Julie Gilhart
Fashion Consultant
The fashion retail consultant formerly led the buying team at Barneys New York and helped launch the inaugural LVMH Prize for Emerging Talent.
Fashion industry veteran, Julie Gilhart, is a creative business consultant for a concentrated, influential set of clients, from the leading online e-commerce platform, Amazon, to the luxury goods group, Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. She has also worked extensively with labels such as Goyard, Jil Sander and Prada, and today is a pioneer of sustainability and the circular economy.
She helped launch the inaugural LVMH Prize for Emerging Talent, engaging young, promising talent from all over the world. Previously, she was senior vice president, fashion director at Barneys New York for 18 years, where she oversaw creative, design and business direction. She was also responsible for bringing in new designers to the store, playing a significant role in building their American businesses. These included Alber Elbaz at Lanvin, Alexander Wang , Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, Proenza Schouler, Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy, Rick Owens , The Row and many more.
Gilhart sits on the boards of Mulberry, Kelly Slater’s Kering-backed label Outerknown, Parsons The New School for Design and Tomorrow Ltd. She is also an advisor to the CFDA, most recently working with them to establish the CFDA + Lexus Fashion Initiative for Sustainabilty. In addition, she is an ambassador for 1 Percent For The Planet and helped develop and launch Christie’s The Bid to Save the Earth auction raising over $3 million for the environment. She is a founder of Fashion Girls for Humanity, a non-profit focused on raising funds for immediate disaster relief. Julie currently supports several philanthropic efforts which include Alice Water’s Edible Schoolyard NYC, A Walk on Water, Waves4Water and serves on the board of The Montauk Oceans Institute. Gilhart is a keen surfer.
In March 2019, Gilhart sat on the 12-person jury for The Business of Fashion 's China Prize, which was won by Caroline Hu .
In 2024, she launched her own consulting firm, GILHART & Co., dedicated to discovering and nurturing emerging talent and championing responsibility through innovative partnerships that push beyond traditional boundaries. As an advisor to various organisations and a board member of Parsons The New School, Closely Crafted, and her own initiative, Fashion Girls for Humanity, Gilhart continues to help shape the industry’s evolution.
Gilhart’s extensive expertise encompasses both global powerhouses and independent brands, including Amazon Fashion, Hourglass Cosmetics, Kering, LVMH, and The RealReal. Her impact as a creative strategist is evident in her pivotal role in elevating now-iconic brands like Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Frederic Malle, and Givenchy under Riccardo Tisci, alongside Goyard, Jil Sander, and Lanvin with Alber Elbaz, as well as Prada, Proenza Schouler, Rick Owens, and many others during her transformative tenure at Barneys New York.
Previously, she served as President of Tomorrow Projects and Chief Development Officer of Tomorrow Ltd. Today, she is focused on ensuring a legacy of creativity and craftsmanship through connections that forge profitable and responsible businesses in the ever-changing fashion landscape. Her pragmatic approach to innovation is matched only by her deep commitment to environmental impact, positioning her as a vital voice in the future of fashion.
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Copenhagen Fashion Week Defies the Sustainability Pullback
The event, now in its 20th year, made its name by embedding environmental responsibility into its structure. But as green initiatives slip down fashion’s corporate agenda, what does its future look like?
Copenhagen Fashion Week Defies the Sustainability Pullback
The event, now in its 20th year, made its name by embedding environmental responsibility into its structure. But as green initiatives slip down fashion’s corporate agenda, what does its future look like?
Luxury Has Lost the Plot — and These Brands Are Picking Up the Slack
Emerging labels like Kallmeyer, TWP and Studio Nicholson are capturing high-spending shoppers with premium quality at accessible prices, forcing the industry to rethink what luxury means in 2025.
Luxury Has Lost the Plot — and These Brands Are Picking Up the Slack
Emerging labels like Kallmeyer, TWP and Studio Nicholson are capturing high-spending shoppers with premium quality at accessible prices, forcing the industry to rethink what luxury means in 2025.
Inside BoF and Shop With Google’s New York Fashion Week Dinner
Designers Tory Burch, Jason Wu, Phillip Lim, Prabal Gurung, Sergio Hudson and Brendon Babenzien, together with Steven Kolb, Laurent Claquin, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Julie Gilhart, and more, joined BoF’s Imran Amed and Google’s Stephanie Horton.
Inside BoF and Shop With Google’s New York Fashion Week Dinner
Designers Tory Burch, Jason Wu, Phillip Lim, Prabal Gurung, Sergio Hudson and Brendon Babenzien, together with Steven Kolb, Laurent Claquin, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Julie Gilhart, and more, joined BoF’s Imran Amed and Google’s Stephanie Horton.
Can Julie Pelipas Make Upcycling Work at Scale?
The former Vogue Ukraine fashion director and LVMH Prize finalist’s upcycled tailoring label Bettter aims to become a platform that helps big brands give deadstock garments new life.
Can Julie Pelipas Make Upcycling Work at Scale?
The former Vogue Ukraine fashion director and LVMH Prize finalist’s upcycled tailoring label Bettter aims to become a platform that helps big brands give deadstock garments new life.
Are Online Marketplaces the New Department Stores?
Brands are increasingly turning to platforms, from Farfetch to new entrants like Behold and The Yes, for the exposure multi-brand retailers used to provide.
Are Online Marketplaces the New Department Stores?
Brands are increasingly turning to platforms, from Farfetch to new entrants like Behold and The Yes, for the exposure multi-brand retailers used to provide.
LVMH Is Trusting Kim Jones to Define Fendi's Post-Karl Look
The British designer is following in the footsteps of fashion multi-tasker Karl Lagerfeld, becoming artistic director for womenswear at Rome-based Fendi while keeping his job as designer of Dior Homme.
LVMH Is Trusting Kim Jones to Define Fendi's Post-Karl Look
The British designer is following in the footsteps of fashion multi-tasker Karl Lagerfeld, becoming artistic director for womenswear at Rome-based Fendi while keeping his job as designer of Dior Homme.
Can Fashion Trade Shows Survive the Pandemic?
With large in-person events facing an uncertain future due to changing coronavirus restrictions, trade shows have had to sharply adapt to serve their audiences. But with a changing format, will the business model have to change too?
Can Fashion Trade Shows Survive the Pandemic?
With large in-person events facing an uncertain future due to changing coronavirus restrictions, trade shows have had to sharply adapt to serve their audiences. But with a changing format, will the business model have to change too?
Where Do Independent Fashion Brands Go From Here?
Many have already closed, or will shut down in the coming months. But for those that make it through the industry’s implosion, they’ll need to find a better, more viable way of doing business. Some thoughts on moving forward.
Where Do Independent Fashion Brands Go From Here?
Many have already closed, or will shut down in the coming months. But for those that make it through the industry’s implosion, they’ll need to find a better, more viable way of doing business. Some thoughts on moving forward.
Designers Lobby to ‘Fix’ the Fashion System. Will It Work?
In recent weeks, three different groups of designers and retailers have proposed shifts to the industry’s product delivery and discounting calendars in a bid to create healthier, more profitable businesses. Can they pull it off?
Designers Lobby to ‘Fix’ the Fashion System. Will It Work?
In recent weeks, three different groups of designers and retailers have proposed shifts to the industry’s product delivery and discounting calendars in a bid to create healthier, more profitable businesses. Can they pull it off?
Fashion’s New Outlook on 2020
Six takeaways from Paris Fashion Week, where everything from the coronavirus to end-times fashion changed the conversation we'll be having for the rest of the year.
Fashion’s New Outlook on 2020
Six takeaways from Paris Fashion Week, where everything from the coronavirus to end-times fashion changed the conversation we'll be having for the rest of the year.
What is The BoF 500?
The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.
