Michelle Smith, Co-Founder and Creative Director of the New York based women’s contemporary brand, MILLY, was named as the 2018 Strong Smart and Bold honoree for the Girls Inc. of New York City 2018 Spring Gala Luncheon.
For over 4 months, Michelle mentored a group of hand-selected girls from Girls Inc. of New York City for the MILLY Challenge. The girls were broken up into teams of four and have been working alongside Michelle and her team to design t-shirts that embody the Girls Inc. mission- to inspire young women to grow up to be strong, smart and bold. The winning team will be announced at the event and their t-shirt will be selected, produced, and added to the current Milly X Girls Inc. NYC capsule collection designed by MILLY and consisting of empowerment tees, sweatshirts, and zip pouches.
Girls Inc. of New York City inspires New York City girls to be strong, smart, and bold through direct service and advocacy. Their comprehensive approach to whole girl development equips girls to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers and grow up healthy, educated, and independent. “We are thrilled to be honoring Michelle at our most important annual event,” said Dr. Pamela Maraldo, CEO of Girls Inc. of New York City. “Each year, the Strong Smart and Bold award enables us to celebrate the work of female leaders who are committed to helping low-income and underserved girls acquire the skills and confidence to form and pursue personal visions that will enable them to break the cycle of poverty. For the honorees, it also provides an important platform for raising awareness for a cause that is close to their hearts. Girls Inc. of New York City’s mission is to inspire all girls to become strong, smart, and bold. We are proud to inform the world of Michelle’s excellent work on behalf of the organization and invite those inspired by her efforts to help us raise funds that will benefit over 7,000 New York City girls this year.”
Michelle explained “I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to mentor these young women. I truly believe they are the future female leaders of New York City, which is home to my family and the MILLY brand. These young women have inspired me to continue using my platform as a designer to create positive change.”
The event will take place at the Metropolitan Club in New York City on Thursday, May 10, 2018. For tickets, please click here, or to bid on items from the silent auction, click here.