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Robert di Mauro is a multimedia personality recognized for his insights and commentary on lifestyle, culture, fashion, design and consumer behavior.  

 

An early modeling career led Robert to his appreciation of the creative and commercial elements of the fashion-related industries initiated by marketing positions with the esteemed houses of Valentino, Courrèges and Fiorucci.

 

Study in the social sciences directed Robert to the trend forecasting arena, where he has distinguished himself for over 25 years through his intensity of involvement and client personalization. His ability to both macro and micro-cast thoughts and ideas impacting products and markets has helped redefine the forecasting practice into a major agent of change and practical business tool.

 

An ongoing observer of the evolution of global culture, Robert has witnessed the formative movements that continue to shape our future. His approach includes a definition of change as "progress that reflects psycho-social, political and cultural shifts."

 

Having developed relationships with global leaders in design, industrial and consumer marketing, Robert's diverse client base has included Ford Motor Company, Hallmark, Disney, Estée Lauder, Halston, Saks Fifth Avenue, National Football League, Neiman Marcus, Old Navy, Mattel and Wal-Mart. As Vice President of Promotion and Communication for Peclers-Paris / ESP New York, Robert was instrumental in establishing the company as the premier source of creative intelligence and an integral part of its expansion into client service across diverse industries.

 

Widely acknowledged as a synthesizer and communicator of ideas, Robert is consistently invited to address business and trade conferences to share his views with the world market. As an Advisory Board member of the American Color and Trend Committee, he presented the biannual color forecasts at the prominent MAGIC fashion trade show. Robert has been profiled in noted consumer and trade publications including Sportswear International and is consistently quoted as a source of trend direction in such media outlets as Associated Press, GQ, Esquire, Women’s Wear Daily, New York Daily News, New Woman, Style, Daily News Record, Modern Jeweler, Weight Watchers, Material Matters and Creative Homeowner Press.

 

A telegenic presence, Robert is a popular interviewee on NY1, CBS, the BBC and RAI Italia. As editor-in-chief of ZOOMLOOKBOOK, he created one of the first online pictorial websites covering New York Fashion Week. This prompted Fashion News Live to regularly feature Robert as a guest commentator and an invitation to appear on Bloomberg Radio's Tom Keene show to discuss the microeconomics of fashion. In contrast, memorable appearances on New York's offbeat entertainment broadcast, The Barry Z Show, exhibited Robert's light-hearted on-air style. On the other side of the microphone, Robert hosted both a television series covering the emerging Meatpacking shopping scene in the early 2000s and ASCAP Foundation’s “Thru the Walls” new music showcase.

 

Realizing his value as a brand ambassador, Robert recently reignited his modeling career amidst the advertising world’s appeal to the influential boomer market. He also co-produced and hosted a comprehensive new media series providing extensive commentary and interviews of industry personalities during New York Fashion Week for The Fashion Group International (FGI), the preeminent global professional organization in the business of fashion and design.

 

Robert was honored to be one of the first men to join FGI, where he has served on the Special Events Committee since 1998 and twice received the Spirit of Volunteerism Award. His annual nominations for the Rising Star Award have jumpstarted the careers of many design professionals, including the acclaimed Jason Wu.  With an eye on emerging innovation, Robert serves on the Award Jury for Accent on Design, the trend-setting curated section of the NY NOW Lifestyle Show.

 

A continuing dedication to nurturing young talent has led to Robert’s longstanding relationships with prominent educational institutions, including Advisory Board memberships with the Fashion Institute of Technology and The High School of Fashion Industries (HSFI) and critic juror status with SCAD the Savannah College of Art and Design and Pratt Institute. During his tenure as Chairman of the HSFI Advisory Board, the school honored luminaries such as Tim Gunn at its annual fundraisers to showcase the school and focus much-deserved attention on its talented students.

 

In memory of his father, Thomas Gaetano Di Mauro, who attended HSFI when it was known as the Central High School of Needle Trades, Robert founded the Industry Partnership Program (IPP) in 2006 to fortify the bridge between HSFI and the fashion industry. Through special projects in fashion design, marketing, merchandising and related areas of study, students gain valuable hands-on experience preparing them for both college and career. In recognition of his contributions, Chancellor Dennis Walcott and the New York City Department of Education honored Robert in 2012, citing the IPP as a model for Career and Technical Education and leading to its formal inclusion in the HSFI curriculum.

 

As a proud Brooklyn-born Hell’s Kitchen resident, Robert's further cultural and economic impact on New York included his staunch support of the Save the Garment Center initiative from its inception, and patronage of the New York City Opera for which he served as a Benefit Committee member.

 

Robert graduated from Hunter College with a degree in Theater and Sociology after spending a year at Ohio's Wilmington College, where he immersed himself in the Quaker philosophies he continues to hold in high regard today. Blessed with a colorful upbringing of Italian traditions and culture, Robert has also embraced Eastern thought and wellness ideals which have led him to devote his life to nutrition, health and fitness.

 

He takes his Belvedere on the rocks. No garnish.