Robin Baxter
Education
BPhil, Northwestern University
MBA, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Biography
Robin Baxter is a Manhattan-based fashion leader and FIT faculty member with more than 30 years experience in the apparel and textile industries.
After successfully launching her own brand of better women’s wear and managing a global supply chain since 2001, Baxter began consulting with government and business leaders in Kenya, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire, and Abu Dhabi to increase textile and apparel exports globally according trade policies such as AGOA. The scope of her consulting and training was implemented through the East African Apparel & Textiles Export Promotions Counsel and other partners. She also provided strategic consulting to Bold Kampala (a retail incubator for emerging designers in Kampala, Uganda), which positioned the company to present collections to buyers at major U. S. apparel markets.
Baxter has hosted key meetings for the U. S. Department of State International Visitors Leadership Program and distinguished entrepreneurs from Madagascar and Senegal. Her passion for developing future fashion leaders is expressed throughout these initiatives and the fashion merchandising courses she teaches at FIT. Baxter has served as chair of the Fashion Business Management program and she taught classes at FIT at SUNY Korea during its 2017-2018 inaugural year.
Baxter's current research projects include a study in predictive analytics entitled "Post China – Emerging Countries Positioned for Apparel Manufacturing." She is also writing a textbook to guide readers in the study of "Merchandising Practices of African Countries." She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Rutgers University.
Research Interests
Post China: Emerging Countries Positioned for Apparel Manufacturing; Creating an AI Based Tool to Guide Companies in Their Sourcing Decisions
Selected Publications
“Merchandising Practices of African Countries” Kendall Hunt Publishing, (in press) "Follow Your Dream." Direct Selling, 2018 Number 184.
“Tapestry and Brocade Trending - Lord&Robin Apparel” The Tobe Report, 2004 Conferences and Presentations (follow this format as closely as possible)
“The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Fashion”, Meetings-Incentives-Conferences-Exhibitions Organization, Songdo, South Korea, 2018 “Trends in Cotton Sourcing”, FIT Baker School Academic Symposium, New York, NY, 2023
Courses
- FM 114 Intro to the Fashion Industry
- FM 144 Product Knowledge
- FM 224 Merchandising Mathematics
- FM 225 Fashion Merchandising
- FM 262 Contemporary Retail Management
- FM 268 Team Development
- FM 325 Financial Planning
- FM 424 Global Merchandising