Worth Making 03: Mary Ping

Worth Making 03: Mary Ping

In this episode of Worth Making, we’re joined by New York-based designer Mary Ping, creator of Slow and Steady Wins the Race, a conceptual clothing and accessory line that reinterprets the classical everyday wardrobe. It is built on the belief that high design can be, and should be, accessible to all. In this conversation, we dig into Mary’s multi-faceted creative career. A board member of co-host Karuna Scheinfeld’s brand Four Objects, Mary has her hands in a lot of pots, supporting her label with work in the art world and the Noguchi Museum, and doing private label uniforms for upscale restaurants. Living bicoastally while running her businesses and caring for aging parents, Mary shares how she balances art, inspiration, and the multiple responsibilities of a creative life. MARY PING Mary Ping is a New York based designer with an art background from Vassar College. In 2001, she launched her eponymous collection. Her conceptual line, Slow and Steady Wins the Race [https://www.slowandsteadywinstherace.com/], followed in 2002. She is a winner of the 2017 Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Award, the Ecco Domani Award, and UPS Future of Fashion. Her work is part of the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Museum at FIT in New York, the RISD Museum, Deste Foundation in Greece, and the Fondation d’entreprise Galeries Lafayette in Paris. She is also a trustee of the Isamu Noguchi Museum. SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE Timely and timeless, unique and universal, created with conceptual clarity, best describe the design philosophy of Slow and Steady Wins the Race by Mary Ping. The work is a continuous investigation into the elements of what we wear, how we wear it, and why. Each collection also contains a commentary on the cultural anthropology of modern fashion, focusing on the fundamental characteristics of design within a wardrobe. The body of work aims to distill fashion to its most indispensable and empirical elements. Slow and Steady Wins the Race is seasonless and proves that good design elicits both an intellectual and emotional response that is ageless, cross-cultural, sustainable—and boundless. WORTH MAKING Worth Making is a monthly live conversation series (recorded as a podcast) about the architecture of a creative life... the invisible scaffolding that helps you stay true to your work and support yourself in a shifting economy. Hosted by Karuna Scheinfeld, Allison Ross, and Struktur Society founder Michelle Rose, each gathering is candid, specific, and human: a blueprint-meets-backstage-diary conversation about what’s usually offstage... money, time, boundaries, support, identity, and the tradeoffs that shape the version of “success” people see from the outside. This is about building a life with creative meaning: how you keep faith with your vision, care for your people (and yourself), and design structures that make the work possible over years, not just seasons.STRUKTUR SOCIETY Struktur Society is a multimedia publishing and community platform tracking and translating how creativity, business, and technology shape culture in the age of AI, across design, art, and music. Through writing, podcasting, and live events, we share insights, prompts, and practices for modern creative leadership. Follow Struktur Society [https://www.struktursociety.com/] on Substack [https://struktursociety.substack.com/], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@struktursociety], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/struktursociety/], and Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/struktursociety.bsky.social].© 2026 StrukturSphere LLC. Original music by Greg Brace Music. Struktur Society is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Struktur Society at struktursociety.substack.com/subscribe [https://struktursociety.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Worth Making 02: Raphael Bemporad

In this episode of Worth Making, we’re joined by Raphael Bemporad, Founding Partner of BBMG, a New York City branding and social innovation consultancy focused on helping organizations grow while creating positive social impact. Raphael has led branding and marketing work for companies including Target, The North Face, Eileen Fisher, CLIF Bar, The Estée Lauder Companies, Nespresso, and Disney, and has also partnered with nonprofits and mission-driven organizations such as the ASPCA, Ford Foundation, OceanX, Planned Parenthood, Rainforest Alliance, and WNYC. We dig into what it really takes to build and keep building a creative business with values. We talk about why Raphael started BBMG, how the economics of the work have evolved over time, and what it looks like to navigate pivots along the way, including the complicated behind-the-scenes parts. We also explore the personal side, including family balance, staying inspired, and how music and art play a role in sustaining a creative life. We also touch on Raphael’s side project, The Resilience Collective [https://www.resiliencecollective.co/], which is centered on practicing resilience and collective imagination in the face of accelerating change, including environmental disruption, AI transformation, and social division. We’re especially excited to have Raphael because he holds the human side of creative leadership with so much clarity. This moment asks something different from all of us. With AI reshaping how we work and how ideas move through the world, and with so many systems in flux at once, creatives and designers are not just responding to change, they are uniquely positioned to shape what comes next. The stories we tell and the futures we design right now truly matter, and Raphael has a grounded way of naming just how big this inflection point is. RAPHAEL BEMPORAD As Founding Partner of BBMG, Raphael unites branding, sustainability and innovation to help organizations unleash shared value. An expert in brand strategy, CSR/cause marketing and public affairs, Raphael is a passionate champion for a new approach to branding that’s driven by participation, collaboration, shared values and mutual relationships. He has directed recent branding and marketing programs for clients such as Target, The North Face, Eileen Fisher, CLIF Bar, Estee Lauder Companies, Nespresso and Disney. He’s also led branding work for nonprofit clients including ASPCA, Ford Foundation, OceanX, Planned Parenthood, Rainforest Alliance and WNYC. Raphael also has an extensive background in political communications, getting his start as a press aide to Texas Governor Ann W. Richards. He also served as communications director for the Texas Democratic Party, as communications director for Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis (D-Houston), and as press secretary for U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas). Raphael received his BA in Philosophy with honors from the University of Texas at Austin. He currently serves as an adjunct professor of marketing at the NYU Stern School of Business and as an Advisory Board member for the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business and Sustainable Brands. BBMG Based in New York City, BBMG is a brand and social innovation consultancy dedicated to creating business growth and positive social impact. With a team of strategic creatives and creative strategists, culture experts and design thinkers, the firm helps organizations re-invent categories, deliver fearless work on the issues that matter and commercialize social impact by placing humanity at the center of business. For more information, visit http://www.bbmg.com WORTH MAKING Worth Making is a monthly live conversation series (recorded as a podcast) about the architecture of a creative life... the invisible scaffolding that helps you stay true to your work and support yourself in a shifting economy. Hosted by Karuna Scheinfeld, Allison Ross, and Struktur Society founder Michelle Rose, each gathering is candid, specific, and human: a blueprint-meets-backstage-diary conversation about what’s usually offstage... money, time, boundaries, support, identity, and the tradeoffs that shape the version of “success” people see from the outside. This is about building a life with creative meaning: how you keep faith with your vision, care for your people (and yourself), and design structures that make the work possible over years, not just seasons.STRUKTUR SOCIETY Struktur Society is a multimedia publishing and community platform tracking and translating how creativity, business, and technology shape culture in the age of AI, across design, art, and music. Through writing, podcasting, and live events, we share insights, prompts, and practices for modern creative leadership. Follow Struktur Society [https://www.struktursociety.com/] on Substack [https://struktursociety.substack.com/], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@struktursociety], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/struktursociety/], and now on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/struktursociety.bsky.social].© 2026 StrukturSphere LLC. Original music by Greg Brace Music. Struktur Society is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Struktur Society at struktursociety.substack.com/subscribe [https://struktursociety.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Worth Making 01: Constructing A Creative Life

Worth Making™ is a monthly live conversation series (recorded as a podcast) about the architecture of a creative life... the invisible scaffolding that helps you stay true to your work and support yourself in a shifting economy. Hosted by Karuna Scheinfeld, Allison Ross, and Struktur Society founder Michelle Rose, each gathering is candid, specific, and human: a blueprint-meets-backstage-diary conversation about what’s usually offstage... money, time, boundaries, support, identity, and the tradeoffs that shape the version of “success” people see from the outside. This is about building a life with creative meaning: how you keep faith with your vision, care for your people (and yourself), and design structures that make the work possible over years, not just seasons.In this launch episode, our hosts step up to the plate and begin by interviewing each other…. digging into the start of their creative careers and landing in the present day. Allison, Karuna and Michelle share a similar-but-distinct path of corporate climber to independent leader. Covering work, money, time, relationships, and identity, this is the beginning of their exploration of how creative leaders construct a creative life. KARUNA SCHEINFELD CEO and Co-Founder of Four Objects, Karuna Scheinfeld has been creating clothing for over 25 years. She started out as a Designer, working for a wide variety of brands from Alexander McQueen to Abercrombie & Fitch, working across the globe as a Design leader from New York to Italy to Canada. She recently returned to Brooklyn from Toronto where she was VP of Design at Canada Goose and Chief Product Officer at Roots. Karuna is a passionate creator, leader and thinker, always in pursuit of the perfect nexus of function, quality and beauty. ALLISON ROSS Allison is a creative director and visual artist with over 15 years of experience helping brands step up and shift culture for good. Allison spent nine years at JDK Design, starting as a designer and rocketing up to design director. While at JDK, she worked with serious culture shifters like Burton, Nike, lululemon, Seventh Generation, and Planned Parenthood. After leaving JDK, she spent two years as the Creative Director at Nau—a brand driven by the marriage of style and substance, fashion intertwined with sustainability and soul. Because she was on the leadership and senior management teams at nau, she was able to dive deep into retail, wholesale, e-commerce, supply chain, marketing, and learn from the inside what leading a brand really means. What she learned above all else is leading a brand is no joke, but that’s no excuse to be timid or safe. She then spent 4 years as the head of creative at BBMG, a branding and social impact studio. While at BBMG, she worked with brands like ASPCA, OceanX, Taco Bell and Estée Lauder to find new and authentic ways to communicate and operate with the health of humanity at its core. In 2020, Allison launched the branding consultancy Yesterday, a collective of creatives and strategists challenging the old-school approach to branding. Allison’s motto is “friends don’t let friends create boring meaningless shit” which has helped her build strong relationships with the right clients, and has done a great job at keeping the less-right ones out. MICHELLE M. ROSE Michelle Rose is a fashion designer, martial artist, musician, writer, podcaster, mother, and lifelong connector of creative minds. With over 30 years of experience leading, mentoring, and training artists across disciplines, she’s carved an unconventional path shaped by resilience, curiosity, and creative vision. Michelle’s journey began on a rough road… one that led her to the martial arts, where she found discipline, focus, and a deeper philosophy for living. She earned her fifth-degree black belt while putting herself through college, studying design and international business. That blend of grit and global thinking propelled her to the top of the outdoor industry, where she became one of the highest-selling designers at Columbia Sportswear and The North Face. Her work didn’t just move product, it moved people, redefining what performance apparel could look and feel like for women. In 2013, she co-founded Struktur Event, the first design conference dedicated to the outdoor, active, and urban markets, a space built for professional growth, creative exchange, and community. Two years later, the original Struktur Podcast followed, extending those conversations into the digital realm alongside co-founder Sam Ward. By 2021, Michelle had evolved the platform into Struktur Society, a creative hub that reflects her core belief: that artists, designers, musicians, and writers aren’t just makers… they are visionaries shaping the future. Struktur is her love letter to the creative path: nonlinear, bold, and deeply human. Get full access to Struktur Society at struktursociety.substack.com/subscribe [https://struktursociety.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]