4Days |
28Educators |
20+Sessions |
28Max PD Hours |
The Experience
Over four days in June 2026, New York City became the classroom. WindowsWear’s National Teacher Professional Development Conference brought Family & Consumer Sciences educators from across the country inside the institutions that define modern culinary, hospitality, fashion, retail, textiles, and design.
The conference paired immersive site visits with standards-aligned professional development. Educators went behind the scenes with industry leaders, studied flagships and showrooms from Fifth Avenue to the Garment District, connected at a rooftop networking reception, and headed home with classroom-ready ideas and a certificate of up to 28 hours toward license renewal.
Here’s some of the highlights from this year’s experience.
Highlights
01 · Culinary with the José Andrés Group at The Ritz-Carlton
The conference explored the spectacular The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad, where attendees were hosted by the José Andrés Group for a tour and lunch spanning The Bazaar, Bazaar Meat, Nubeluz, and Zaytinya. Guided by Hallie Leitter, Senior Manager of Sales & Events, educators experienced how world-class hospitality and culinary storytelling come together under one roof.
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02 · Inside Calvin Klein’s Retail Design & Visual Experience
Benoit Tordeur, SVP of Visual Experience & Production at Calvin Klein, walked attendees through the brand’s approach to retail design and the in-store customer experience — a rare look at how a global fashion house translates identity into physical space.
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03 · A Discussion with Designers-in-Residence
Educators met Bach Mai, Berkeley College’s 2025–2026 Designer-in-Residence, alongside 2024–2025 Designer-in-Residence Chuks Collins, for an intimate look at the creative process behind contemporary couture — from first sketch to finished garment.
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04 · History & Archives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The program featured one of the world’s great cultural institutions, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, giving educators time to explore its collections and reflect on a week connecting craft, design, and history.
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05 · Architectural Analysis of 100+ Buildings Along New York Harbor
Attendees cruised New York Harbor for a skyline-level study of the city’s most iconic architecture — pairing tourism and design education with unforgettable views and led by John Arbuckle.
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06 · A Fifth Avenue Retail Immersion
Led by Denise Foley, a leader in brand experience, visual merchandising, and retail excellence, educators walked Fifth Avenue between 49th and 57th Streets to study the flagships of Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Tiffany & Co., Swarovski, and more.
Book a Fashion on Fifth walking tour here: www.windowswear.com/tours. |
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07 · Tens of Thousands of Textiles at Mood Fabrics
In the heart of the Garment District, attendees explored Mood Fabrics, one of the most iconic fabric showrooms in the world, for a hands-on look at textiles, sourcing, and material selection.
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08 · Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Experience at Tea Around Town
A British-style afternoon tea served aboard a double-decker bus tour offered a uniquely New York take on tourism and hospitality, blending sightseeing with service and presentation and led by performers Audrey Payne and Kamari Saxon.
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09 · The Italian Marketplace at Eataly
Educators explored Eataly, the celebrated Italian marketplace and food hall, examining how culinary retail and immersive food experiences are designed and merchandised.
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10 · Experiential & Culinary Design at the Museum of Ice Cream
At the Museum of Ice Cream, attendees experienced immersive, experiential design through the lens of tourism and hospitality — a case study in how brands turn a space into an experience.
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11 · A Rooftop Networking Reception with The Nation’s Top Educators
All attendees gathered at the Vintage Green Rooftop for an evening networking reception — a chance to connect, share classroom ideas, and celebrate the week together above the Manhattan skyline.
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12 · Teacher Professional Development
The conference grounded every experience in standards-aligned professional development led by FCS Consultant Gayla Randel.
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13 · Academic Lessons, Career Opportunities, & Industry Partnerships
At Berkeley College, educators were welcomed by Suzeana Stewart (Campus Operating Officer) before Dyandra Brown (Fashion Faculty, Larry L. Luing School of Business) presented on sustainability and sourcing.
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At LIM College, a panel on career pathways brought together Diamante Logan (Lecturer, Fashion Merchandising & Marketing), Joseph Giampietro (Associate Chair, Fashion Merchandising & Marketing), and Maria Hedian (VP of Career & Internship Services), moderated by Nancy Miller (Dean of Undergraduate Studies). Eda Sanchez-Persampieri (Dean of Graduate Studies) and Jeanine Polizzi (Assistant Professor, Graduate Studies) shared how LIM partners with industry through its THREAD program, and Scott Carnz (Provost) coordinated all the experiences
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Dallas College and Marist University offered informational overviews.
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WindowsWear led sessions on the history and current landscape of NYC as it relates to fashion, retail, hospitality, culinary, architecture, interior design, tourism, and textiles.
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The Full Itinerary
Four days, two tracks — the complete day-by-day schedule.
Day 1 · Tuesday, June 9 Culinary · Architecture · Tourism & Hospitality
9:00 AM · Welcome with WindowsWear
10:00 AM · Teacher Professional Development (Gayla Randel)
11:30 AM · José Andrés Group · The Ritz-Carlton
1:30 PM · Eataly
3:00 PM · Architecture Cruise
Day 2 · Wednesday, June 10 Culinary · Architecture · Tourism & Hospitality
12:00 PM · Tea Around Town
2:00 PM · Museum of Ice Cream
6:30 PM · Teacher Networking Reception
Day 3 · Thursday, June 11 Fashion · Retail · Textiles & Interior Design
10:00 AM · Welcome & Introductions
10:30 AM · Presentation — Prof. Dyandra Brown — Berkeley College
11:30 AM · NYC Fashion Retail: History & Landscape
1:45 PM · Bach Mai & Chuks Collins — Berkeley College
3:00 PM · Calvin Klein · Retail Design
4:00 PM · Dallas College & Marist University Overview
4:30 PM · Textiles at Mood Fabrics
Day 4 · Friday, June 12 Fashion · Retail · Textiles & Interior Design
10:00 AM · Teacher Professional Development
11:00 AM · Careers in the Fashion Business & Skills for Success — LIM College
11:45 AM · Partnering with Industry through THREAD — LIM College
1:30 PM · Fifth Avenue Retail Immersion
4:00 PM · The Met Museum
Participating Educators & Certificates
Every attendee earned a certificate for 14 to 28 hours of professional development toward license renewal. Tap a name to view and download the professional development certificate.
