YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Nanette Lepore, a Youngstown State University alumna and a world-renowned fashion designer, receives an honorary degree and will be the featured speaker at YSU’s spring commencement May 19.
Graduation ceremonies for undergraduate students begin at 10 a.m., while commencement for graduate students starts at 2:30 p.m. Both ceremonies are in Beeghly Center. Nearly 1,300 students will receive diplomas.
Featured student speakers are Kaitlyn Fabian, who earns a bachelor’s degree in dance management, and Dru Perren, who earns a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.
After completing her studies at YSU, Lepore enrolled in New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology, where she earned a degree in design. Bolstered by a $5,000 loan from her father, Lepore then set out to start her own line of clothing.
Today, Nanette Lepore has grown into an internationally renowned brand with boutiques in the United States, Europe and Asia. There are currently stores in New York, Los Angeles, Bal Harbour, Chicago, Las Vegas, Boston, London and Tokyo, with further expansion in Asia planned for 2012 and 2013.
Lepore continues to design in her atelier in New York alongside her husband, Robert, who helms the business side of the worldwide brand as its president. Manufacturing the majority of her line in the Big Apple, Lepore is an outspoken advocate for New York’s Garment Center.
SOURCE: YSU News Service.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.