NBC kicks off the new year with the new reality competition
series "Fashion Star," which will search for the next big brand in
fashion.
Featuring host and executive producer Elle Macpherson along
with celebrity mentors Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos,
the series will give 14 unknown designers the chance to win a
multi-million dollar prize to launch their collections in three of
America's largest retailers: Macy's, H&M and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Each week, the show will begin with an exhilarating fashion show
unlike anything seen before featuring musical performances, dancers and
models in front of a studio audience. Every fashion show will be built
around a weekly challenge that is designed to further develop and expand
the designers' brands.
The series will feature clothes designed for America to buy, and it
has enlisted three of the world's top retailers to help in the
decision-making process. Caprice Willard (Macy's), Terron E. Schaefer
(Saks Fifth Avenue) and Nicole Christie (H&M) will serve as the
judges who make on-the-spot decisions as they vie for the right to
purchase and exclusively carry the work of the up-and-coming designers
each week.
At the end of each episode, America will have the chance to
immediately purchase the winning designs showcased on the episode that
week. What viewers see on TV that night will be on the streets and in
stores immediately. With just a single trip down the runway, "Fashion
Star" will change the lives and fortunes of these aspiring designers
forever.
Each week, designers who do not sell any of their items to the buyers
will be up for elimination. In addition, celebrity mentors Simpson,
Richie and Varvatos will be able to save one of these designers from the
chopping block.
The fashion designers featured on the show will include everyone from
the stay-at-home mom who makes her own clothes to sell at the local
community market to the recent design school graduate who has held jobs
with major design houses to an engineer who became a self-taught
designer. Many of the contestants will come to the competition with
their own existing lines and will be challenged to take their brand to
the next level. All the contestants will be put to the test to see how
they react in a variety of real-world scenarios to determine who has the
vision and desire to build a fashion empire and achieve his or her
dream. With top experts as their guides and mentors throughout the
process, designers will have to be as adept in the business of fashion
as they are in their creativity as it's up to them to make their brand a
national reality.
In the end, one designer will successfully combine fashion and
business to become the next Fashion Star and will receive the prize of a
lifetime - $6,000,000 in orders for capsule collections in Macy's,
H&M and Saks Fifth Avenue stores.
The "Fashion Star" format was developed by Ben Silverman of Electus
(NBC's "The Biggest Loser," "The Office" and "The Tudors"), Rick
Ringbakk of Emmy Award-winning 5x5 Media ("Jamie Oliver's Food
Revolution"), and E.J. Johnston and James Deutch of EJD Productions.
The show is executive-produced by Elle Macpherson, Ben Silverman of
Electus, Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth of The Magical Elves, Rick
Ringbakk of 5x5 Media, and EJ Johnston and James Deutch of EJD
Productions. Electus/Engine Distribution will retain all international
distribution rights.
Caprice Willard serves as a featured buyer for Macy's on
"Fashion Star," NBC's latest reality competition series that will search
for the next great brand.
Willard currently is the Vice President/Regional Planning Manager for
Women's Apparel for Macy's Southwest Region. Willard was recruited from
UCLA (B.A. English) into the Executive Trainee Program. She worked her
way up through various positions, both in the buying offices and stores,
until she ultimately became a Buyer for Dresses and then a Senior Buyer
for Cosmetics. Leveraging her vast experience in many different
businesses, Willard was promoted to Divisional Merchandise Manager of
Intimate Apparel/Hosiery/Slippers in 2004.
In 2006, Willard moved to San Francisco and was promoted to the
position of Vice President/Divisional Merchandise Manager of Cosmetics
for the Macy's West division and held this position for three years,
until the most recent My Macy's structure was implemented. As part of My
Macy's, Willard was able to relocate back to her hometown of Los
Angeles and assume her current position of Vice President/RPM for
Women's Apparel.
NICOLE M. CHRISTIE
Nicole M. Christie serves as featured buyer for H&M on
"Fashion Star," NBC's latest reality competition series that will search
for the next great brand.
A former graduate of Columbia University in New York City, Christie
was one of the first 50 employees hired to start the U.S. sales
organization for H&M. She began her 11-year career at the company as
a manager for the first U.S. store that opened on Fifth Avenue in 2000.
In 2001 Christie was promoted to buyer for the Young Fashion Division
where she worked with H&M's in-house design team in Sweden to shape
the collection for the U.S. and Canada. During the next eight years she
focused on increasing the sales and profitability of this division and
also spearheaded the launch of the new H&M denim brand for the U.S.
In 2009, Christie was tapped to become communications manager for
North America, where she is currently using her knowledge of the H&M
company and culture as well as her buying and sales experience to
manage the development and implementation of communication strategy,
while also acting as the H&M company spokesperson for the U.S.
TERRON E. SCHAEFER
Terron E. Schaefer serves as featured buyer for Saks Fifth
Avenue on "Fashion Star," NBC's latest reality competition series that
will search for the next great brand.
Schaefer, Saks Fifth Avenue's executive vice-president and chief
creative officer, has broad international marketing and fashion
expertise that includes award-winning branding, product positioning and
advertising campaigns for world-class organizations such as Saks,
Bloomingdale's, Harrods, Macy's and Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB). Prior to
joining Saks Fifth Avenue, Schaefer held the position of senior
vice-president, marketing for Warner Bros. Worldwide, where he led all
marketing functions.
Schafer began his career at Doyle Dane Bernbach, working in their New
York, London and Paris offices. While at DDB, he led advertising and
brand design for H.J. Heinz, Polaroid, Chanel and Proctor & Gamble.
Schaefer formulated advertising strategies and supervised creative
development for all Polaroid products in the Far East and Pacific
markets, as well as opened DDB offices in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney in
order to service multinational clients.
After leaving DDB, Schaefer began the second phase of his career as
senior vice-president, marketing at William Filene and Sons where he was
the principal architect of the strategic plans that repositioned this
traditional department store chain as a contemporary upscale retailer.
The experience was repeated successfully when Schaefer joined
Bloomingdale's as their senior vice-president of marketing. At
Bloomingdale's, Schaefer was credited with the creation of brand and
image campaigns that established Bloomingdale's as the leader in upscale
department store chains.
Through the '80s and early '90s, Schaefer brought his talents to such
world-class organizations as Harrods and Macy's. During his tenure at
Harrods, Schaefer recognized the advantage of new technologies and the
ability to reach customers through video and cable. He also developed
and executed successful advertising strategies using print and
television.
At Warner Bros., Schaefer spearheaded the creation of their worldwide
retail corporate identity program and played an integral role in
growing this international franchise business to 13 countries and $100
million in just three years. Schaefer also was responsible for
recognizing the potential for e-commerce on the Warner Bros. Studio
Store site and increased the site's sales volume 400% in just one year.
Schaefer, who was raised in South America, is fluent in French, Spanish and Italian and has a working knowledge of Japanese.
At first glance, one can not believe what they are looking at. The perfect details of the hair, the outfit, the makeup, the accessories makes the viewer stare in awe. In fact, the dolls take on such a real personality, they begin to look like people you know. 
