HUG Gala Returns to New York City This November

Kellie Ell

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Lingerie leaders and swimwear’s biggest names are headed back to the Big Apple this fall for the 64th annual HUG Gala.

Project Help Us Give Gala, a New York-based charity formed by lingerie and swimwear leaders, is hosting its annual fund-raiser on Nov. 6 at 230 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.

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This year’s event, which will honor retail and lingerie veterans Susan DeMusis and Dora Lau, is expected to bring together approximately 150 people in the intimates apparel industry as they mix, mingle and raise money for charity. C-suite executives from names such as Victoria’s Secret, Wacoal, Chantelle, Jockey, Target and Kohl’s are just some that have been invited. In addition, suppliers and manufacturers, such as Lenzing Fibers, are expected to make an appearance.

“As president of Project Help Us Give, I am proud and privileged to lead the club forward into its 65th year,” Camille Block, Project HUG president, said in a statement. “The two exceptional women we are honoring, Susan DeMusis and Dora Lau, are eager to make this the best HUG gala ever.”

She likened the yearly event to a “who’s who of the intimates industry,” but added that she’s hoping to see some new faces this year.

The cabaret-theme celebration will include a performance by jazz singer Amanda Jhones and the Pucci Jhones Quartet as it honors the two special guests.

DeMusis has been president of luxury swimwear brand Miraclesuit since 2016. But her résumé also includes stints at Soma Intimates, Victoria’s Secret and the Carole Hochman Design Group, where she worked on lingerie brands such as Betsey Johnson and On Gossamer.

Lau, the evening’s other honoree, founded of Dora L International Inc., an intimates apparel vendor, in 1991, and has served as the company’s chief executive officer and president for the last 18 years. She went on to found plus-size lingerie brand Curvy Couture in 2012.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone and the Pediatric Division of the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. HUG, which was founded in 1955, has raised nearly $7 million for hospital programs and pediatric rehabilitation since its inception.

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