Kenneth Cole and Selena Gomez were honored at the 2026 Social Impact Summit, the Social Impact Foundation’s inaugural initiative focused on fashion and beauty philanthropy, where speakers and panelists shared insights on topics from the importance of creative diversity to why college is not the only path to a career in the industry.
Veteran fashion and accessories designer Kenneth Cole has been honored with the Social Impact Fund’s Excellence in Fashion Philanthropy Award from magazine editor-in-chief Michael Atmore. Women’s wear daily, In front of an audience filled with VIPs, Fashion Institute of Technology students, and fashion and beauty executives gathered inside FIT’s theater.
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More than 40 years ago, in 1985, Kohl launched a very resourceful advertising campaign in support of HIV/AIDS research and philanthropy. He was the first in fashion to launch a full-fledged philanthropic advertising campaign, setting the pace for many others.
“When I first started,” Cole told Atmore as part of an onstage Q&A. “AIDS was already widespread, but no one We were talking about it. I don’t think we could have started doing this today, in the age of social media. There are many voices. It’s very noisy. We would never have stood out. Additionally, bots control much of what happens there. But in the 80s and 90s, this ad received a lot of attention. It helped start the whole idea of corporate and fashion philanthropy. ”
The sign on Kenneth Cole’s shoes read, “It’s not just what you stand on, it’s what you stand for.”
“My goal here was to inject some humor into the campaign,” Cole said. “I don’t take myself too seriously, but I take what I do pretty seriously. … I ended up switching from funding AIDS organizations to working on mental health. There’s a complete mental health crisis in this country, and I thought it was about time someone tried to do something.”
Elise Cohen, Chief Impact Officer of Rare Beauty Cosmetics, presented the Outstanding Beauty Philanthropy Award to Rare Beauty Cosmetics creator Gomez. As you might imagine, Gomez had many fans at the venue, but was unable to attend due to inclement weather. She was presented with the award by Jenny B. Fine. WWD’s Executive Editor, Beauty.
“This award is truly well-deserved for Selena because when she launched Rare Beauty in 2020, she made an unusual commitment to donate 1 percent of all sales to the Rare Beauty Impact Fund,” Cohen said. “Serena is everytime Mission first, and in the truest sense. That’s how you build your business. The beauty industry is designed to hide your individuality. Selena didn’t believe in these standards of perfection. When I met Selena, I was blown away by her dedication to addressing the underfunding of mental health issues. We started 6 years ago. …We’ve seen young people come to us not just for beauty advice, but to learn about mental health. We launched our business during a global pandemic. Everyone was isolated from each other, so it was a good time to start an online community of like-minded people. ”
The Rare Beauty Impact Fund has raised $30 million over six years for these efforts, Cohen said. “People think we’re a huge brand, and we’re really not. But now we’re not only in Sephora, we just came to Ulta. This will help us raise even more money for these initiatives. We have gone through a rigorous process to vet the right organizations to support. We want to be known as a company that is paving the way for issues that have not been addressed through the beauty channel.”
She also revealed to Rare Beauty fans that a new product from the brand known for its blush is coming soon. “A new foundation available in 48 colors.”
New York’s legendary FIT was the perfect venue for the 2026 Social Impact Summit, hosted by the Social Impact Fund and the Fashion Institute of Technology Foundation. Social Impact Fund Executive Director Craig Sissy opened Monday’s event by explaining the organization’s work, saying, “We are a national nonprofit organization dedicated to streamlining access to philanthropy. We are home to nonprofit organizations that need a tax structure. And, as the great Robert Redford once said, ‘The glory of art is that it can not only survive, but that it can lead.'” He knew that style could never survive without substance. ”
The first of three panels was moderated by fashion executive and 2013 FIT Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Fern Mullis. The theme, titled “Fashion and Beauty Pioneers in Philanthropy,” featured three heavyweights in the field. One is Nicola Formichetti, senior vice president and global creative director of M.A.C. Cosmetics. He is known for his work as creative director of the Diesel and Mugler brands, as well as his numerous collaborations with Lady Gaga. Speaking about philanthropy, he explained, “M.A.C is more than just a brand. We created Viva Glam, a lipstick that raises money for charity. We’re using this platform in new ways. This week, we’re releasing our new Viva Glam campaign, Protect the Dolls, in collaboration with British designer Conor Ives, who started a T-shirt campaign to raise money for transgender rights.” MAC has launched a new T-shirt and matching lipstick bearing this saying.
Taryn Bird, executive director of social impact at Kate Spade New York, told how the company began working with a group of women in Rwanda in 2013 and has since made 300,000 handbags for the brand and continues to do so. Kate Spade has also launched a fund to donate to mental health issues.
Panelist Sam Di Spisio, Macy’s vice president of corporate communications, recalled how the retail giant launched a program called “Mission Every One” to ramp up philanthropy and programs nationwide in 2022.
I moderated the next panel, “The Importance of Making Diverse Creative Connections,” with Corey Smith, LVMH’s Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion and Academic Affairs, serving as a panelist. Randy Cousin, Tommy Hilfiger’s Global Senior Vice President, Collaborations and VIP Styling. Gillian Mercado is a model, actress, and diversity rights advocate. As a group, they advised students and young aspiring creatives in the fashion/beauty business: “Don’t think there’s no place for you, consider every opportunity.” Working with like-minded creators and coming together to change the company’s outlook, and most importantly, Smith said, “Not everyone has to go to college to work in this industry. There are lots of roles at places like LVMH: technical jobs, tailoring jobs, painting jobs. You need trade school, but you don’t need college. It’s too expensive, so most young people won’t be able to recoup their tuition.”
Veteran fashion and women’s magazine editor Cindy Rabe moderated a panel discussion on “Impact Mandate: From Niche Trends to Consumers.” It featured Tracy Reese, designer, founder, and CEO of Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese and Artisan Studio. Nancy Mahon, Chief Sustainability Officer, Estée Lauder Companies; and Rohit Burman, Global Head of Sustainability at PVH Inclusion and Calvin Klein. The focus of the conversation was: How do you create products and garments with a singular idea and look and send them out into the world? Of course, social media was a big answer, but so too was “brand authenticity,” as the term used at the time. This word isn’t usually associated with fashion or beauty, but that seems to be changing as the world places a lot of emphasis on this word.
hollywood reporter was the official media sponsor of the event. Other sponsors included Kate Spade New York (Gold Sponsor). Perlman & Perlman, LLP and Ulta Beauty (Bronze Sponsor). Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the Social Impact Fund.
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