To one of my greatest mentors, Robert Chavez, or as I call, Bob. I’m lucky to not only call you my mentor, but a dear friend. We met almost four years ago at LEF, where I accepted an award and I made an impromptu speech in front of the whole room about how my mother was the core inspiration for my dreams of designing for women. You came up to me after the awards and you let me know how touched you were by my words. I fortunately had a look book in my hand and I gave it to you, and you asked me “Are you sure?!” To be honest, I wasn’t fully aware of who you were at the time, aka, the CEO of @hermes. And that night I sent an email to LEF thanking them for the award and a wonderful evening, and I also asked them to send my note to someone that had approached me, named Bob Chavez. You graciously invited me to meet with you after that note — and that’s where we began our journey as incredible friends. You’ve been a part of my journey since I first brought you my sketches of my senior thesis collection while I was @parsonsschoolofdesign — to now, debuting my first ever eveningwear collection @nyfw. You’ve shown me what it means to be a true leader, a genuine supporter, and a friend. You were the first to call me in the AM about my @nytimes Sunday print and you’re always the first to send me any @wwd feature or mention of me. These types of encounters and friendships are something one only dreams of and I’m living that dream. Thank you for being there with me in every step of this journey. To many more years Bob. 🥂🤍 —AK