Cynthia Steffe graduated from Parsons, where she won the Student Designer of the Year and the Donna Karan Gold Thimble Awards. She now participates in many organizations including positions on the board of governors at Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Group International. Stepping down from the brand in 2003, Steffe designated Waleed Khairzada as the brand.s new creative director. Khairzada honed his skills at Harve Benard, a suit house, winning an Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation award in 2007 for his now defunct label Naum. The Cynthia Steffe brand is known for its great wear-to-work basics, designed with an eye toward minimalism, including color and prints when necessary.