Christian Leone on His New Global Fashion Gig

Dashing man about town and fashion vet (Armani PR, Gilt, and more) Christian Leone recently moved back from a stint in LA to become the director of global designer relations and brand management at William Morris Endeavor IMG. It’s a major move and a mouthful of a title so I asked my buddy Christian to give me the full 411.

So what’s your mission at WMEIMG?
I will be overseeing designer relations globally and working to identify unique opportunities for designers and brands across our network of fashion events and businesses around the world.
You were a big part of Gilt and then launched Vaunte. How did those sites help prepare you for this job?
I was a very early employee of Gilt Groupe and I co-founded Vaunte, which were both start-ups. I had to wear a lot of hats to help the businesses grow. IMG is very well established, but there is so much growth happening throughout the company and a real entrepreneurial spirit. With an arsenal that includes Models, Art + Commerce and, more recently, The Wall Group, there are endless resources at our fingertips. We are a company within many companies and this means that every day is different.
What is a typical day like for you?
I am not sure what a typical day is yet, since I recently started. We have many changes happening this season, including new venues, the addition of HQ, and a curated schedule of returning and new designers. Longer term, I will be focusing on building and strengthening our designer relationships globally in Berlin, Tokyo, Australia, Toronto, and other emerging markets with a growing fashion presence.
So jet set! Which designers are you excited about in New York?
I am actually really excited to be working with all of the designers that are showing in our spaces this season and I am particularly thrilled to see the shows of Dennis Basso, Naeem Khan, Monique Lhuillier, Derek Lam, Prabal Gurung, Lela Rose, and Erin Fetherston. This season we have many returning designers, including BCBGMAXAZRIA, Mara Hoffman, Rebecca Minkoff, Lela Rose, and Anna Sui, as well new designers to the IMG fold like Public School, Derek Lam, Prabal Gurung, Jeremy Scott, Suno, Alice and Olivia, and Greg Lauren.
Will you be traveling to other Fashion Weeks around the globe? Bring me with you! I am addicted to airline miles.
Immediately after New York I am flying to London, Milan, and Paris for Fashion Week. I will also be traveling to Asia in the later part of the year. In 2016, I will be heading to World Master Card Fashion week in Toronto and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia to experience a couple of the other events owned and produced by IMG.