How to succeed in the business of fashion: An interview with visiting Professor Rebecca Brown

by Olivia Horne and Alejandra Pabon 

Supporting the Marist Italy merchandise team with some of her expertise is visiting Professor Rebecca Brown; fashion merchandising professor and faculty advisor of Mporium, Marist College’s own boutique. We sat down with her to talk about her history in the fashion industry, and her passion for teaching her craft. Between talking about the many colorful stickers decorating her laptop and discussing her long daily commute to work from her home in Connecticut, she shared her story along with some advice to offer Marist’s fashion merchandise students. 

Have you been to Marist Italy before? 

I haven’t. But when I was vice-president of merchandising at Nine West, we used to travel multiple times a year to Europe for trend shopping and sample shopping. We would do Milan and Riva del Garda. 

When you were at Nine West, what did you use when looking for fashion trends? 

We’d have our creative directors give a ton of presentations, but we’d also use WGSN, look at shows, and travel stores. You know, when we traveled abroad, the best trends were just right in our backyard. We’d go to New York City, shop the shops, get a cup of coffee, people watch and see what they’re wearing and buying. 

How did you become interested in fashion merchandising? 

I’d like to say that I was born to it. My mother started working for Macy’s at 16, and in college, she did their executive development program. She worked there for a long time and then was a regional sales manager for Dressbarn. And as kids, at six, we were in there doing inventory with her and all that. So, I always knew I wanted to do something with fashion. And in high school, we had the DECA program (Distributive Education Clubs of America), which was a marketing-like club. We did competitions and I did the fashion merchandising piece and ran the school store. Then I went to UMASS Amherst with an apparel marketing degree. I feel like I grew up in it and retail was in my blood. It’s something I love to do. 

Do you think networking is important to progress in this field? 

Absolutely. I always tell my students to use every opportunity to get to know somebody. It’s not as big an industry as it seems, so someone always knows somebody. I always encourage my students to read articles, because it’s important to keep your finger on the pulse. You want to have intelligent conversations with people about stuff going on in the industry and happenings. It’s important to start talking to people, to use LinkedIn and look for internships, and what those companies offer. Networking is huge. 

We do alumni events where we’ll bring in students so they can meet alumni and industry professionals. They are able to network with as many people as they can. The nice part about it is that all of us are industry professionals and, therefore, we bring a lot of our network into the classroom. 

One of the classes I teach met with the licensing team from Coach, which includes three Marist alumni. And they wanted to do a focus group on Gen Z, so the students got involved with that. It was nice to see them work with our students. 

What’s a skill you use in the field that a lot of people don’t expect? 

Retail Math is super important for anybody. At the end of the day, everybody works to make a profit at some point, so it’s important. Even if you’re doing a marketing campaign looking for a return on investment. Even if you’re working in PR and have to work in samples on an Excel spreadsheet. Even if you’re a designer, you want to have intelligent conversations with your finance people and know the costs.  

I know people shy away from numbers. And I can’t say I love math, but I know the formulas and I know the business, so that’s an important piece. And it puts you ahead. 

Did you move to Marist after Nine West, or did you work for other people? 

Out of college, I was an assistant for Bloomingdales. I had two offers, one from Bloomingdales and one from Nine West, and I chose Bloomingdales because it was like my dream job. A few years later, Nine West was moving to White Plains, and the woman who’d recruited me came back and I ended up leaving to join Nine West. I spent 19 years with Nine West. 

In 2016, things were changing. They were bought by a private equity firm; the brand was being sold to ABG. So, I took some time off to think, what did I want to do? Did I want to go back to the industry? Do some consulting? And, honestly, I don’t know where the opportunity to teach fell into my lap, but I always wanted to teach my profession. So, I applied. 

I started to adjunct first because there wasn’t a full-time position at the time. But when I got a full-time role, I realized the second career is better than the first. I love working with students. Building the career I have has been amazing and it taught me everything I know. But to be able to give that back to students, I think that’s why I’m so passionate about Mporium. It’s such an amazing experience for the students.  

Do you have a favorite memory with the students? 

I have to say just when I think it can’t get any better, the students just never cease to amaze me. I don’t have a favorite. Each group holds a different place in my heart. Just getting to know the students and hearing what their stories are… I want to see everybody succeed and we all have our own paths, but you know what? That’s okay, as long as you work hard. Nothing worth it is easy.