Alumna, Product-Design Entrepreneur Speaks to Economics Students

Kathy Moskal, alumna and co-founder of HUE Hosiery, will speak to economics and finance students about business start-ups, Thursday, March 21.

Moskal, ’66, now president of the fashion bag manufacturing company OKOKO, will discuss her life as a product designer and serial entrepreneur.

A New York City resident, Moskal made her mark in 1978 co-founding HUE Hosiery along with friend Sandra Chilewich. HUE was the first company to make opaque hosiery a fashion accessory, to put lycra in tights, and introduce trouser socks and leggings. With offices in the U.S. and Europe, Moskal and Chilewich sold the multimillion-dollar company in 1991. Today, HUE continues to thrive as an internationally recognized brand.

Economics and Finance Professor William Ganley invited Moskal to speak to students in the Undergraduate Economics Club as part of the “Women and the Economy” series.

“I was fascinated by Kathy’s stories of starting a business from scratch,” said Ganley. “Her story is inspirational for students about to graduate. She has been a success in the real, competitive world of business and, as an alumna of Buffalo State, is a role model for our students.”

Moskal’s other companies have included VEREGOODS, a line of high-end totes, and VERE, one of the first all-dark artisanal and sustainable chocolate companies in the United States.

After graduating from Buffalo State with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, Moskal earned a bachelor of fine arts and a master of fine arts from Yale University.