alumni spotlight: Clay Lute
CLAY LUTE
LIM COLLEGE, 2023 CHAIRMAN’s award recipient
Based in New York City, Clay Lute graduated from LIM College with a degree in Fashion Merchandising with a focus on International Business. Clay received the FSF 2023 Chairman's Award, which opened doors for him to build a career in Fashion and Consumer Strategy.
Named as a leader of Gen Z by The Guardian, Clay has been a featured speaker at multiple retail conferences, quoted in over 30 publications, and received accolades from The National Retail Federation, and Licensing International. His career mission is to bridge the gap between brands and consumers while creating new innovations in the retail industry.
In his current role as an Associate Merchant at Calvin Klein, Clay oversees Global Merchandising for Mens Denim. In this position, Clay directs and executes initiatives around sustainability, product innovation, and inclusive consumer strategies. In his previous role, he worked on the merchandising team at Todd Snyder overseeing the product strategy of the Suiting, Shirting, and Swim lines.
In addition to his career in the fashion industry, Clay has built a reputation around his work advocating and strategizing for the Gen Z consumer base. Clay is one of the founding members of The Z Suite, a cohort of Gen Z Professionals who work to mentor and consult leading retail, tech, and media companies on strategy, inclusivity, and young consumers. At The Z Suite, Clay has been a featured speaker across the country, leading panel discussions, and has given talks at events such as Shoptalk, CommerceNext, and eTailWest. His insights have been featured in dozens of publications including The New York Times, Forbes, and WWD. In 2024, Clay was announced as the host of Z Suite to C Suite— a new podcast ideated by Clay that is centered around multi-generational interviews and discussions on trending topics in the fashion and retail industries.
Clay credits The Fashion Scholarship Fund for supporting students from diverse backgrounds and working to build equal access to employment in the fashion industry. “Winning the Chairman’s Award was a career-changing experience that not only gave me the confidence I needed to chase new opportunities, but also opened the doors for me to begin chasing my goals in the industry. I am incredibly grateful to the FSF team, and especially thankful for the Virgil Abloh Post-Modern Scholarship Fund for giving hope to my biggest dreams. Fashion can often feel like a daunting world to face, but these organizations have built communities that cheer each other on— and that comradery is so powerful and it’s building a better future for all of us.”