Cherie Serota
Director, Fashion Merchandising ProgramAssistant Professor of Fashion Merchandising
B.A., University of MichiganM.S., Parsons School of Design
cherie.serota@liu.edu
Description
Cherie Serota, Director of Fashion Merchandising at LIU Post, has been part of the fashion industry for over 25 years. As the cofounder and president of Belly Basics, Inc, she revolutionized the maternity market in 1994 with the introduction of The Pregnancy Survival Kit, which gained worldwide recognition and changed the way pregnant women dressed across the globe. Belly Basics became a lifestyle brand, and the line grew to include sportswear, eveningwear, swimwear, jeans, activewear, hosiery, skincare, and accessories. Belly Basics owned the rights to eight US Trademarks and 15 foreign trademarks, and established and managed two international license agreements. In 1998, Cherie coauthored the book Pregnancy Chic, published by Villard Books, a division of Random House.
Cherie began her career in the buying offices of Saks Fifth Avenue in 1986, later moving on to become the Associate Men’s Fashion Director, where she strategized and managed the overall corporate fashion direction for the men’s buying team. In 1990, she moved on to Henri Bendel to direct corporate Special Events. She was instrumental in the opening of the New York flagship store in their 5th Avenue landmark building, overseeing full-scale events and exhibitions that included a Lalique Exhibition, a Horst P Horst exhibition, and a Jean Paul Gaultier show and after party. She was part of the team to revive Bendel’s legendary “Open See” events, creating an arena for finding new fashion talent. She created and directed “Breakfast at Bendel’s,” which brought in community and charitable organizations for private shopping before the store’s opening hours, and also directed numerous trunk shows in both the flagship and branch stores.
Cherie has appeared in national magazines and newspapers, including Fortune, Vogue, Glamour, Good Housekeeping, Crain’s Business, Working Mother, Women’s Wear Daily, New York, and Inc. She wrote a bi- monthly column for Fit Pregnancy Magazine called “Chic Mamas”. Cherie has appeared on multiple nationally televised segments including Today, Extra, Fashion File, along with local broadcasts across the country promoting her company and book.
Cherie currently teaches directs the Fashion Merchandising Program and teaches Fashion Merchandising classes at LIU Post, and continues to contribute to leading industry publications, including Women’s Wear Daily (“Meeting the Millennial Challenge,” Apparel magazine (“Cultivating the Next Generation of Fashion Professionals”), CollegeXpress (“Finding the Perfect College Fit in Fashion Merchandising”), and has provided featured commentary in Newsday and the New York Post. She was elected to the Long Island University Board of Trustees in October 2014.
Publications
Author, Women’s Wear Daily, “Meeting the Millennial Challenge” (2016)
Author, Apparel, “Cultivating the Next Generation of Fashion Professionals” (2015)
Author, CollegeXpress, “Finding the Perfect College Fit in Fashion Merchandising” (2015)
“Pregnancy Chic, The Fashion Survival Guide”, published 1998, Random House ISBN 0-375-50027-8
Co-wrote a bi-monthly Column for Fit Pregnancy Magazine called, “Chic Mamas”, devoted to pregnancy style.
