6 tips for MBAs on how to break into the fashion business

I came across a nice little post over at Business of Fashion the other day where in BoF's editor-in-chief Imran Amed shares advice for MBAs trying to break into the fashion industry. I thought would be useful to share here.

Amed shares some classic advice (e.g. build relationships) as well as some industry-specific thoughts. Definitely worth a read through whether or not you're an MBA or interested in the fashion industry!

(image via Carven resort 2014)

Why marketing?

Marketing is all about storytelling. It’s where creativity and strategy meet.

To me, a company’s brand is among its most treasured assets. Too often, companies dilute the sanctity of their brand to reach more consumers in search of higher profits. Marketers are the guardians of brand, we are the champions of legacy. I love this element. I love the romance of history, of backstory, of origin. Marketers have the unique opportunity to translate a brand's story to reach everyday people in ways that are meaningful. 

Of course marketing isn’t all about this romance. It’s also about strategy. It's about understanding who the customer is on the most basic level and then reaching that person in a way that is natural to them. It's much easier than it sounds, of course, but I enjoy a challenge.  

One of the reasons I decided to get an MBA is to make an official switch from marketing in the architecture industry to the retail world. Through working on Fancy French Cologne, I found that retail marketing was a space where innovation is truly valued. The architecture industry on the other hand is much more rooted in the old way of doing things, much slower (understandably) to adapt to new forms of reaching clients. Perhaps because the old ways still work. In contrast, retail consumers by nature want to see the novel. They want to be delighted. They dare us to impress them.

I couldn't ask for a more fulfilling challenge.

xoChr

Business School Attire: Dressed for a Job Interview

Full disclosure: I'm supposed to be studying statistics and can't seem to find the motivation. Sorry Professor E!

So instead of studying I pulled together an example of something I might wear to a job interview...depending on the company of course. I think this look is somewhat conservative with so many dark colors, but it's still very polished and represents my personal sense of style.

A lot of websites and guidance counselors will tell you not to stand out. Don't wear jewelry, lipstick or color -- that sort of thing. I tend to disagree with all of this advice. I have never lived my life in a way to blend in, and I don't intend to start now! But I understand the sentiment. I think the underlying premise of all that advice is that you shouldn't look like you're going out to da club -- you should look professional.

I think as long as you look polished and appropriate for the type of company, there's no reason to hide your personality! There's absolutely nothing wrong with someone thinking of you as the well-dressed candidate, especially if it sets you apart from the sea of boring suits that are vying for the same position.

What do you guys think of this outfit? Does it come across as professional to you? Does the lack of blazer make you think it's too casual? I'm still struggling with the whole blazer thing...

xochr

PS click on the photo to see the origin of the items in the collage

Re-Post: Beacon Coffee + Pantry

///  I originally created this post for Fancy French Cologne. Now that the shop is closed and the blog is down, I plan to re-blog a selection of interviews and posts from time to time that I think are interesting and applicable to Corporate Neon. Enjoy!  ///

We are so excited to introduce you to Alexis Liu, a recent San Francisco transplant by way of New York. Alexis has built up quite the fashion and design pedigree, coming from a professional background that includes work with Comme de Garcons and Ralph Lauren, as well as a background in industrial design. She recently moved to San Francisco to help open a small business in North Beach, and we’ve been intrigued to know how the transition has been – not only between cities, but professionally and of course fashion-wise. It’s inspiring to see how she’s applied her various skills to the business and brought a unique point of view to San Francisco’s coffee culture.

I caught up with her recently at Beacon’s opening party to catch up with her and see how life in San Francisco is treating her!

Tell us about Beacon Coffee & Pantry!

We are a coffee shop and specialty market located in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. Our goal is to highlight and support the best artisan producers from the Bay Area and beyond. We serve Sightglass coffee, and in our pantry we have a selection of jams, pickles, pastas, grains, sauces, oils, salts, candy, chocolate, and snacks. In the coming months, I'm going to focus on bringing more unique, "cream of the crop" items, and also expand the selection with some interesting lifestyle and kitchen items as well.

What was the most rewarding part of the process?

It's been an amazing, one-of-a-kind experience to build something from the ground up. None of this—the brand, identity, or space—existed a year ago, and now it’s a growing business. Christian is my cousin, co-owner, the one who spearheaded the project, and brought me on to work on it. He comes from an architecture and real estate background, and I come from a fashion/product design background, so it was great to collaborate and design the space together. It's been incredibly rewarding to see my ideas come to fruition, for an audience that changes every day. We started with a totally raw space, so it was pretty amazing to see it all come together—we made every little decision, in every inch of the space, every step of the way. This has been a career change for me, but it has been a project that combines all my work experience: design, marketing/PR, and customer service.

To add to that, on a day to day basis, it’s rewarding to really get to know our customers. Even though we are at the convergence of so many San Francisco tourist destinations, most of our customers are regulars. A lot of them have expressed how happy they are we opened, and that something like our shop was needed in the neighborhood, so it’s great to have that kind of validation. As a small gesture of our appreciation, we post "customer of the day" (on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook), which shares a little about our awesome customers.

The most challenging?

The most challenging thing has probably been changing gears from working as a designer (at a desk, with regular hours) to opening and running a new small business (never not working/thinking about work). There are always unexpected issues that pop up every day, and serving coffee is just one part of the juggling act. It’s all been great though, coming into it I knew it was going to be a big challenge, which is why I decided to move out here and do it. I've learned more than I ever would have in the past year about creating a brand, building a space, and running a shop, and managing personalities.

Tell us about the succulent installation you designed—it’s truly amazing.It’s over 1,300 succulent plants. When we were deciding what type of art to install, we took the same approach as we did to our interiors - we wanted some that would appeal to everyone, but be striking and unique. You typically see living walls outdoors, but I did a lot of research on how I could make it work indoors, I spoke to a few experts, and chose varieties that typically could do well in low light. I mapped it all out in Photoshop first, then made a couple trips to Succulent Gardens in Castroville (which is an awesome succulent nursery, check it out if you're ever in the area). The planting was just the first part, we then had to figure out how to waterproof the wall, frame and support the whole thing, which weighs at least 600 pounds, and more after watering. The whole process took a couple months.  But it was so fun, and definitely one of my most rewarding projects. Not a day goes by where someone doesn't comment on it.

(People always ask how we water it. There is a drip irrigation system built in, so we hook up a hose, and it drips from the top down into the gutter installed at the bottom. Sometimes I also take off the wooden frame, which comes off in pieces, and spray the whole thing down.)

Your favorite thing about the shop / item in the shop?

That's hard. I obviously love Sightglass coffee, and all our pastries are really good. We are the first shop to start serving Worthy Granola, which is 100% organic and handmade in North Beach (www.worthygranola.com), and it’s probably my favorite way to start the day. Some other favorites are: Dandelion Venezuelan chocolate, Baia Pasta, Dry Soda, our smoked sea salt, flageolet beans, and Have'a Chips. I made a batch of candles inspired by SF neighborhoods, but those sold out in the first few weeks we were open, and I haven't had a chance to make more. But there are some very exciting things are coming in the next few months, so stay tuned.

Do you think a shop like this could succeed New York?

I think this could succeed in New York, but rents are insanely high for spaces that are much smaller, so obviously the concept/experience would have to be tweaked a bit. People are generally people are more rushed and impatient, but there is a rapidly growing appreciation, awareness, and demand for specialty coffee. People do sit in cafes for hours, especially in Williamsburg and Greenpoint. I think the pantry concept could definitely be carried over— there are so many food-related cottage industries, especially in Brooklyn. There is an energy in New York that is unlike anywhere else. I really miss it, and daydream about opening something like this there one day. Maybe it’s in the cards, who knows!

How has the move affected your wardrobe choices? What do you wear to work now vs. before?

I've always been somewhat driven by comfort. I used to work for Comme des Garcons, I'll always love it, and have tons of that stuff tucked away, but I rarely wear any of it anymore. Right before I moved here I worked at Ralph Lauren, so I still wear a lot of that, but my style has definitely gotten a lot more casual. Lots of denim, cotton, and stuff I can wash easily, cause I'm spilling coffee and doing dishes. I've kind of reverted to how I dressed as a teenager. Pretty much all the shopping I do in San Francisco is vintage/thrift—it’s awesome here! Maybe I have a different aesthetic/style sensibility, cause I find a lot of gems that no one here seems to want.

Anything else you want to mention?

If anyone out there has any awesome products they think could be a good fit for us, I'm always open to hearing any suggestions. The same goes for artists too—we always wanted the shop to be a platform for rotating artwork, and we have a lot of prime wall space and the front display window (aka the "driveby gallery"). Come by and say hi!

Follow us on:

Instagram @beaconsf

twitter @beaconsf

Facebook.com/beaconSF

 www.beacon-sf.com

Entrepreneurial Real Talk: Closing Time

My business, Fancy French Cologne, officially closed its virtual doors yesterday. Carly and I started the business a few years ago as a way to stay creative after the band we played in for six years broke up, and running our own business seemed like the obvious next step. It’s funny to think back at who we were then – even though it was only a few years ago, I feel so much older and more experienced having gone through the process. The two of us were just a couple of super motivated girls that wanted to DO something, and so we did! In fact, we did everything from scratch, with help from our friends and family, learning so much from so many mistakes, and cherishing every hard-won accomplishment along the way. The experience has shaped me profoundly, and I’m so proud of us for what we achieved.

Back when we began the project, e-commerce was still a pretty uncharted territory. Of course online stores existed back in 2009, but it was a different time and things were far less sophisticated than they are now. One aspect I truly enjoyed throughout this process was following the progress of shops like Modcloth and Nasty Gal over the years – watching as smaller, entrepreneurial businesses were able to thrive in the face of mega-stores (with mega-bucks!) like GAP or Nordstrom. These new businesses truly innovated where the more established brands seemed hesitant to stray too far from the status quo. I always say that we’re living in the “turn of the century” and there are things happening now that might seem unthinkable in twenty years. The world of e-commerce has opened up opportunities to empower women in ways that did not exist before—to me it’s just amazing. Not only for the entrepreneurs at the top, but for the women that are able to work for companies that share their values, and for the customers that finally see an authentic reflection of themselves in the businesses where they shop (as opposed to purely being “marketed to”). To me, this is powerful.

Now, after almost four years of working together on our business, Carly and I are both ready for yet another phase in life. Most people have had a sad reaction to this news – as though it somehow wasn’t our decision. But of course it was! And it was a business decision first and foremost, not an emotional one. We considered keeping the store alive while I go back to school and Carly pursues an exciting new project, but for what? Running a business is A LOT of work! If we can’t give Fancy French Cologne the time and attention that our customers deserve, then what is the point?

I look forward to working with Carly again someday, with all the amazing people who helped out during photo shoots, and with the wonderful designers that we had the honor of collaborating with. Whatever I do next, I know that this experience has molded me and taught me what I’m capable of and what my core values are. I will carry Fancy French Cologne with me far into the future.

xoChr 

PS I love you Carly!