Join us to explore “One of a Kind.” A descriptor used so casually that we might forget that in every domain there is that which truly stands head and shoulders above the rest. This, the extraordinary, is the focus of the 2012 New York Fashion Conference. The conference presents a unique opportunity to meet luminaries and authorities from the fashion world. Attendees will have opportunities for personal book signings by authors. Guests and speakers mingle during evening receptions.

“One of a Kind” considers iconic individuals and institutions whose contributions – whether in terms of singular designs, entrepreneurial accomplishment, or aesthetic vision – have played critical roles in defining modern fashion. We then turn to artisanry, celebrating makers – whether of clothing, exquisite jewelry, or accessories – whose talents yield the singular and the treasured. We explore bespoke, and consider materials that are as extraordinary as those who create from them objects of compelling and enduring beauty – from gemstones to rare metals to textiles are crafted.

We never lose site of the question: what makes something “one of a kind”? We also address the paradox of a unique design that is produced as a limited edition for a specific entity in a limited time. And, we look at vintage and how standing the test of time can create the iconic.

Speakers at this event includes: Karen Augusta, founder and co-owner of Augusta Auction Company; Gerard Maione, co-founder and creative director, What Goes Around Comes Around; David Ornstein , promoter, Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show and founder, Daybreak Studio; Stephen Sadove, chairman and CEO of Saks Fifth Avenue; Nicolas Bos, president and CEO, Van Cleef & Arpels, The Americas; Nina Lawrence, publisher W Magazine; acclaimed fashion photographer Deborah Turbeville; Deborah Riley Draper, producer and director of Versailles 73: Runway Revolution; Valerie Steele, director and chief curator, The Museum at FIT; designers Mary McFadden, Maria Cornejo, Tracy Reese, and Zang Toi; Gary Harvey, British designer and couture-upcycler extraordinaire; Nicole Phelps, executive editor, Style.com; jewelry designer and leader of the art jewelry movement, Robert Lee Morris; tastemaker and Decades proprietor Cameron Silver;Roger and Mauricio Padilha of Mao PR and authors of Antonio Lopez: Fashion Art, Sex, and Disco; Kara Ross, luxury accessories designer; Selima Salaun, the creative vision behind Selima Optique, the trend-setting, luxury eyewear brand she founded; Frank Zambrelli, co-founder of Banfi Zambrelli and chairman, Accessories Council; and Edward Maeder, fashion scholar and former curator of costumes and textiles at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.