Betina Baumgarten

Panel: Circularity 360: Business Models, Material Innovation, Consumer Behavior, and Technology

Betina caught the fashion bug at a young age when she would spend her weekends exploring her mother and grandmother's closets. Growing up in an all-girls school, Betina was unable to express her personal fashion style during the week, but her weekends allowed her to develop her own unique style. Through her varied career, Betina honed her fashion sense and business acumen, starting as a civil defense litigator before becoming a fashion stylist. Her work as a stylist allowed her to dress clients for award season and the Oscars, including nominees and winners.

As Betina's career progressed, she began consulting for brands, helping them leverage their marketing through strategic partnerships. The COVID-19 pandemic presented an opportunity for Betina to attend Fordham Law School's Fashion Law LLM Program. She was awarded a merit scholarship and graduated top of her class, specializing in fashion policy and sustainability. While at Fordham, Betina published three law review articles on topics such as garment labeling laws, employment rights reform for models, and luxury brands' abuse of trademark law.

Betina's extensive legal and fashion experience led her to secure positions as in-house counsel for The RealReal and as Law and Policy Director for the American Circular Textiles Group. In these roles, she developed and promulgated federal legislation aimed at bolstering infrastructure for circular fashion companies such as ThredUp, The RealReal, and Rent the Runway. Despite their immense contribution to waste management, these companies remain undervalued by Wall Street.

Today, Betina practices fashion law and consults on fashion policy issues through her company, Fashion CUTS Consulting group. She is currently working on several articles, including one addressing footwear labeling laws and the need for brand partnerships and up-front involvement in the circular economy.

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