Executive Editor Judith Russell has worked in the industry for almost 30 years, and has been with the Strategist since 1998. She began her career in DuPont’s apparel fibers marketing division, then worked in strategic planning for upscale specialty retailer J. Crew Group and fine jewelry manufacturer Andin International. In the early Nineties she launched consulting firm Markethink, whose clients have included Calvin Klein, Kohl’s, Liz Claiborne, Wal-Mart, Dupont, Cotton Inc., JCPenney, The National Retail Federation, and many others. She also co-founded Strategic Information Services, a joint venture with Fairchild Publications which provided strategic and tactical direction to key apparel industry segment companies, and is COO and Editor of The Robin Report. Russell has a BA in French and Economics from the State University of New York and an MBA in Finance from NYU’s Stern School of Business. She lives in Westchester County, NY, with her husband and three children.
Former Executive Editor Philip Black now spends much of his time on other business ventures, but thankfully makes his brilliant technological skills available to the Apparel Strategist. A native of central New Jersey, Phil began his career in the accessories industry in NYC, then relocated to the Columbus, OH office of Trueway Limited, the huge Hong Kong-based private label apparel manufacturer supplying Limited, Limited Express and other large retailers. Phil bought the Apparel Strategist from founder Arthur Warshaw in 1993, and spent the next 5 years growing its readership while enhancing its database and analysis processes. In 1998, he left the day-to-day management of the Strategist to become a financial advisor for a large Wall Street firm. Phil now lives in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, where he is currently involved in website content management systems, commercial real estate and business ventures in the service industry.
