Santa Fe, New Mexico— Recognized as one of TIME Magazine’s 25 Most Influential People in Fashion, Lidewij Edelkoort has been named the Honorary Chair for 2017 International Folk Art Market | Santa Fe, the largest fair of its kind in the world.

“Li Edelkoort is a champion for artists and artisans worldwide,” says Jeff Snell, CEO of International Folk Art Alliance (IFAA), the global nonprofit that produces the annual International Folk Art Market | Santa Fe. “We are so honored to have her as the chair of the Market this year.”

Edelkoort, the world’s foremost trend forecaster and prominent design educator, brings decades of commitment to culture-driven creativity to her role. She will speak during Market week to VIPs and Market artists about the vital role that artisanal wisdom and folk roots play in the global creative economy.

Edelkoort was named as one of the 40 Most Influential People in Design by Icon magazine. She was the 2005 recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Aid to Artisans. In 2008 the French Ministry of Culture honored her as a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, and the Dutch Royal Family named her a Knight in the Order of Oranje Nassau. In 2012, Edelkoort received the Netherlands’ most prestigious cultural accolade, the Prins Bernhard Cultuurprijs.

Lidewij is an intuitive thinker, a world traveler, and a master at studying the ever-evolving landscape of socio-cultural trends. She is the Founding Dean of Hybrid Studies at Parsons School of Design, where she is currently establishing a Textiles Masters Course and has founded New York Textile Month, a grass-roots festival that educates professionals and consumers about the importance of textiles. Since 1993, the humanitarian foundation Edelkoort co-created through Heartwear promotes the survival of artisans in developing economies, informing her knowledge of craft, sustainability, cottage industries and fair trade. In the creative sector, Edelkoort has advised companies around the globe, from Armani to Zegna and including Camper, Coca-Cola, Dedon, Disney, Estée Lauder, GAP, Google, L’Oréal, Nissan, RADO, Rubelli, Samsung and Siemens. She is also the publisher of Bloom: a horti-cultiral view and TrendTablet.com.

International Folk Art Market | Santa Fe opens with a party on the evening of Friday, July 14, and runs through Sunday, July 16, 2017, at the beautiful Milner Plaza on Santa Fe’s Museum Hill. Tickets go on sale April 1, 2017. For detailed information and schedule of events, visit 172.97.101.154.

International Folk Art Market | Santa Fe is held in partnership with the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, Museum of International Folk Art, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Museum of New Mexico Foundation and the City of Santa Fe.

For more information, interview requests, and photos, please contact Clare Hertel at 505-474-6783 or clare@clarehertelcommunications.com