There are always challenges in business that executives have to deal with, and each year, we try to address most of them at the annual WWD Apparel and Retail CEO Summit in Manhattan.

It may seem like a cliché, but rarely have so many challenges across so many different areas and so many different industries coalesced at the same time.

War? Check. Political upheaval? Check. A potential recession? Check. Too strong or too weak of a currency? Check. Labor shortages? Check. Supply chain problems? Check. And don’t forget a global pandemic that is heading toward its third year – check, check and check.

These are on top of the “normal” challenges any retail, fashion or beauty brand faces these days, ranging from keeping up with trends, dealing with an increasingly demanding consumer, balancing brick and mortar and online to reach new generations, tackling the ongoing digital revolution, and ensuring diversity, inclusion and sustainable operations.

All of this provides the 2022 WWD Apparel and Retail CEO Summit with plenty of fodder for discussion and analysis. These challenges are also why we have titled the Summit “An Era of Agility: The Path Ahead,” because if a company does not remain as agile as an athlete or ballet dancer, it will immediately fall behind competitors.

We are lining up an impressive slate of speakers from across all sectors of the industry and the world who will address many of the issues facing today’s CEOs and we will be revealing them in the weeks ahead.

Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing you at Cipriani South Street on October 25 and 26 for the WWD Apparel and Retail CEO Summit and the WWD Honors, recognizing best-performing companies in retail, fashion and beauty, plus executives and designers who have had a major impact this year, as well as the career recognition of Tommy Hilfiger, who will receive the John B. Fairchild Honor for Lifetime Achievement.

You won’t want to miss it.

Best regards,
Jim Fallon
Editorial Director, WWD

From the economy to the metaverse, supply chain and inflation to the changing consumer, the industry is facing almost unparalleled challenges. WWD's annual Apparel and Retail CEO Summit will examine how companies can thrive despite the changes, looking at managing through crisis, the new age of sustainability, fashion's next generation and the creative forces - from design through technology - that will drive the industry's future.