streetwear
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Matthew Haag Turned a Gamertag Into a Company
Before gaming had uniforms worth wearing, Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag won in a green jersey, retired at 22, and built the company he wished had existed when he was a teenager.
Kevin Weschler Built a Sneaker for the Turn Everyone Else Missed
A salsa class exposed an awkward choice: dress like a dancer or move like one. Kevin Weschler built Fuego in the gap, then turned two pivot points into a global footwear business.
David Stoddard
David Stoddard is a co-founder of Brixton, the Oceanside, California lifestyle apparel brand he started in 2004 with two friends and a single vintage-inspired hat. He built the company out of a garage after a decade working his way up from a $6-an-hour warehouse job at TransWorld Magazine, and grew it into a globally distributed brand known for heritage headwear and clothing. He now serves as a marketing and creative leader for the company, and speaks locally about entrepreneurship and betting on where you come from.
Dimitrios Lessen
Dimitrios "Jimmy" Lessen is the Chief Merchandising Officer of SNIPES USA, appointed in February 2024. A 30-year veteran of the sneaker business, he built his career at Foot Locker in Europe and North America, running product strategy, buying, assortment planning and e-commerce before joining the German-founded, community-first streetwear retailer to lead its merchandising in the United States.
Maisie Willoughby
Maisie Willoughby is a British marketing executive who has served as Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Timberland since October 2023. A self-described 'non-traditional, creative-first' CMO, she trained in fashion photography at the London College of Fashion and built her craft at agencies including Wieden+Kennedy, Anomaly and Cult LDN before spending roughly five years at Alexander Wang, ultimately as chief brand marketing officer. At Timberland she has repositioned the heritage boot brand at the intersection of fashion, music and street culture, steering the 50th anniversary campaign for the Original Yellow Boot and the viral 'Je T'imbs' collaboration with Louis Vuitton that drove billions of organic impressions and a sharp lift in sales.
Patricia Pino
Patricia Pino is a long-tenured brand marketing leader at Converse, the Nike-owned footwear icon behind the Chuck Taylor All Star. Based in Boston, she has spent more than 15 years inside the brand, rising through roles in brand planning, operations, and global brand marketing to become Head of Brand Planning, Global and Chief of Staff to the CMO. A University of New Hampshire marketing graduate, she is known as a consumer-led, process-driven strategist who connects the culture of sneakers with the discipline of running a global brand.
Mark Shami
Mark Shami is a New York entrepreneur and designer who turned a childhood spent behind the counter of his father's Diamond District jewelry shop into The M Jewelers, one of North America's largest online personalized-jewelry brands. A former touring pop musician who started out selling graphic tees, he launched The M Jewelers in 2014, built it into a multi-million-dollar direct-to-consumer label with collaborations spanning Nike and Live Nation, and earned a spot on the Forbes 2019 30 Under 30 list for Art & Style. He now also serves as Chief Marketing Officer of GUIZIO, the women's fashion label founded by designer Danielle Guizio.
Matthew Pantoja
Matthew Pantoja is the Chief Brand Officer of Alpha Industries, the outerwear label famous for the MA-1 bomber and M-65 field jacket. Over two decades he has moved through New Era, Reebok, Palladium Boots and Triple 5 Soul, building a career on turning heritage product and youth culture into commercial energy. Since joining Alpha in 2016, he has helped steer the 60-year-old military supplier from surplus-store staple to global lifestyle brand, overseeing product, marketing and brand experiences across every region and channel.
Vanessa Wallace
Vanessa Wallace is the Chief Marketing Officer of GLD, the Miami-based lifestyle jewelry brand known for its ties to sport, music and street culture. A former CMO of Savage X Fenty and a 19-year Nike veteran who led Jordan Brand marketing in North America, Wallace built a career on storytelling, cultural relevance and championing overlooked communities. She joined GLD's board in August 2025 and stepped into the CMO seat in early 2026.