Leading Voices: Women Execs Share Their Best Career Moves
Experience and talent are not always enough to succeed in the fashion industry. Whether it’s a career in design, marketing or events, it requires taking risks, embracing change and trusting instincts.
Here, 9 women executives, designers and entrepreneurs share their best advice on how to thrive professionally and personally in the fashion industry.
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Paige Adams-Geller, Paige co-founder and creative director
What is the best career move or decision you’ve made?
The greatest career decision I ever made was choosing to become an entrepreneur. After graduating from USC, I found myself in the entertainment industry, which proved to be a very unhealthy environment. Faced with the challenge of finding a new career path, I consulted a life coach who suggested I start my own clothing line. For the past 20 years, this venture has allowed me to channel my creativity through fashion and use my platform to support others. I take great pride in maintaining a positive work environment and serving as the Chairwoman of the board at the Rape Treatment Center at UCLA Health.
What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
The most valuable career advice I’ve ever received is to trust my instincts. While it might sound cliché, taking the time to listen to my inner voice almost always leads me in the right direction. Authenticity is crucial to me.
Kim Kitchings, Cotton Incorporated senior VP of consumer marketing
What is the best career move or decision you’ve made?
The best career move was not a single position but rather establishing an objective mindset based on my first role in marketing research and analytics. From the beginning, I consistently sought new opportunities and never confined myself to the established boundaries, whether written or unwritten of a specific position. This approach led me to collaborate across all divisions within the company, allowing me to gain a wealth of knowledge from my colleagues and contributing to their programs with insightful perspectives. By challenging the status quo and embracing continuous learning and cross-functional teamwork, I broadened my expertise and significantly impacted the organization. This approach then and now allows me to utilize resources differently and effectively prepare for future scenarios that impact our brand.
What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
The best piece of career advice I’ve received is to not take criticism personally, regardless of how it is intended. Instead, use it to improve your professional work. Recently, I completed a leadership course with the Institute for Real Growth and guest presenter, Ashley Wray, a meditation and mindfulness coach, spoke. She shared sage advice centered on the “3 P’s: It’s not personal, it’s not perfect, and it’s not permanent.” These are words to live by, both professionally and personally.
Christina Choi, Judy Blue creative director
What is the best career move or decision you’ve made?
The best career decision I made was to make an entire collection with only premium stretch denim fabric. When I started out my career, it was difficult to find quality jeans with lots of stretch—prioritizing comfort in my designs has been the best decision ever. Identifying a gap in the market and offering a solution was the magic sauce to our success.
What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
You don’t need to know everything to succeed. You only need drive, curiosity and an open mind. Add a sprinkle of kindness, and your possibilities become limitless.
Miko Underwood, chief creator, founder of OAK & ACORN ~ Only for the Rebelles
What is the best career move or decision you’ve made?
One of the best career moves I made was to accept the role as global design director for a multinational company. The assignment relocated me to China where I worked alongside the factories and wash houses. Working abroad enabled me to be incredibly hands on with development and production as well as mentorship to a team of young Chinese designers.
Living as an expat in a foreign country informed my relationship with sustainability. It allowed to see the world with new eyes. I saw firsthand the amount of waste accumulated and felt emboldened to make different choices that ultimately informed my business, like reusing and repurposing castoffs/rejected styles into our design.
What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
Creativity has a rhythm. It doesn’t come from working harder to produce more. Learn your rhythm.
We’ve become accustomed to consuming a lot without balanced output. Over time I’ve learned that my artistic process needs time to digest and release to create.
In China, I witnessed the importance of work balance at scale. Chinese workers were deliberate about breaks for lunch and ending the workday whereas I was in the habit of working through my lunch and staying late. I had a habit of working until the wee hours of the morning burning my candle at both ends. In the end it wasn’t sustainable for my health.
I soon learned better productivity doesn’t come from overworking but from taking intentional time to reset and digest, which may mean ending the workday earlier. Or stepping away from it altogether and focusing on another area of the business.
My process allows me to consume a lot. I learned that I need to take space to rest and settle with my intake, digest it. I download and then creativity happens.
Sara DeLuca, Dovetail Workwear co-founder and head of product development
What is the best career move or decision you’ve made?
Starting Dovetail as a brand was by far the best career and life decision I ever made. To take my experience in the industry and apply it to a brand that is creating cultural change is magical. Women’s workwear wasn’t a category five years ago. Now Nike, Lucky Brand, you name it, everyone has a workwear line. And whether it’s for fashion or function, it’s ok. It means that people are paying attention.
Women’s workwear is legit: let’s see and recognize the industrial athlete, see women breaking glass ceilings in every industry, let’s celebrate strong is beautiful. Let’s build product for her.
I want both my daughter and son to see the images of women hanging off buildings, throwing axes, flying planes, taming falcons. I want that to be the norm, not the exception. If we can do that and honor these exceptional women with gear that is worth their grit, then I have done my job.
What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
Be irreverent. I was working for a major corporation and [the advice] was part of an executive training program. It always stuck with me. The way I interpreted that was to be a critical thinker and never accept the status quo. In retrospect, I think that forever changed my trajectory and view of the apparel industry.
Dovetail has been the culmination of my deep experience and my unwillingness to accept “women’s workwear” as the major companies said was ok [and] acceptable. It’s exciting to be part of a brand that is not only changing the paradigm for women but changing the paradigm for workwear. How it fits, how it performs, it doesn’t matter your gender. This is a universal truth but to lead it through the feminine lens is so refreshing and real.
Vivian Wang, Kingpins Show managing director and global sales manager
What is the best career move or decision you’ve made?
I did not start out to be a trade show executive—I didn’t even set out to work in denim. I studied fashion design and textile design in college but it was graphic design classes that led to my first jobs after graduation. I was soon working freelance for some of L.A.’s best-known denim companies: Lucky Brand, J Brand, Citizens for Humanity, Guess, and, of course, Adriano Goldschmied. I was working with Adriano at AG when I first met Andrew Olah, who hired me to design the invitation for the first Kingpins Show. When Andrew expanded to L.A., he hired me to produce the show.
I didn’t know it at the time but dropping everything to join Kingpins and pivot to running a denim trade show turned out to be the best career decision I ever made. It wasn’t an easy decision; I didn’t know what running a trade show would entail. But Andrew had faith in me, and I had faith in myself that I could pull it off—and I did.
Now that Kingpins is celebrating its 20th anniversary and has expanded all over the world, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, and I’m so happy I took that unexpected detour. I truly believe that things happen for a reason, and I believe you shouldn’t be afraid to think outside the box.
What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
The best career advice I received wasn’t advice, per se, but something I learned watching Adriano and his approach to design. Adriano is adamant that everything should have a purpose. If there’s a pocket, it should be functional. If there’s decorative stitching, it should have a specific design purpose.
Throughout my career, I have followed that example. I set goals for myself and as opportunities and challenges arise, I think about the purpose for each decision. I ask myself if the decision will move me toward my goal? Will it make me a better person?
This is also how I approach the goals I set for the Kingpins Show. With each decision I make each season, I think about the purpose and the impact on everyone at the show. If the “wow factor” is not there, I think why would we do it?
Sarah Ahmed, DL1961 and Warp + Weft founder and CEO
What is the best career move or decision you’ve made?
Retail and consumer are generally really unpredictable fast-moving markets, so you have to constantly make decisions—some pan out positively and some negatively. However, the best decision I made was to invest in the right people. The best person for the job isn’t always the one with the right pedigree, resume, or education but one that has the best attitude towards adapting and learning. Because, when things change so quickly from one season to the next you need those people most.
What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
It’s cliche but it’s that the customer is the only investor in the brand that matters. It’s their attachment to the brand and their taste for the product that determines the future of your business.
Melissa Riggs, The Lycra Company director of marketing – North America
What is the best career move or decision you’ve made?
The best decision in my career has been choosing grit. Specifically, there was a pivotal moment in my career when I was having a real misalignment in work style with my boss. She was and is one of the smartest women I had ever worked with, however our communication styles were so different that it often caused tension and impacted my output. I might have decided it just wasn’t going to work and moved onto something else—every instinct I had told me to flee. But I decided to face the hard, human-first work and work through it with her. It was simply my best, and frankly most uncomfortable choice at work, but ended up being a real growth moment-for both of us. In the end, she became an advocate and friend, and our collective output was impressive. Sometimes “doing the work” isn’t about the work at all, but about the people working together.
What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
The best advice I have received is to wait 24 hours before ever responding to something (especially email) in the workplace that makes you upset or angry. Sleep on it, as they say. The benefits here go beyond just not responding when your emotions are highest. It gives the issue itself time to breathe. Things change so quickly—in mere hours a situation’s complexion can change. I live by this workplace golden rule.
Claire Ford Raisbeck, design consultant, owner of Claire Ford Consultancy
What is the best career move or decision you’ve made?
There have been three pivotal decisions that have significantly shaped and expanded my career. The first was choosing to specialize in denim back in 2010. The second was launching my consultancy, and the third, somewhat unexpectedly, was relocating to Australia.
Specializing in denim was a turning point. Early in my career, I worked on multi-product design, but after gaining a few years of experience and spending six months travelling, I returned to a job offer from Firetrap. Despite my limited denim experience, they saw potential and brought me on board under the mentorship of an ex-Levi’s and All Saints expert. This was where I truly immersed myself in denim, spending weeks in laundries and even writing a denim glossary and history for the brand. That experience profoundly influenced my perspective on denim and laid the foundation for my career.
After nine years in the industry with brands like Next PLC, AllSaints, and Reiss, I realized I wanted to drive change within the industry. This led me to Outland Denim, a brand committed to sustainable practices for both people and the planet. At this point, I decided to leave my full-time role and focus on sustainability, leveraging my expertise to help brands improve their denim ranges. I discovered a passion for the entire process—from sourcing and trim design to fit and product design—which made consulting the perfect path for me.
Moving to Australia was a significant challenge, particularly as it happened in the middle of the pandemic. I relocated with little knowledge of the local brands or what to expect. Unlike the U.K., where there is a wealth of denim specialists, Australia has a smaller industry with fewer consultants. However, this pivotal move has led to a surge in demand for my expertise—I’m fortunate to have more opportunities than I can accommodate. This has inspired me to explore expanding Claire Ford Consultancy, allowing me to take on more projects and continue helping brands establish their denim ranges, while also reaching out to global brands to offer them a unique perspective on their denim collections—all while enjoying the lifestyle of living by the beach.
What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
The best piece of career advice I’ve received is to specialize in one area of design while remaining open to new opportunities. Early in my career, I was encouraged to focus on denim. Initially, I didn’t have a strong passion for denim, but specializing in it expanded my understanding and appreciation of the product, leading me to truly enjoy all the work I do now.
Another crucial piece of advice was to trust my own experience and instincts. Believing in myself and my unique perspective has been vital, particularly as a woman in the industry. Embracing my expertise and intuition has given me the confidence to take bold steps, such as launching my consultancy and relocating to Australia.
For women in the industry, combining deep specialization with self-trust and adaptability can be a powerful strategy for breaking new ground and achieving career success.
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