April 29, 2013

Retailer Neiman Marcus was founded more than a century ago and ever since has been a pillar of the premier luxury market, providing its customers with distinctive merchandise and superior service. Senior Vice President and Fashion Director Ken Downing has played a key role in every major style element at Neiman Marcus since 2006. Beyond advising the Neiman Marcus merchandisers on trends and what lines to carry each year, Downing oversees the interior design of stores, the creation of window designs, and special events that create and sustain Neiman Marcus luxurious sense of style.

For his profound understanding of the luxury retail customer and the industry community, we are honoring Ken Downing as this year’s Westphal Award recipient, Wednesday, May 1, 6 p.m. at the URBN Annex Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, 3401 Filbert St., Philadelphia. The evening will open with a reception, followed by the award ceremony at 7 p.m. Earlier that same day at 11:30 a.m., Neiman Marcus will be hold a champagne reception in honor of Ken Downing at its store located at The Plaza at King of Prussia. The ceremony will take place in the department store’s third floor Fine Apparel department, beginning with a champagne reception, followed by a fashion presentation at noon and a luncheon. The evening event at the Pearlstein Gallery is complimentary, but tickets are required for the event at Neiman Marcus, King of Prussia. They can be purchased by contacting Megan Snell at meh358@drexel.edu/215-571-4301. All proceeds will benefit Westphal College’s Fashion Scholarship Program.

The Westphal Award, named in honor of Antoinette Westphal, a Drexel graduate and longtime supporter of the College, is awarded to a leader in one of the many fields of design, media and arts taught at the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. The award is given to honor not only the recipients’ business and creative success, but also their humanitarian efforts to inspire and nurture the next generation of Leaders.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to honor Ken Downing, who has succeeded in the fashion world not only as a creative visionary, but also as a conceptual innovator,” says Dean Allen Sabinson. “At Westphal, we encourage our students to become dynamic creative leaders in their own right by broadening their comprehension of design to include the latest marketing and business practices that will drive their visions.”