Spring Break
Alumni Panel on High Fashion and Beauty:
Polo Ralph Lauren, Bumble & Bumble, Coach…To Entrepreneurship
Pooja Sinha (NB), Contributing Writer
Issue date: 3/10/08 Section: News
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After working on the marketing and operations sides of established brands, Bumble & Bumble and Polo Ralph Lauren respectively, Melamed and Ruisanchez have now catapulted themselves into entrepreneurial ventures. A believer in free expression of self and ideas, Melamed described the particularly unique tension in the industry between education and business. The fashion and beauty industries often value experience foremost, and higher education degrees like the MBA as a distant second. Melamed learned quickly that in order to excel she had to "play by 'their' rules." Highlighting the value of having a brand name, like Paper Denim and Cloth, on her resume, Melamed advised students to get the initial industry exposure regardless of the role - this exposure and brand name opened doors for her post-HBS. Now armed with industry savvy and indispensable experience, Melamed is excited to be independently consulting for several emerging beauty lines.
Like many students in attendance, Ruisanchez arrived at HBS with a background in consulting. Those of us aspiring to pursue a career in luxury goods and high fashion should be encouraged to know that Ruisanchez' consulting experience and applications were highly valued running U.S. operations for Polo Ralph Lauren. In an industry that "loves to hate you," Ruisanchez downplayed her HBS degree and focused on listening and learning. Eventually, Ruisanchez could no longer deny her entrepreneurial spirit, and is independently launching Angelita, her online boutique that will feature gift lines celebrating significant moments in a woman's life. Ruisanchez is the idea, the design, the operations and CEO all-in-one! Angelita is due to launch in May 2008.
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