Growing up in New York, Alison Loehnis often laid in bed contemplating what she’d wear to school the next day. Now, she serves as the Ad Interim CEO and President of YOOX NET-A-PORTER, a leader in the e-commerce industry. Her leadership within the company has been recognized by Vogue UK, naming Loehnis as one of the most influential people in London. Loehnis’ career began when she worked in sales at a Ralph Lauren store, followed by experience in advertising and even creative directing at Disney. A Brown alum, Loehnis studied art history and like many students, she loved the open curriculum and studying at the Rock. Coming down from London where she resides full time, Loehnis shares her wisdom in navigating through the complicated industry of fashion. Her tips range from choosing which sector to start as well as handling the emotional aspect of the fashion industry. Here’s what she has to say:

 

1. One of the best places to start is in sales

 

Some might think that one has to get an internship at Vogue, or the prestigious Bloomingdales’ buying program to learn the important skills in fashion. Loehnis, on the other hand, suggests starting in sales as a summer job in college. Fashion is all about selling clothes, so why not work in a store and figure out how to sell clothes to customers? Loehnis spent a summer selling clothes at Ralph Lauren. While there, she learned to organize stockrooms, promote new designs, and satisfy customer demands. These are some skills that transferred to her current role managing a global company with many more stockrooms and a larger customer base. 

 

2. “Be a Sponge” (metaphorically!)

 

Loehnis emphasizes that one of her biggest criterion when it comes to hiring employees is their drive to learn. “It’s ok to start at the bottom, you just have to be cool with it,” she says. Fashion is a lot of work: sitting with buyers, meeting with designers, campaigning and organizing show seatings. It is important to talk as much as one can with the team that they are working with, as these personal conversations are crucial to learn from leaders and from friendly connections (“not everyone in fashion is like Miranda Priestly” - Loehnis).
 

3. Customers are the top priority

 

Fashion is ultimately a business where the relationship with customers can get very close and what Loehnis describes as “emotional”. With the rise of new technology and its potential to enhance the online shopping experience, it is important to consider whether it is making your customer’s lives easier. Is it necessary to have many more tabs for customers to click through when all they really want to do is checkout their clothes? Loehnis describes the NET-A-PORTER strategy as “using customers as a touch point” where all of their executive decisions come from the customer experience, from how they style clothes in product photos to the aesthetic of the packaging when preparing to ship to the customer’s homes.  

 

4. It is OK to not have a plan

 

Loehnis calls herself a “late bloomer” in fashion. She admits to not having a set career plan coming out of college. Although she concentrated in art history, the art market was not appealing when she graduated. Loehnis’ first job was a role in advertising with the company Saatchi & Saatchi and where she worked on projects such as General Mills Cereals (very different from fashion). At the height of the internet, Loehnis worked for a digital agency that sent her to London, where she transitioned to her first big fashion job with LVMH. 

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Alison Loehnis' career trajectory brings light to the power of curiosity, adaptability, and a customer-first mindset. Fashion is an industry that requires a diversity of skills and attributes, thus there is no singular path to success. Fashion can be as artistic or mathematical as one makes it. As she concluded her talk, Loehnis reminded us, “You can take fashion seriously but you don’t have to be so serious!” In fashion and beyond, it’s not about having all the answers—it’s about staying open to the possibilities.