Join us at FIT for an intimate talk with Sarah Sukumaran, founder of Lilith NYC. Sarah was born and raised in Elmhurst, Queens, the daughter of Tamil refugees. She has been sneaker obsessed since she was young girl, drawing inspiration from the cultural richness of Queens, her ancestral roots in Nainativu | நயினாதீவு (island of serpents), tropical modernism, and the divine feminine.

Learn about Lilith NYC's growth, its creative process, and how the company is redefining storytelling in fashion and footwear.

RSVP here.

Shaping the Undefined | Leading Design in Early-Stage Startups

A moderated panel discussion on leading design in early-stage startups and how designers can navigate uncertainty and find growth in emerging businesses.

Resistance by Design

An intimate discussion and interactive embroidery session, hosted by Lola Catero, founder of The Majority Group with the founders of Tala Barbotin Khalidy and Lilith NYC. This discussion explored how identity and textiles anchor, guide, and inspire our collections, showing how textiles can express culture and serve as a mark for resistance.

Brand Blueprint | From Passion to Purpose: Crafting Your Brand Story

A workshop hosted by AccelerateHer for their women founders cohort that focused on developing Lilith’s brand ethos: from vision, brand guidelines, collateral creation, and visual illustration systems.

Lilith NYC’s Origin Story

Hosted by PR, a Colombo based concept store that carries Lilith NYC, and KIKU, a Japanese inspired cafe. The Colombo community got a behind the scenes walkthru of our brand story and all the things that inspire us including island life and tropical modernism.

An Intimate Conversation with the Founder of Lilith NYC, Sarah Sukumaran

Hosted by Studio Kayamai, a Colombo-based art studio and community center by founder Aadhitya Jayaseelan. Aadhitya facilitated a conversation around Sarah’s family history as Tamil refugees and how growing up in Elmhurst, Queens, NY and her ancestral island, Nainativu, act as sources of inspiration for the brand.

Pioneering Perspectives & Powerful Stories: South Asian Women Leading the Way

Hosted by The SAPNA Project at Columbia University, we explored how Lilith NYC explores South Asian and more specifically, Tamil culture, through brand storytelling and imagery.

Fashion & Textiles Seminar Series

Hosted by Thomas Jefferson University, Fashion Merchandising undergraduate program, students received a firsthand look at building a nascent brand’s ethos alongside product development: sourcing textiles, components, and the end-to-end manufacturing process of footwear.

Redefining the Narrative: Empowering Women as Architects of Change

Hosted by Shinta Witoyo Dhanuwardoyo, founder of Bubu.com and IDBYTE, an annual tech conference in Jakarta. IDBYTE Art + Fashion invited Sarah to be in conversation with Mikha Tambayong around navigating the male-dominated footwear industry and the importance of centering women and femme stories.

Exploring Tamil & Jewish Mythology: A Conversation with Sarah Sukumaran

Hosted by Zoom Inc’s employee resource groups, Shalom & PACT, employees learned about the origins of Lilith’s story in ancient Mesopotamia and of Hebrew amulets (incantation bowls) that invoked protection from Lilith aka night monster.

Young Women’s Leadership Conference

Invited by SAYA! in Elmhurst, Queens, where Sarah had also participated as as a high schooler, to take part in the annual Young Women’s Leadership Conference, where she shared about her non-linear journey from working at tech startups to building a luxury footwear brand.

Creativity Beyond The Realms Of Social Media

Invited by Brown Girl Magazine to speak on a panel about building a brand beyond tools like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, in a world where customer acquisition costs have gone up year over year.

Lilith NYC x Sourcing & Cost Guest Lecturer

Hosted by University of Oregon’s Sports Product Management program and Professor Roger Best, students received a deep dive on Lilith’s sourcing initiatives from China to Portugal. Students also participated in a pricing strategy project that would later inform Lilith’s own pricing strategy.

QNS Collaborative hosted Unlocking Your Creativity: a virtual talk with Sarah Sukumaran, founder of Lilith NYC
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Sukumaran will discuss how growing up in Elmhurst, Queens inspired this new venture and how she discovered her creative side to develop, design, and launch innovative women's footwear and streetwear after years of working in analytics. Whether you are working on developing a brand yourself or always wanted to take an artistic risk, come to this talk to learn how a fellow Queens resident found inspiration and creative courage from her surroundings.