Queens-born Batsheva Hay started her eponymous label in 2016 after leaving her job as a lawyer and deciding to experiment with designing dresses for herself and her daughter. Growing up, Batsheva’s artist mother would often take her to flea markets and vintage shops, dressing her in antique calico dresses, which became Batsheva’s uniform throughout her time at Stanford University and Georgetown Law School. After leaving her job at a big law firm, she began to redesign some vintage dresses, which were worn to bits, and quickly became obsessed with the design process. She bought her fabrics on eBay and at quilting shops, and she still uses vintage and limited-run cotton quilting fabric to make her clothing.

Batsheva initially made a small collection of four matching mother-daughter dresses and set up a simple website. As her dresses got more attention from magazines and retailers, her collections grew. Now she is designing four collections a year.
Batsheva lives on the Upper West Side with her husband, photographer Alexei Hay, who she collaborates with on brand imagery, and their two small children, Ruth and Solomon.

Shoshanna Gruss is the founder and creative director of Shoshanna, her eponymous collection which debuted in stores in November 1998. Gruss revolutionized dress departments nationwide with the launch of her first collection. Her dedication to fitting and flattering the female body while indulging in whimsical details were a refreshing change from the contemporary offerings of the moment. In 2001, Gruss transformed the swimwear market by being the first to offer bra-cup sizing in the industry as well as sell tops and bottoms separately. In 2005, Gruss added a children's swimwear line to her collection, Shoshanna Baby Girl. As the digital landscape continued to grow, so did Gruss' namesake line with the launch of her e-commerce site. In 2015, Gruss felt there was a void in the eveningwear market and launched Shoshanna Midnight, a separate evening line with all pieces retailing under $800. As many clothing companies shifted to producing overseas, Shoshanna committed to domestically produce as many styles as possible. In 2016, Shoshanna received the "Made in NY" mark of distinction, certifying that over 75% of the collection is made in New York City. Gruss expanded into another market by adding boys swim trunks to her children's swimwear collection in 2017. In 2019, she partnered with Gwynnie Bee to launch an exclusive line, C'est Nous, featuring extended sizing. Gruss' continued success is a testament to her passion for both women and the fashion industry.

Born in Israel as the fifth of nine children to Olga and Lev Leviev, Chagit graduated from Bar Ilan University, with a B.A. in Economics and Business administration. Following her graduation, Chagit worked as a financial advisor at Deloitte, advising on international real estate valuations and business planning which led her to a CFO position at the Memorand Group.

By 2012, Chagit relocated her family to New York City to head the U.S. arm of the multi-billion-dollar international conglomerate the Leviev Group of Companies founded by renowned businessman and philanthropist Lev Leviev with investments in a wide range of dynamic industries, including real estate, mining, energy, diamonds and jewelry.
Headquartered on Fifth Avenue, Chagit also runs the US branch of Lev Leviev Diamonds (LLD). LLD is one of the world’s largest diamond manufacturers and distributers. LLD is the only diamond firm in the world to control all facets of the diamond pipeline: from ownership in diamond mines, rough trading, manufacturing, and polishing, all the way to designing, and marketing prestigious diamond jewelry.

During this time, Chagit also manages the prominent real estate firm Africa Israel USA (AFI USA), where she serves as the firm’s CEO. AFI USA built a reputation of excellence in its residential developments by introducing some of the top brands in the real estate market over the past decade including District at 111 Fulton Street, 20 Pine - The Collection by Armani Casa, 15 Broad - Downtown by Philippe Starck, The Apthorp, 88 Leonard Street and The Marquis Residences on Brickell Avenue in Miami.

Chagit is currently a member of several Boards of Directors for a wide range of companies in Israel and in the US and has previously served on the boards of Fox-Wisel, an Israeli Public traded apparel company, holding such brands as Fox, Laline, Billabong, The Children’s Place and American Eagle among others; and she previously served as a Director for Israel’s TV channel 9.

Chagit, wife of Greg Sofiev and a mother to 4 young children, follows in the footsteps of her family’s philanthropic spirit with her time and resources, serving as President of select non-profit organizations that focus on Jewish education and the community.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Freida Rothman is a second-generation jeweler, a mother of four, and an entrepreneur handcrafting glamour for the modern empowered woman. Inspired by the legacy of four grandparents — all Holocaust survivors — Freida’s designs honor strength and resiliency through contemporary accessories that reflect her native Brooklyn. Every design elevates Brooklyn grit into effortless elegance for your everyday. 

19 years ago, Sarah recognized the need for a stellar, progressive education that would inspire and propel children to become leaders and thinkers, accessing key skills early in their development and preparing them for the future.

Her insights led her to found Preschool of the Arts, with a focus on academic learning, and building healthy habits of the mind, heart, body, and spirit. Sarah is keenly aware of the needs of young children and their families and has dedicated her professional life to catering to them.

Under her leadership, Preschool of the Arts has become of the most in-demand programs in NYC. Moreover, Sarah has established herself as an expert in child development and academic skill-building and authored Curriculum of the Arts, a holistic preschool curriculum used by over 300 schools worldwide. Sarak has lectured to thousands of educators from all around the world and conducted countless workshops. She also serves as a consultant for hundreds of schools and institutions, having supported the establishment of high-caliber Early Childhood programs throughout the U.S., Asia, Canada, and Israel.

Suzannah Raff is a New York native and mother of four who is committed to living an authentic life spiritually, physically, and professionally. Over the years she has earned both a Master’s degree in Business along with a Master’s degree in Social Work. Cleo+Coco was born out of a passion to learn more about toxic ingredients, the negative effect they have on our bodies, and the benefits of plant-based ingredients to create authentic products that are safe and effective. After years of listening, experimenting, teaching, and learning, Cleo+Coco’s next generation of natural was born.

Gulko is a fashion stylist and designer, as well as a social media
influencer, based out of New York. She gives fashion tips and speaks
about her life on her blog, suchabetty.com. She has recently created
her own MOXIE collection with limited edition pieces which express her
passion for fashion and her fresh and unique style. She can be reached
at betty@suchabetty.com or found on Instagram @such.a.betty and
@moxiecollection.

Advocate for charities around the world.

Sidney Madison Prescott is the Global Head of Intelligent Automation at Spotify to create and manage the company’s global Intelligent Automation program, encompassing RPA (Robotic Process Automation,) Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.

Previously, Sidney was the Vice President of Intelligent Process Automation (Robotic Process Automation, Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence) at BNY Mellon, who partnered with internal business units to strategize ways to transform business processes through robotic automation. As a result of Intelligent Process implementations, employees are freed up from general swivel chair activities to handle more value add tasks for Bank of New York’s extensive clientele. After spending the past few years of her career in the cognitive automation space, Sidney knows what drives successful global robotics implementations and has excelled at delivering projects resulting in seven figure return on investment stats for Fortune 250 companies across the globe.

Sidney has filled many prominent leadership positions in support of women in technology, with an emphasis on driving mentorship programs for young professionals. This includes a stint with the American Association of University Women as a campus chapter President. During her time at First Data, Sidney also held several enterprise-level leadership positions as a member of the YoPro (Young Professionals) employee resource group. Sidney was also recently nominated by the USA Women in Payments awards committee and a group of her peers, as a coveted “Rising Star in Payments” 2019 award recipient. Sidney is an active champion of women in technology, currently heading the East Coast chapter of WomenInTech.

In addition to her extensive work in the technology sector, Sidney is also a published author with both an Honors Thesis and an award winning philosophical essay to her credit published by ScholarWorks & Misericordia University’s Journal of Living Philosophy. As a result of her academic excellence, Sidney was awarded an official state resolution by the State of Georgia’s House of Representatives in praise of her dedication to exemplary academic scholarship.

Sidney holds a BA in Philosophy & Political Science (Pre-Law) along with Honors, Advanced Honors & Research Honors from Georgia State University.