Career Growth Advice from Rebecca Minkoff, Fashion Design Leader | Career Tips for Women in Fashion Design

2B Bolder Podcast – Episode 41
Featuring Rebecca Minkoff

Episode Title: #41 Career Podcast Featuring Rebecca Minkoff, a Top Fashion Designer, Podcast Host of Superwomen, and Author of Fearless : Women In Business

Host: Mary Killelea
Guest: Rebecca Minkoff



Mary Killelea (Host): Hi there. My name is Mary Killelea. Welcome to the To Be Bolder podcast, providing career insights for the next generation of women in business and tech. To Be Bolder was created out of my love for technology and marketing, my desire to bring together like-minded women, and my hope to be a great role model and source of inspiration for my two girls and other young women like you, encouraging you guys to show up and to be bolder and to know that anything you guys dream of, it's totally possible. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the conversation.

Hi there. Thanks for tuning in. I am a huge fan of today's guest and I'm thrilled she's here and so grateful to have Rebecca Minkoff joining us to share her career story to inspire other women to be fearless and to go after their dreams. Rebecca Minkoff is a successful fashion designer, designing handbags, accessories, footwear, and apparel. She is an active member of the CFDA, which is an organization devoted to supporting and nurturing new and emerging design talent. She supports multiple philanthropies such as Every Mother Counts, Baby to Baby, and the Fashion Foundation. She is the host of the popular Super Women podcast that focuses on the incredible stories of resilience, failure, and success. And now she can add to her list of accomplishments, successful author, as she just recently published the book Fearless. And on top of all that, she's a mom of two. So, Rebecca, thank you for making time for me and for my audience and discussing your career with us. It's really appreciated.

Rebecca Minkoff (Guest): My pleasure. Happy to be here.

Mary Killelea: Okay. So I listened to your book Fearless and I love the book for so many reasons. And I know this is going to sound kind of weird, but I really felt like you were talking to me. You were so relatable. And I was like, God, I really want to hang out with Rebecca. I know that's kind of weird, but in the book, you mentioned the goal of writing it was to empower readers to overcome their fears and make strong, clear choices as they create a clear path through this world. What have been some of your fears that you've had to overcome?

Rebecca Minkoff: Oh, so many. I think it really starts, the base of it is taking risks, whether it was moving to New York at 18 to starting my own line to continuing my line after 9/11. I think those can all be scary things. Being faced with non-existence as I watched my company implode during the pandemic. And so I think that those are all really scary things. And then if you're a caregiver or a provider, you know, the stakes are that much higher.

Mary Killelea: I totally agree. And I think definitely through the pandemic, we've all had new fears that we'd never even imagined prior to that. Is there some self-talk that you give yourself or something that you turn to help kind of quiet the voices of doubt, those little ones that creep into our heads when we least expect it?

Rebecca Minkoff: I think I've spent the last 15 years viewing that little voice. Like there's a, it's a muscle and you get better and stronger at silencing it. The more attention you sort of say, okay, don't need to listen to that. That doesn't feel right. And validating what is right and what you do get correct 90% of the time. And so I don't think it's something that you can instantly give someone, but I definitely think it's something that can be built upon.

Mary Killelea: Yeah, that's a great point. I love that. Can you share with the listeners a little history? I mean, I read the book, so I know a lot about it, but I would love for anyone who hasn't read the book to kind of get a teaser of how you got started in design and what you consider to be kind of your big break that put you on the map.

Rebecca Minkoff: Yeah. So I really fell in love with sewing and design when I was around eight. I wanted this dress that my mom refused to get for me. And so I said, you know, she said, I'll teach her to sew it, which no eight year old wants to hear. And then I really got hooked on the idea that I could create something out of nothing. And so just fell in love and became somewhat obsessive about creating garments, repurposing garments and got very serious about it. And, you know, went to high school, did that as my elective. So, four hours a day were spent in the costume design department, sewing and learning the craft. And at the time I didn't feel that school was going to be the thing for me. And so decided to start working right away. So I was able to get a paid internship in New York City and moved there and worked there for about three years before I went off and started my own line, which I was still working. I wouldn't say a cushy paycheck. It was minimum wage. But after 9 11, the CEO said, if you love what you're doing so much, you need to go do it. So go, you're fired. And I'm here for you. And I was like, wait, can we talk about that?

Mary Killelea: Well, that's incredible. Now, at what point from the book, I know you and your brother are partners. At what point did that happen? And, and has that been hard?

Rebecca Minkoff: We joined at a point where the bag was just taking off. I had a lot of inbound interest. I had no money and I had called my dad and asked him for help. And he said, call your brother. And so my brother's original intention was just to like do basic business 101. And he was willing to loan me a little bit of money here and there. And when he saw that I would like pay him back every few weeks and say, I need more, I need more. He was like, what's going on here? And that's when he, you know, we kind of became more like partners. And he started really looking and helping the business.

Mary Killelea: I love your bags, especially the morning after bag, which is one of your most popular ones, or at least one of your very original ones, the hobo, and the ed maxi cross bag, cross body bag. Where do you get inspirations for all your bags because you have such a wide variety?

Rebecca Minkoff: I think at the end of the day, my inspiration comes from just the idea that a bag should be something… When I started the morning after bag, I wanted something that had that felt like it was part of the zeitgeist at the time, but also something that wouldn't in three months be dated. Like there were so many it bags then that a few months later, you felt bad that the person was still carrying it. And I didn't want to have that one, that that thing that was hot for three months, and then you hate it. And retail outlets like the real weren't around then. So it's not like someone could easily get rid of it. So for me, it was about creating something that was accessible, but luxury, had a timelessness, but a classic-ness to it. And really the the one thing that I hear most consistently when I meet my customers is that they got a bag when they got to raise a promotion, a date, like they graduated these milestone moments, I think my bags have really become synonymous with that.

Mary Killelea: You touched on when you talk to your customers, or when you meet your customers, how important is it for a designer to stay connected with the customers?

Rebecca Minkoff: I think it's incredibly important. You know, we were one of the first brands or the first brand to speak to our customer. And people might be like, excuse me, what people, you know, designers always spoke to their customers, but there was a time period when that just wasn't done. Designers were supposed to stay in their ivory towers. And so in 2005, when I was talking to her online, it was it was a big deal. And it was considered dirtying the brand. And we said, we think we like to talk to our customer, we get instant feedback, we get a relationship. And so that was kind of why it became so important to us.

Mary Killelea: And I think being customer obsessed is key to business's success, because ultimately, if you're not hearing and responding to what your customers need and want, they're going to move on. So I think that's great. And another thing that I think is amazing that you've done is your website and how you've evolved from a marketing perspective in office and the marketing perspective in offering the different packages for like your pre orders of your books and just shopping online. How has that evolved over the years, especially since COVID. Did it kind of, I guess, have a digital transformation during that time, or were you kind of more advanced prior to that?

Rebecca Minkoff: I don't know that for me, our website feels that advanced. I do think that there's certain things that are advanced. I think just are simple things that just speak to customer pain points, like I have a borrow button, I think you can go to a rent runway and rent from a ton of brands. But sometimes you might want to borrow something from one, but you're not going to, you don't want to have 16 different rental apps on your phone. And so I think for us, we'd like to try different things within our site that we know our customer might be feeling or sensing from just where she is at personally or other things we did during the pandemic before most people we introduced text message back in April of last year, before a lot of brands used it. And so I think it was just an intimate way to reach our customer. So yeah, so I think we like to experiment and try things and then adopt what works.

Mary Killelea: So how do you manage it all from your handbags, accessory, footwear, perfume, apparel, you've got your podcast, you wrote a book and being a mom, how do you manage it all and avoid burnout or overwhelm?

Rebecca Minkoff: Well, it's not just me. And I think I make that very clear. I have, you know, a team of 28 people at my office. So that's how the world keeps going around. And then I have a team at home, I have a husband, I have a caregiver, and everyone has a role. And that's how I'm able to be my best. And so is the team. And my view of burnout is very different than just working really hard. I think if you love what you do, and you have a passion for it, you don't experience burnout, you just don't. I didn't when I first started, I love what I did so much, I made no money, I worked like a dog all the time. And I was so happy and life felt so rich. And I couldn't even go out to dinner, you know, so I think that when I did experience burnout, it was more looking at it from the point of view is of when I sat down and I talk about this in the book and getting cozy with self reflection, is it a toxic work environment? Is it that you don't love what you do? Is it a person? Like there is a thing that is occurring that makes you start hating what you do, or your job. And so if you can get to the root of that, great, that will cure your burnout faster than like, I just need to work and have a self-care Sunday and smell a scented candle and get a massage and then you're going to go back to work. And you're like, Oh, I still I still hate this.

Mary Killelea: Right where all the triggers are. Right. Did you ever envision all this success? And what do you have like advice wise for women who have the talent, but maybe lack the confidence to achieve this kind of success?

Rebecca Minkoff: I mean, it was always something I dreamt about. And I worked damn hard for it. So, I'm not surprised that I'm here because I definitely put in the blood, sweat and tears. I say that though, and there's a lot of people who put in that and not gotten that outcome. I would say that I don't know that it's a confidence. You have to have a certainty in a product that you come up with or a business that you want to start. I mean, you are going to, I'm not trying to fill life into sales, but you've got to be able to sell what you're selling, you know?

Mary Killelea: Yeah.

Rebecca Minkoff: And if you're not good at it, then hire someone who is, you know, I don't know that there's a magical. Hips to give someone confidence, but you have to figure out how you're going to get it and, and, or hire for it or, or train yourself to be confident because no one's going to believe you if you're not confident.

Mary Killelea: Right. Let's talk about your podcast, super women. How did you come up with the idea and who have been some of your favorite luminaries?

Rebecca Minkoff: I really felt like I wanted people to hear the non-girl boss culture that I felt like was so pervasive of I haven't figured it out and everything's perfect. And I'm a girl boss. And I was like that's not my experience. So I thought if I could get the more vulnerable stories of failure and resilience and what people did, that that could help so many women. So some of my favorite episodes are anyone from Katie Couric to Jessica Alba to people that you've never heard of the McBrides. There's who have the largest black owned winery in the United States and how their story comes together or Nicole Lapin, who went from being the child of drug addicts to a, you know, multimillion dollar successful author. I think that some of these women's stories are just, they're incredible, not some, they're all incredible. But those are a couple of standouts.

Mary Killelea: Yeah, no, I agree with that. And it's nice that you have a blend of what we would call maybe popular and well known with some of the unknowns who have had such success. I tried to do that on this podcast as well. And I gained something from each and every woman that I talked to. So that's cool. What tips do you have for women around style? So for some, it comes naturally. And for others, they feel like they've just never got their own style. Any tips?

Rebecca Minkoff: I think that you should spend time exploring, like take a couple of hours or days to like try on a lot of different things. Everyone has a different body type. Some people will say just whatever makes you feel good. I don't agree. I think that if you want to look your best, there are certain tricks. If you're short, you don't want to wear long pants. You want cropped because it makes your legs look longer. If you're have a large chest, you don't necessarily want to add shoulder pads to that. So, I think that you can spend time playing. There are services that are affordable that women can use to get some one-on-one help. And once you've found your thing, like I say, stick with it. Like the trends will change and you can obviously be part of trends, but I know now what works on my body. And so, I don't have to go waste my time looking for crop tops that I'll never wear because after three kids, you know what? I don't want anyone to see my stomach. So I know what works for my body and I try and stay in that lane. And, you know, when I feel good in what I'm wearing, then I'm immediately more confident.

Mary Killelea: Absolutely. So, let's talk about networking. You mentioned it in the book and it's so relevant no matter what industry any woman is in or anyone is in. Does networking come natural for you or did you have to work at it? And is there like advice for, especially the design industry on kind of ways to network or the importance of networking?

Rebecca Minkoff: For me, I inherently and instinctually felt like it was definitely something that was important. And my goal when I would get home was like counting business cards. How many relationships did I make tonight? And the power of unlocking people who are willing to support you or help you, it doesn't mean that you get to go to the CEO and suddenly they're going to like hire you. But if you meet enough people within that organization and create genuine and authentic relationships with them, then you are just going to have more success and you never know where people are going to end up. I think that you'd be surprised like who moves around and where they go and all that stuff. And I think that you should try to network again. If you're shy, practice with your friends. If you don't know how to talk about things or sell yourself, like bring a friend who's a Chatty Cathy. There's always a way to sort of overcome what might be something that's really scary.

Mary Killelea: How important is it to be in New York or LA to be a designer?

Rebecca Minkoff: I think it depends what you want. I think that if you want to be part of the New York City scene and meet the editors and buyers within that realm and be in the mix, as they say, it's incredibly important if you want to be taken whatever quote unquote seriously as a designer. But I also think since the pandemic happened, the world is even more flat. And I'm meeting so many people that blow me away with how successful they are. And I'm like, wow, you've never even set foot in New York. And you don't need all those people to be successful. So even my openness for where you could be successful doesn't necessarily need to be New York or LA unless you want that like, you want to be part of the clique.

Mary Killelea: Right. And you bring up a good point, clique. And clique, I don't think in any way did you mean it negatively, but sometimes it can be interpreted negatively. Is it hard to break through and get into that network?

Rebecca Minkoff: It can be. I think a fascinating exercise is to see who the new influencers are, who do they follow, who follows them. And almost like if you had the time to sort of break out a chart of what makes something go, what's the path of how that happens? I think it's fascinating. It's a few select people that can put you on the map, but then it's your job to stay there and that that's where the real work comes in.

Mary Killelea: And that's where I think the internet has given our kids, my kids, the younger generation, a whole new ability to think bigger, broader, and to really strategize about where they want to go and how they get there almost faster if they're focused. I mean, like the thought of having access to you, for instance, would probably have been pretty rare in my realm of activities and engagements, but because I have a podcast, because you have a podcast, because we've connected, you said yes, and we're connecting. And now the world just got a whole lot smaller. And I'm having this wonderful conversation and hopefully introducing you to a whole new group of women. So I think the internet has definitely some negative things from the social media ramifications for our children, but the upside is so wonderful. And I don't know how you feel, because I know you have children as well.

Rebecca Minkoff: Yeah, I think that for launching a company, it's never been easier. That also makes it that much harder because there's a hundred of you doing that. So I think you just have to be that much savvier and smarter and again, relying on your relationships or being a really good marketer or understanding very deeply how do you social peer advantage, I think is key. As far as the kids go, as much as I would love my children to play with wooden blocks, they like anything that moves on a screen, so they definitely get too much screen time, but I won't let them be on social yet. And with where it's going, I'm going to try and keep it out of their lives for a long time.

Mary Killelea: You just celebrated your 20th anniversary in launching your brand, the I Love New York t-shirt and you had the New York capsule collection. Tell everyone about that and what Fashion Week is like from the business owner perspective.

Rebecca Minkoff: Our Fashion Week is like our Super Bowl twice a year. It is the most stressful, most chaotic, most insane time of year. We decide sometimes to push the envelope and do something new, which makes it that much more like, wait, what are we doing? How do we do this? And so depending on what we do, whether it's a presentation, we book the models, we do the fittings, we dream up the environment we want it to be, and we have to get everyone there. I do a ton of interviews. There's a whole social strategy that's sort of like laid out for how we want to communicate the event. This year we decided to do something different and actually sell NFTs. And so, we decided to have a gallery show where you could purchase the NFTs. And then we did a digital merchandise collection as well. So, I think we're again trying to see what's interesting to people, where do they, where do their interests lie and how do we sort of continuously make a name for ourselves in this arena? Because we found for our brand in particular, when we follow the prescribed quote unquote fashion path, it doesn't usually work for us. So, when we do our own thing and create our own road, that's when we see success.

Mary Killelea: That's awesome. When you reflect on your career, what are you most proud of?

Rebecca Minkoff: I think I'm most proud of what we've accomplished with, what would shock some as far as funding and investment. That people think we're this huge global brand and we're this tiny, tiny team of 27, that we survived the pandemic is a miracle. And so, I think most proud of that.

Mary Killelea: What characteristic or skill do you think has been your greatest asset in life?

Rebecca Minkoff: Persistence. Again, in my book, I talk about, sometimes someone's success is just because they just didn't give up. It's not because they worked harder than someone else or, or smarter. It just means that they got back up that day. They got out of bed. They're like, Oh, this is going to suck. But I'm, I'm showing up to work.

Mary Killelea: I agree with you. Can you tell everyone about the female founder collective? What it is?

Rebecca Minkoff So I launched it with the idea that I was really tired of the wage gap conversation and echo chamber that existed with women about all of us complaining and then nothing changing. And so for me, I thought money is power. If I can create a community, an education platform, and a membership base that can help each other with their tips, their tools, their black books, the education they need, that will create more wealth. And those women, I’m hoping, will do things differently. So that was the goal to create that. We are about 12,000 members strong and I think we provide so much service to these women with support they need. I think that's going to be a great thing. We give it to them, which has been great.

Mary Killelea: So this is not just women in the design industry or is it?

Rebecca Minkoff: No, it's anyone in a goods or services industry outside of the medical. Like we don't do doctors, but I just didn't want to get slapped with a lawsuit. So that doesn't matter.

Mary Killelea: Oh, that's great. Awesome. All right. I'll make sure to include a link to that in the show notes. If you could tell your 20 year old self anything, what would it be?

Rebecca Minkoff: I would tell myself, I did a lot of things that scared me and I did those scary things with my eyes closed. And I would just say to myself, open your eyes, lean forward and jump.

Mary Killelea: Love it. Who inspires you and why?

Rebecca Minkoff: A lot of the women from the female founder collective, these are just bad ass founders that, you know, come hell or high water are persisting and creating their dreams. And I think they all have incredible stories.

Mary Killelea: This is my rapid fire section, by the way. What is the best piece of business advice you ever received?

Rebecca Minkoff: That if women talked about money, the way they talk about sex and children, how much more could we be making?

Mary Killelea: I love that someone told you that. Okay. I asked everyone this, what does to be bolder mean to you?

Rebecca Minkoff: To lean more out of your comfort zone. I think even if you like taking risks, you can get comfortable in taking them. So what do you do after that?

Mary Killelea: Great. Last question. What is your favorite item in your closet?

Rebecca Minkoff: Just one? That's not fair.

Mary Killelea: I know. I know.

Rebecca Minkoff: I have this moto jacket that we did 10 years ago. That's just perfect. And I would say that that that little guy has stood the test of time and it never gets old. I pull it out and I'm like, oh, you're so great.

Mary Killelea: Rebecca, thank you for being here and talking to me and sharing your career story. How can people get to learn more about you and your company?

Rebecca Minkoff: You can support the brand by Rebecca Minkoff at Rebecca Minkoff.com. Follow me at Rebecca Minkoff and listen to my podcast, Super Women with Rebecca Minkoff and buy my book. I'm going to just be all over your life.

Mary Killelea: Well, I loved your book. I encourage everyone to go get it. It was fabulous and tuning into your podcast too. Thank you for taking out the time and being here. I appreciate the conversation.

Rebecca Minkoff: Thank you so much for having me. Have a good day.

Mary Killelea: Thanks for listening to the episode today. It was really fun chatting with my guest. If you liked our show, please like it and share it with your friends. If you want to learn what we're up to, please go check out our website at 2bbolder.com. That's the number 2, little b, bolder.com.