obama with his gift of a custom-made pair of GREATS

Mark Holcomb became a client of mine when he was referred by a mutual friend. We spent a good amount of time together looking for his home and got to know each other during that time. He had interesting information ...

Jared with Paula Abdul wearing Yosef H

Nearly 18 years ago when I made the city my home, Jared Handler became one of first city friends. I have always admired his free and entrepreneurial spirit, and the fact that he marches to the beat of his own drum. It was no ...

Oprah and Alvin Ailey dancers for O, wooden soldier costume styling only, The Oprah Magazine Cover, Photographer: Ruven Afanador

In my past career as an agent and producer for photographers and stylists, Cannon (Brendan Cannon) was one of my favorite people and certainly one of the most talented artists I ...

My friend Raquel Bruno has been in the world of show business since a very young age, listening in on recording sessions with her uncles who all worked with Frank Sinatra. She found her own path by working as an intern at Nickelodeon and eventually landed a talent booking role with ...

Richard in front of a superyacht

 

My buddy Richard Lofthouse lives in Bali and runs Asia's #1 superyacht company, which he and his partner founded only seven years ago. The company has doubled in size every year for five years, even though he didn't know if it would survive its ...

Jeanine Pesce is a trend forecaster, stylist, and writer who has consulted for brands such as Nike, Patagonia, Adidas, and Quiksilver. She has been a writer since we went to high school together and has since become one of the world's foremost experts in trend forecasting for activewear. She lives ...

Dave in his St. Mark's Place Studio

My buddy Dave Ortiz is a visionary, artist, storyteller, and entrepreneur. He's been doing cool things in New York City since he was a teenager and some would say that he's the mastermind behind the whole vibe in the Lower East ...

Patrick Yee was recently named one of 2014's most influential buyers, sellers, and marketers by Adweek. He joined Refinery29 as an early partner in 2009 and has led the company through 1000% audience growth, making it the fastest growing media company in the US per Inc 500.  It is now ...

Jessica Hendricks and Alysia Reiner, actress, activist, and supporter of The Brave Collection

I am inspired by the work of Jessica Hendricks who was moved to start The Brave Collection during a trip to Cambodia while studying at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. The collection is a line of brass ...