Ginett comes from a background in fashion and luxury, and joined Chloé five years ago to internalize the wholesale footwear business for North America. The brand’s free-spirited aesthetic, and the concept of ‘sisterhood’ being at the core of its values, really resonated with her.
How I started my journey…
I started 5 years ago at Chloé. At that time, the wholesale footwear business was managed by a licensee and the brand decided to bring it in-house. I joined the US Chloé team to take over from the licensee and manage sales operations. I am responsible for selling the collection to partners such as Saks 5th Ave and Neiman Marcus, and following up with accounts on sales distribution, business trends, product trainings, and events. One of the reasons that I decided to join Chloé was because I personally identify with the brand and love to wear it. It was also an exciting time to join Chloe! It was the “It” brand of the moment and the business was undergoing its regrowth trajectory– which was really attractive!
How I have grown…
In my time here, there have been so many new projects and tech developments that I have been able to get my hands on. I worked on a project to open up the first ever US shoe shop-in-shop at Bloomingdales, which is one of two in the whole company. We recently launched drop ship, which helps us broaden the Chloe product offering to end consumers through our partners’ e-commerce platforms. In learning SAP and SKYPAD platforms, I’m able to use these tools to gain insights on my business that I can then act on. These various projects and platforms have allowed me to strengthen my skillset.
What I have learned…
AGILITY and flexibility! Today’s retail environment and customer needs are constantly changing. The Chloe customer is fashion forward, knows what she wants and moves on to new trends very quickly. How do we change along with her and adapt? How do we keep on top of trends? And how do we connect with her digitally? These are all the questions and challenges that we face on a day-to-day basis. Most recently, Covid has pushed us to pivot much faster than ever before. From our own day-to-day operations to what our customer needs. For example, our client is working from home now, so we need to adapt our product offering to her new casual lifestyle. In a way, we have to anticipate the changes before they happen, so we have the right product, at the right time.
What has impressed me…
With Richemont, I was impressed with the resources available for employee growth and development. From classes to “Richemont Talks,” to the new Retail Academy, these have been adapted over the years to fit the current employee demographic. Moreover, these programs present many opportunities to interact and work with the different Maisons. Our North America office has put in a lot of effort to become a “great place to work…” the new meditation room is a personal favorite!
At Chloé, the company culture was a breath of fresh air – it is one of the most positive work environments that I have ever been in. There is a strong sense of camaraderie and collaboration, both in our US and HQ offices. It is fulfilling to be able to give our input as to the specific needs of our market and see it materialize in the collection. I love that my voice is heard and it has a positive impact on our business.
On a personal level, I am fortunate to have my immediate Chloe team. I’ve had the opportunity to become a mother during my time here and the team has been very supportive in my transition to motherhood.
My favorite memory…
About 3 years ago, we went on a retreat, where the entire corporate US team went to the Catskill Mountains. We took professional development classes such as “negotiation tactics”, and also did some bonding activities like hiking and wine tasting. It was nice to be able to connect with my team outside of the office environment and strengthen our relationships!
Wise words that I live by…
Seize the moment! There is no better time than today.