Elissa Bloom, Philadelphia Fashion Incubator

“The secret to a good life is to always stay engaged and curious.”
Elissa Bloom

Elissa Bloom, the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Fashion Incubator, shared the story behind her title with us on Sunday, January 9, 2022.

Elissa has been with the Philadelphia Fashion Incubator at Macy’s Center City since 2011 and, along with the board, launched the successful initiative which is now used as an international model for fashion incubation.

With over 20 years of both corporate and entrepreneurial experience, Elissa brings a unique and fresh understanding to the world of fashion and business. She has worked corporately for Bloomingdales and Anthropologie and has taught fashion entrepreneurship courses at Drexel University, Moore College of Art and Design, and Thomas Jefferson University. She launched a successful accessories brand, Elissa Bloom New York, which she oversaw for ten years. While managing all aspects of her company including design, sourcing, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and distribution, Elissa learned what it takes to run a successful fashion company. She has a strong understanding of both the creative and commercial side of business and is committed to sharing her experience with others to help them achieve success in the business world.

Elissa is a highly sought-after international speaker on fashion incubation and the business of fashion traveling to Italy, Russia, the Baltics, Israel, and Scotland. In 2015 Elissa was invited by The White House to speak at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Kenya.

Elissa has been nominated as a 2019 “Connector of the Year” award with RAD Girls. In 2018 Elissa was awarded the Philadelphia Business Journal Woman of Distinction. In 2017 she was nominated as the Philadelphia Ambassador of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, a global event empowering female entrepreneurship that is celebrated in 144 countries with the United Nations. Elissa organized and led Philadelphia’s first and second annual event honoring female entrepreneurs in the region. In 2016 she was honored with the Trailblazer Award by Philly Fashion Week.

SUE SAYS

“As a young girl, Elissa loved to color. Little did she know that years later her love of color and design would come back and allow her the opportunity to start all over with her very own brand! Throughout her life she held many titles…consultant, teacher, director, entrepreneur and mentor. Now she’s come full circle and proving it’s never too late to start again.”