PICTURE ME AT FIFTEEN:
I’m a Brooklyn College student, working as a typist in a men’s showroom. I’ve got my mouth shut, but my ears and eyes stay open to the interactions of others. No detail gets by me...
My style sense earns me an opportunity to oversee business while my boss travels. Sales soar under my creative direction.
Then guess who opens her first store on the Upper West Side with more enthusiasm than dollars and a large network already in her pocket?
I hit every show across the globe, searching out the new next until I’m crowned a fashion show groupie. And it doesn’t take long for my clothing boutiques to claim multiple locations in the heart of Soho.
Have you ever turned merchandising into a competitive sport? Faced mannequins backward just to provoke curiosity? I have. Like you, style is my way of communicating with the world.
My stores were some of the first to inspire a mood and carry small collections. We introduced and imported new and emerging brands. They even nicknamed me “The Jean Genie”.
But after learning and living the world of global buying and visual merchandising for over four decades...
And having brands vie for my eye for tomorrow...
I discovered that building brand recognition may be a science, but maintaining relevance is an art.
One I’ve mastered and refined to create these 3 profit principles:
growth opportunities:
REVEALED BY PERSPECTIVE.
Becoming a renowned retailer or iconic brand isn’t just about looking different. It’s about looking at things differently. It’s using aesthetics to engage consumer senses. Like how the music playing in your shop can change the mood. How a dress hung over pants provokes curiosity. Or how the perfect placement of a label can turn a browser into a buyer. While these creative experiments may seem spontaneous, they’re actually intelligently curated to look effortless. Beautiful accidents designed with intention. Unexpected sleights of style that give people a reason to double take and resonate...letting them know you’re onto something. I’m in pursuit of these twists of expectation and flashes of delight that build brand awareness in a quiet, personal way. Your company has a story and soul. Why not share it?
commercial appeal:
A CONTINUOUS EXERCISE IN EDITING.
A perfectly edited brand and merchandising strategy mean you can spend fewer resources and buy smarter. At the hands of a master mixer, you’re able to start where you are and riff on what you’ve got. You don’t need to say out with the old and in with the new... The smallest and simplest twang can add flavor to the message you’re communicating. All it takes to change the meaning is that finishing touch. That bold embellishment. That fresh take on a classic concept. When it comes to brand trappings, it’s about balancing constants with contrast. Because what you pull is just as important as what you keep.
style:
A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE.
Knowing who you want to be and what you want to say goes a long way in the fashion business. It gives you the invitation to connect with your customers on a page, in a conversation, through fabrics. And it transforms products into feelings. With a fresh and adaptive approach to defining style through storytelling, I interpret your success as a series of vignettes. Every detail plays a role in communicating the voice and vision behind your brand to attract commercial appeal. Isn’t it funny how your quirks can become your assets?
Got a fashion retail, retailer or design business that’s ready to take a step away from average or ordinary?
I can help you figure out what’s missing,
and how to better showcase what’s already there.
I love hiding between bookstore shelves and people watching at airports. I consider myself a hummus connoisseur, and I’m just as serious about where I get my pizza from. My preferred seat is an indie film. My heart gets tugged by Clark and Greta, my two French bulldogs. And my body hums and my head stays quiet when I’m burying my feet in warm sand.