Fashion prepared me for this
2026, May 18
I spent years in fashion, an industry that moves at a pace most industries can’t match. Seasons stack and collide, new constraints get thrown at you, and you ship anyway. My path isn’t traditional, but I’ve shipped under pressure, across functions, for real customers.
In product, it’s cross-functional execution under pressure. In fashion, it’s just how we operate.
For a denim capsule collection, we wanted a beautiful, non-stretch Japanese fabric. At the last minute, merchandisers pushed for stretch, because comfort meant higher sales. I suggested we split it - commercial styles in stretch, fashion styles in non-stretch. The fashion girl knows the difference. We compromised and kept both. That decision alone meant looping in the pattern makers, product development, tech design, and the wash team to realign.
Any change to fabric changes everything downstream - the wash, fit, spec, drape, shipping dates, and availability. Everyone needed to be on the same page before anything moved forward.
We made it work. The capsule shipped and sold out.
If I can navigate that, I can navigate this.
The medium has changed, but my discipline hasn’t.
Fast decisions, real people, and real stakes. Fashion gave me experience that can’t be manufactured.
Product and fashion parallels
Who’s the girl we are designing for?
