Ithaca College

Please join us in welcoming Elyce Arons, a 30 year veteran of the fashion industry and co-founder and CEO of Frances Valentine. Elyce will speak to us about her brand, the industry in general, COVID's impact on the industry, and career advice. 

The event will take place Wednesday September 30th, 2020 from 6-7 EST on Zoom. 

To register please click the following link: https://ithaca.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uC50_GxfT6iG7QO42294PQ

For career connections, please click the following link: https://ithaca.campuslabs.com/engage/event/6469290

Elyce Arons, a 30-year veteran of the fashion industry, is the CEO/Co-founder of Frances Valentine, an apparel and accessories company based in New York. Frances Valentine is the second accessories and apparel company Elyce founded with longtime friends and collaborators Kate and Andy Spade. The brand is an evolution of Kate and Elyce's style sensibilities, which combine a timeless, joyful, personal, and just plain fun aesthetic.

Elyce is a proven executive who has shepherded a global brand from inception to $250MM. Prior to launching Frances Valentine, Elyce was Co-founder and COO of Kate Spade NY, where she was responsible for all aspects of business management including product development, merchandising, sales, marketing, and global expansion. Elyce lead the expansion of the brand into Asia, opening 6 free-standing stores, 21 shop-in-shops and numerous other points of sale in Japan along with free standing stores in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Shanghai, and Manilla. She was instrumental in the eventual sale of the company to Neiman Marcus Group in 2006.

In addition to her work at Frances Valentine, Elyce served as Board Chair for Grace Church School, an independent school in NYC. Elyce was also Co-Chair of the Capital Campaign which raised $38 million for the construction of a new high school, and currently serves on the Long Range Planning and Development Committees. Previously she served on the corporate boards of Serena & Lily and Maya Kaimal Foods.

Elyce has been featured on Good Morning America, The Today show and numerous other television and print publications including WWD, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. She lives in New York City with her husband and three daughters. 

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Fatima Hajjat at fhajjat@ithaca.edu. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.