The co-lab career stories

Céline Kaplan is the ne plus ultra tastemaker of all things French chic and, like all guardians of the French-girl mystique, will never give away her age. Founder of her eponymous boutique public relations agency Céline Kaplan PR, Céline’s client list (and closet) is enough to make other fashion PR doyennes green with envy. A consummate traveler (she most recently invaded the island of Culebra), s...

Kahlana Barfield Brown has carved a niche for herself in the hyper-competitive world of fashion and beauty publishing. She began her career as an intern at InStyle before eventually being hired full time. Throughout her career at the magazine, she took on several key positions, including Beauty Director, and fulfilled duties that ranged from writing in-depth features to reporting live from the red...

D'Arcy Jensen is a creative executive with expertise leading brand strategy & aesthetic, experiential & social media marketing, strategic collaboration partnerships, and product design & development within the fashion, beauty, and retail spaces. D'Arcy found herself amidst the pandemic reclaiming a 950 sq. foot community garden in Hudson Valley, NY. Combining her professional skil...

Sara Sakanaka is a multidisciplinary creative, focusing on design, fashion, and consultancy projects for domestic and international clients. She holds a broad understanding of apparel design, product development, brand strategy, domestic and international markets, and is experienced in successfully launching new fashion and lifestyle brands including ready-to-wear, bridal, couture, and outerwear....

Saúl started creating content in the fashion industry shooting fashion weeks in New York, Milan & Paris. His film projects have included collaborating with various companies and organizations across the world including Apple Music, Spotify, Jordan Brand, ESPN, Netflix, Under Armour, Nordstrom, Moncler, Louis Vuitton, The Getty Museum and more. Saúl also won a 2020 MTV VMA & EMA in the "Vid...

"What you wear is what you represent." UPRISERS was founded by Creative Director Michelle K. Hanabusa, a fourth-generation Japanese American. Michelle amassed an impressive resume in the fashion + design industry prior to UPRISERS. While working in corporate, she noticed a disconnect between the consumer and the company. Inspired by the origins of streetwear culture and its ability to connect peop...

Allie Egan is founder and CEO of Veracity Selfcare, a company that creates a personal skincare experience based on real data about hormones and other biofactors that impact skin and health through their at-home Skin + Health Test. A graduate of University of Virginia and Harvard Business School, Allie began her career in finance, pivoting to fashion and beauty a few years later. After spendin...

Franci Girard is Founder and CEO of fashion e-commerce brand, The Sixes, a Stanford and Harvard Business School grad, a former professional volleyball player, and a former associate at Goldman Sachs. What hasn't this superwoman accomplished? Originally from Brooklyn, Franci credits much of her success to her mother, sister, and Prep for Prep, a leadership development program that offers promising...

"I want to be in a place where I can say I’ve made a positive impact on retail in some way, shape, or form," says Victoria Lee, Senior Assistant Planner at Bloomingdale's. Victoria is interviewed today by fellow co-lab member and beauty industry executive, Richard Vera. Originally from New Jersey, Victoria attended Princeton University where she studied Economics, and later began her fashion caree...

Today we hear the career story of Beauty Executive, Richard Vera, who is currently Senior Vice President of Global Sales at Kayo Body Care. Originally from Ecuador, Richard attended University of Miami, studying International Finance and Marketing, and went on to receive an MBA from Vanderbilt University. Richard began his career at L'Oréal in Miami, and really developed his career during his 13 y...

Steven Waldberg is a Luxury Global Marketing and Communications Executive, most recently Executive VP of Global Consumer Engagement at Calvin Klein. Born in France, Steven is trilingual (speaking English, French, and Spanish) and credits his multicultural background and schooling to his success today. Steven currently lives in New York City and has held various VP roles for a bevy of impressive br...

Aliza Licht is the Founder and President of LEAVE YOUR MARK LLC, a creative brand marketing and digital strategy consultancy. Interviewed by Facebook's Site Merchandising Lead and Style Blogger, Sylvie Esmundo, Licht discusses her unlikely route to the fashion world. Although she grew up fashion-obsessed, it wasn't until later in college that she pivoted from pre-med student to Assistant Accessori...

“What I want to do with my life is work with amazing, like-minded, well-intentioned creative people to tell really great stories,” says Andy Comer, most recently SVP of Marketing and Creative Services at Tommy Bahama. Listen today as fellow co-lab member and Luxury Executive, Steven Waldberg, interviews Andy on his career trajectory and what advice he would give his 20-year-old self. Originally fr...

“One of the greatest successes of my life is seeing success come from someone else because of how I supported them,” says Bianca Kofman, Interim Area Manager at Cole Haan, interviewed by fellow co-lab member, Denise Baca. Born and raised in CA, Bianca attended San Diego State University, majoring in Kinesiology with the intention of becoming a physical therapist. Right before graduating from colle...

“It’s important to look at the upside of failures,” says Denise Baca, VP of Wholesale (North America) at G-Star RAW, interviewed by fellow co-lab member, Bianca Kofman. Originally from Mexico, Denise and her family moved to Texas when she was 5 years old. She attended Baylor University, where she studied Finance and International Business. During a college internship in Dallas, she became acquaint...

"It's always worth a shot, in my book, to try something that you're not sure is going to work," says Lindsay Denninger, Copy Director at Boll & Branch. Lindsay is interviewed today by fellow copywriter and co-lab connection, Julie Chen. Lindsay grew up in Long Island, NY, and studied English and Literature at Long Island University. Upon graduation during the 2008 recession, she took small job...

Today we hear the career story of Beauty Copywriter, Julie Chen, interviewed by fellow copywriter Lindsay Denninger. Growing up in Massachusetts, Julie developed an interest in fashion from a young age (thanks to MTV & Cindy Crawford) and ultimately attended FIT, studying Trend Forecasting. The first half of Julie's career was spent in the illustrious world of magazines, with extensive experie...

“Real experience provides authentic confidence,” says Sylvie Esmundo, Site Merchandising Lead at Facebook and Influencer & Blogger @life.by.sylvie. Sylvie kicks off season 2 of The co-lab Career Stories Podcast and is interviewed by Founder of LEAVE YOUR MARK LLC and PR & Branding Maven, Aliza Licht. Sylvie grew up in the Bay Area and attended both University of California Davis, majoring...

Today on the Co-lab Career Stories podcast we feature Tara O'Brien, Assistant Planner at Macy's, interviewed by fellow co-lab member, Sarah Ross. Tara grew up right outside the Big Apple, in Fishkill, New York. Her lifelong passion for the fashion industry ultimately led her to attend FIT and study Fashion Merchandising, where she developed a love for the business side of fashion. Her strengths in...

“You can’t get where you are without messing up. I’m really proud of owning the mistakes I’ve made. Those mistakes really form who you are later in life,” says Sarah Ross, President and Founder of W.I.P. Strategic Brand Management and former Head of Sales at Stojo and S’well. Sarah grew up in a small town in New Jersey, and moved to NYC to attend NYU, studying Mass Communications & Media Studi...

Susan Elliott-Bocassi currently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board for Brighter Children funding schools in Kenya, Honduras, Colombia and India. Prior to this, Susan served as Vice President – General Manager at Bluestem Brands where she grew e-commerce and turned around a down trending business. She began her career at Warner Bros. and has held various planning and merchandising roles at Ca...

Christine Jasper, Consultant and Project Manager with an interest in sustainable fashion, is interviewed today by fellow co-lab member Susan Elliott-Bocassi. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Christine served in the Peace Corps for 2 years in Romania. She later went on to earn a Master's Degree from Johns Hopkins University, and moved back to Romania for four years to ma...

Today we chat with Talent Acquisition Coordinator at AHA! Recruiting Experts, Hasmik Minasian. Originally from Armenia, Hasmik moved to Chicago as a child when her father got an engineering opportunity. While finishing up her Bachelor's Degree at Elmhurst College, she had an internship that made her instantly fall in love with HR. After beginning her professional career as an Administrative Assist...

"I want to bring more humanity to the workplace," says International Operations Expert turned Executive Coach, Kamrin Eriksen Huban, interviewed by  recruiter Hasmik Minasian. Originally from Washington state, Kamrin attended Gonzaga University where she studied PR, Marketing and Advertising. She moved to China in 1997 and got her first job at a Taiwanese owned footwear factory. Kamrin spent...

"Follow your gut sooner and take bigger risks, because you only live once. If you put in enough effort and have the right people around you, then things are going to work out," says Ricardo Larroudé, co-founder and CEO of newly launched shoe brand, Larroudé. Ricardo is interviewed by his wife and co-founder (and fashion power player), Marina Larroudé, on today's Career Stories episode. After initi...