September 16, 2025 • 37 mins
Ever wonder why it’s so hard to break into the accessories world? Karen Giberson, President of the Accessories Council, pulls back the curtain on an industry made up of specialized silos that rarely connect. From Macy’s competitive executive training program to navigating the stigma of QVC, her path shaped a mission to create meaningful connections across accessory categories.
"I’d rather put my product in the trash than sell it to you." That early rejection in television retail revealed the uphill battle Karen faced—but also pushed her toward building the Council, where for over two decades she’s been breaking down barriers, championing collaboration, and proving that networking is non-negotiable.
Key Takeaways:
- Fragmented Industry: Accessories thrive in silos—footwear sizing, eyewear regulations, jewelry sourcing—but collaboration sparks breakthroughs.
- Networking Is Power: With 100+ opportunities annually, Karen believes success depends on showing up, asking for help, and making connections.
- Cross-Pollination Wins: Innovation often comes when designers look beyond their lane—like handbags borrowing from jewelry hardware or even automotive design.
🎧 Listen now for insider lessons on breaking into—and thriving in—the world of accessories.
Our Guest:
Karen Giberson is President of the Accessories Council, a non-profit trade organization supporting designers and brands across categories from handbags to eyewear. With decades of experience spanning retail, TV, and advocacy, she’s dedicated to uniting a fragmented industry and creating opportunities for designers to connect, grow, and succeed.
Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.
Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com.
Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner
TikTok: / Handbagdesigner | Twitter: / Handbagdesigner
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And I really believe strongly that we're all better
when we sometimes get out of ournormal channel, that we can
learn best practices, gaininspiration from watching what
other industries do.
And, by the way, it doesn'teven have to be fashion, it
could be somebody is making cartires or toys.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hi and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the
podcast, with your host, emilyBlumenthal, handbag industry
expert and the handbag fairygodmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love, from the iconic brands andtop designers to the creativity
, craftsmanship and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate
(00:43):
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Welcome, karen Guyberson, toHandbag Designer 101, the
podcast.
Karen, president of theAccessory Council, accessory
Council extraordinaire.
We go back a billionquadrillion zillion years,
(01:06):
making us both 22.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Tell everybody how old.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Welcome.
I'm so excited to finally haveyou on.
I mean, the beautiful thingabout having this podcast is I
get to be selfish and I get tohave people on I want to talk to
.
So you know, huzzah, you'rehere.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Well, thanks for having me and I congratulate you
on your new book.
We loved reading it, we lovedwriting about it and love
talking to you at New York Now acouple of weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Yes, yes, yes, that was a fun chat.
We are going to have the it Bagagain at the next New York Now
in February, so that is going tobe exciting to keep this going.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Can't wait to see.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Me too.
Me too, I mean, you know, Ilove finding new handbag
designers and they also find me.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
It gets easier.
And the council we exist tohelp people thrive.
So you know we're cheerleadersfor success.
So anytime, anytime somethingcomes out, we want to figure out
how we can help be part of thesuccess journey.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Oh my God, exactly.
So just to talk about you.
You, and clearly not giving upyour age because obviously
you're fabulous, timeless,especially with these glasses.
Thank you, filter free Ifanyone watches this on YouTube.
Karen's killing it right now.
How did you stumble into thebig bad world of accessories?
Speaker 1 (02:35):
So it was sort of the way fate took me.
I started out of college in theMacy's executive training
program and it was at a timewhere it was really a remarkable
experience.
We were in store line buyingline.
I ultimately spent a couple ofyears working in stores and then
when I went to the buying line,I was placed in Sterling Silver
(02:55):
Jewelry.
So world changed, startedreally getting involved in
jewelry, and when I left I wentto QVC and over the course of
the years worked in a lot ofdifferent categories, but
primarily accessories, footwear,pretty head to toe.
(03:16):
We did a lot of celebrityprojects but just fell in love
with the category and the peoplereally the people and the
categories and have stayed eversince.
When I left QVC I had thechance to join the council and I
thought, oh, I'll do it for afew years and somehow 20 years
(03:38):
blew by and here I am.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
I'm just going to stop by.
Yeah, Can I ask you?
When you were in the Macy'sprogram, you were in New York
City, right?
Or you were in Philly.
Well, very good question.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
When I started, the Macy's and Bambergers had not
completely merged.
And jewelry was one of the lastdepartments.
Jewelry and dresses were one ofthe last departments to move,
probably because there were somany SKUs, and so in the very
beginning I sat in Newark, NewJersey.
(04:12):
That's sexy and we moved overto 34th Street where you know I
still.
At that point I was anassistant buyer and my
responsibilities were the NewJersey stores.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
So you, essentially, though, where were you living?
Hoboken, you were in Hoboken, Iwas in Hoboken.
Where are you from originally,though?
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Born in Michigan, grew up in Northeast
Pennsylvania.
I went to school in CentralPennsylvania and Macy's was my
first job.
I interviewed and I had thechance to be part of the
executive training squad.
I really hadn't thought aboutretail as a career.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
As a job job.
It was like oh, this makessomething to do.
I was excited about theinterview.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
I was excited about the people that I had talked to.
My degree was in communicationsand journalism so I thought,
look, give it a shot.
And I was bit by the retail bug.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Do you think those kinds of programs still matter?
Speaker 1 (05:20):
I feel very fortunate to have gone through the
program that I went through.
I don't know that they exist inthe way that they existed.
At that time we literally spentweeks training, hearing from
executives, learning, bondingwith each other, the sales
(05:42):
managers, and then we were alldispersed to different stores.
But that initial trainingprogram was the start of a
network that was a lifelongnetwork.
I still am in touch with peoplethat I knew from my days at
Basie.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah, the people who went through that that, that was
like retail boot camp, so youkind of have to bond with those
people because that was from thepeople I know who went through
it.
It was like it was proper rigor, hard, you know, like know your
numbers, know your math, knowyour retail math like that was.
(06:23):
It was no joke, like a lot ofpeople couldn't survive because
it was so intense.
It was like the version ofworking in an investment bank,
but in retail and not gettingpaid the same.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
I felt like it was going to get a master's and it
was like a little mini program.
And then I went through itagain about a year later because
I was selected to go to Tyson'sCorner when they opened their
first store in Virginia and itwas a pretty big moment for
(06:58):
Macy's because it was the firsttime that Macy's and Nordstrom
were in the same mall complexand so at the time Nordstrom's
was the top of the pile as faras selling and customer service.
So this was really a task tosee if Macy's could match what
(07:21):
Nordstrom was doing at the time.
And so we went through trainingagain and it was a commissioned
sales experience versus whatI've been doing before.
So I felt like I got a doubledose of amazing training.
That's wild.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Isn't that crazy.
You know not that I'm someonewho reflects on age or anything,
but I can like certainexperiences were so profound and
so prolific that you can stillremember the feeling you had
going through it, because it was.
You know, if you're fortunateenough to go to college and
(07:59):
you're fortunate enough to havethat experience where hopefully,
the only job you have duringthat time if you're lucky enough
is your only job is to learn,and then you get this kind of
experience where you're like, ohmy God, I must be all in or
else I will miss something.
And then livelihood and salesand Monday morning numbers they
(08:19):
will come back to me if I don'tlearn this in the manner and the
time that I'm supposed to.
That's a huge, hugeresponsibility for someone who's
not that old.
It really is.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
No, but you know, at the time I was in a group of
people that were like me andwe're all just passionate young
executives and sucked it in likesponge young executives and
sucked it in like sponge.
And then I got the chance tocome back and work in the buying
(08:51):
office which you know how luckywas I Sterling's jewelry.
It was amazing.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Did you have a choice to get into jewelry?
Or there was an opportunity, orthere was like okay, we have
jewelry, do you want to take it?
How did it work?
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Well, at the time they used to call it, you were
released to interview.
I think that meant you had done, you had kind of hit your mark
as a sales manager.
So I was released and they sentyou to interview with buyers
who had openings, and I had myagain.
There was an opening in thejewelry department and that is
(09:27):
where I landed.
So as a result, of that?
Speaker 2 (09:31):
was that something you were like?
Okay, I can totally becomefluent in this.
I definitely see myselfbecoming passionate because I
know people who've been releasedinto dishware and knitwear and
I mean Macy's is a giganticretail operation.
You could essentially fall intosomething like I don't know
(09:52):
outdoor tires not that they'dhave it there, but you know that
could end up becoming yourquote unquote level of expertise
.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
The karma gods sent me to jewelry, and you're
absolutely right.
I could have ended up in towelsand had a very different kind
of career, but the job was openin jewelry.
I hit it off with the buyer andthe rest was history To go from
New.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
York City, though, to go to Westchester Pennsylvania.
I say that with a pause becausethose who don't know where QVC
is, it is not Westchester NewYork, it is Westchester
Pennsylvania.
I say that with a pause becausethose who don't know where QVC
is, it is not Westchester NewYork, it is Westchester
Pennsylvania.
I was lucky enough to go on QVCa hundred million years ago.
It is a campus, it is its ownentity.
(10:39):
You go there like that's it,you're in QVC land, land it's.
At that time, though, shoppingtv was not, as I don't know, I
don't want to say, sociallyacceptable.
But now retail is retail.
Sales are sales like you getcelebrities who are willing to
go on.
Then it was perceived verymiddle america and it was still
(11:01):
obviously volume driven andsuccessful in its own right.
Was that hard for you tomentally be like okay, I'm
fabulous, I'm at Macy's, now I'mgoing to QVC.
Or, were you like, bring it on,I'm from Pennsylvania, I'm
coming home.
I'm excited to share my newbook with you.
Welcome to Savvy Susanna'sAmazing Adventures in Handbags
(11:22):
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dreams and put in the hard workto get there.
Savvy Susanna is available onAmazon, barnes, noble or
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Thanks for your support.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
It was a combination.
I was lucky because when I gotto QVC, I did have a choice.
I had a choice to be in thejewelry department or to go into
fashion, and I decided to gointo fashion to broaden my
experience and my background,and I was excited about it
because I had gone to school forcommunications and theater arts
(12:04):
.
So here we are.
I love retail.
This is live retail, it's thetheater of retail, and so it
felt for me like I was doingsomething with my education and
what I had been doing for acareer.
I think my first aha momentswere that the quality of the
(12:26):
product that we were selling atQVC was superior to what was,
you know, something I would havefound in the store, because
they were so particular aboutmaking sure that it exceeded
expectations.
Because there was already astigma about shopping on TV In
the early days.
(12:47):
No one wanted to.
I shouldn't say no one.
Many people didn't want to sellon QVC, certainly not any
designer of note or brand ofnotes.
They thought that it woulddenigrate their brand or their
reputation.
So it was very hard initially,hard initially, and I would say
(13:12):
one of the other big aha momentsthat I had was it was the first
time in my career where Irealized that, oh, those vendors
aren't just being nice to mebecause I'm fabulous.
They were being nice to mebecause I had access to help
write orders Exactly, and thatit became very apparent quickly
(13:33):
who my real friends were in thattime.
That's nuts, yeah, and it kindof.
It was like kind of an instantclobber.
I'm like huh, all right, Iguess they're not so interested
in, you know, communicating.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Isn't that crazy, like at that age, to be like
wait a second, these aren't myfriends, this is, this is
transactional.
It's kind of a weird epiphany,especially after going through
this, like bonding experiencewith people in Macy's and you
guys were in, like you know, inthe showrooms and then all of a
(14:09):
sudden you're getting winedenied.
You're like, oh my God, I'm sopopular, I have so many friends.
And then you realize like, ohdamn, they just You're out of
zero.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
But not everybody.
No, of course not Truly noteveryone.
There were some realrelationships and real
friendships that wereestablished at that time.
But to go from a store likeMacy's, where people wanted to
sell, to then to go to QVC was,yeah, it was definitely an
adjustment, and then thingschanged there very quickly.
(14:39):
So I remember the early daysand I have to say it was those
early days of having to workextra hard that got me where I
am today, of course, because,okay, we're now dating.
There was no Zoom, there wasemail, but fundamental email.
(15:01):
We were mailing things back andforth or faxing things back and
forth.
So if I saw a brand that I wasinterested in, I'd be cold
calling.
And I remember cold calling abrand and it wasn't even all
that of a brand, it was a okaybrand that isn't in business
anymore.
And they said to me I'd ratherput my product in the trash than
(15:28):
sell it to you.
So I was like, huh, how aboutthat?
I'm going to have to take adifferent approach here and the
approach that I took at thattime I was working in
accessories.
I saw a little teeny, weeny adin Women's Wear Daily and one of
my vendors, one of the peoplethat would sell to us, was a guy
(15:50):
named Joel Pinsky who had acompany called Omega Belts and I
called Joel and I was like, hey, I see this accessory council
thing being formed.
How do I get to be a part of it?
And my goal in doing it waspurely like networking.
People might still say no to me, but it's a lot harder to say
(16:10):
no in person, and or at least Ifelt like if I could at least
explain what was happening therewhich was really exciting at
the time you would at leastlisten to me where you might not
have taken the call.
And so that is how I started myjourney with the Accessories
(16:34):
Council.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
You're a clever bunny , Karen.
Look at you.
That's crazy.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
How you knew.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
You know, I mean yes, of course, and like when people
say, oh, it was luck, and youknow luck.
I think right time, right placeobviously has something to do
with it.
But having the wherewithal tohustle to make sure you're at
the right place at the righttime definitely speaks to you
and your gumption and yourability to sniff out opportunity
(17:03):
.
And I think had you not hadthat experience at Macy's to see
where the market would be goingand then going even further to
go to QVC to see understand whatmass selling really is, I don't
know particularly and I can'tspeak on your behalf, but I
don't think you would have beenable to see like hold on, this
(17:24):
is needed, like there is anetwork that's needed to bring
people together.
Accessories historically hasbeen a very splintered kind of
industry.
You know, again speaking onbehalf of handbags, the majority
of people who were doinghandbags in the advent of
handbags were men.
They were old school, they were, you know, people who came from
(17:45):
different countries, who wereused to making things with their
hands and then took over fortheir father's business.
Very few were women, very, veryfew.
So you know, to try and bringeverybody together, having done
so much history on the historyof handbags, especially in New
York, you know, even going backto the handbag tax that took
(18:08):
place during World War II andhaving to pull back and things
that made people have to thinkout of the box to bypass that
handbag tax Like the council orthere was a handbags association
at the time.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
They used to set the market week dates way back.
Oh my God, that's how themarket week dates way back.
Oh my God.
So that's how the market weekdates were set Exactly.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
So, you know, all these things kind of fold into
one and the other.
I think you know the council isa very unique organization in
that you, you have the eyes andears of the bigger brands.
And do we need to havesomething like this?
I think so because you know, itmight be all the people from
(18:52):
the industry, but all the peoplefrom the industry need a reason
to come together and somebody,somewhere, needs to be that
person, somebody needs to bethat organization.
So the fact that the councilhas become so ingrained in what
accessory culture is about, Idon't think it speaks to
anything.
But you, that's you.
You did this Truly.
I mean not to do you knowfangirl stuff, but you know,
(19:17):
knowing and hearing yourbackground.
All this makes so much moresense as to how and why all this
came to be.
It's just like you saw it, yougot it and you realized we need
this player and that player andthis player, and then we need to
bring it together.
Were you the one who createdthe Ace?
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Awards?
No, the Ace Awards existed.
So the council from my earlydays.
I quickly joined the board.
You were young then.
When you did I was young.
I became an officer.
I was actively engaged andinvolved and the ACE Awards
started about two years after.
(19:53):
This is why you had a day job.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
You were still doing this and coming at QVC.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
I was at QVC.
I was a board member.
In fact, the ACE Awards willcelebrate in 26, its 30th
anniversary.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
And you've been with it for two minutes.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Yeah, so so I I went to the first ace awards I I
think I've been to all the aceawards.
I know I've been to all the aceawards.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
There's a handful of us have been all of them, but
not very many anymore I thinkI've been to three and that's
because I went as a guest for so.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Puppy.
It's exciting, it's our blacktie, it's our gala, it's where
we bring out our celebrities.
It's also our most expensiveevent.
Most of the events we do areeither complimentary or really
low cost.
Ace Awards is one of the placesthat the council was built on.
It helps us generate money thatwe use for our operating budget
(20:53):
and it's also an extraordinarypress event.
That is what we exist.
To do is try to sell moreproducts and help our brands
sell more product, whetherthey're large or small.
We have members who are soloentrepreneurs all the way to
some of the biggest companies inevery category, and you said
(21:16):
something, emily, that was, Ithink, really poignant in our
journey is that we do work witha lot of different categories,
and what I find is thatcategories tend to silo
themselves.
So people stay in theirfootwear group.
Optical people stay in theoptical group, bag people,
(21:39):
jewelry people I just was at ajewelry conference.
I came in.
It's obvious these people haveknown each other their whole
careers.
They may move companies, butthey tend to stay in the
industry.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
It's very off-putting as a new person to come to
those events.
I've been as someone who's kindof done the crossover between
toys and bags and retail and TVand all that.
It's kind of scary to be thenew person there because
everybody knows everybody andthey bounce from one company to
the other and true to form silois, I think, the perfect way to
(22:11):
explain it.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Well, I love the experience for many reasons.
One it forces me to learn andgrow.
So I always want to be learningand growing and gathering new
information.
I took a red eye last night.
I was at a conference in thefine jewelry space.
I learned so much in one daythat I didn't know about the
(22:34):
fine jewelry business.
It just gave me insights.
It'll help me be a betterleader and help me steer our
members.
But the thing that I love aboutthe council is we get to swirl
it all up.
We get to take the best ofjewelry and the best of footwear
and the best of bags and get tointroduce people and cross
pollinate.
(22:54):
And I really believe stronglythat we're all better when we
sometimes get out of our normalchannel, that we can learn best
practices, gain inspiration fromwatching what other industries
do and, by the way, it doesn'teven have to be fashion.
It could be.
Somebody is making car tires ortoys.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
I was just going to say yep, yep.
I mean, it's so fascinating.
I've spoken with Beth fromCircona, beth Goldstein.
She's one of my favorite peopleto talk to, just because she's
like bursting with like nuggets.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Oh, my God.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Yeah, she, she's my statistic person.
I messaged her.
I'm like do you have a quotefor what's going on for the
numbers here?
Just let me know basics on howI can rephrase it.
I love her but, like theinfluence like the car industry
and the colors and certainshapes can then carry over to
one, and so much of this alwaysgoes to accessories, like that's
(23:51):
the first one that gets hit,because I think it's the easiest
, the easiest influence to beimpacted.
You know, like color here, Idon't know, you would know
better than I would, at least interms of jewelry.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Well, I think it's color.
I think the different levels ofthe industry you know, high-end
fashion down to mainstream mayadapt things in different ways.
But basically, we're, we're.
There's things we can all learnfrom each other, whether it's
materials.
You know, maybe there'ssomething that's happening in
(24:26):
the automotive industry thatcould be a great handbag.
Or there's technology in lasercutting that could, you know,
was never intended to be injewelry but could be, have an
application in there.
There's best practices that welearn in shipping that we can
(24:47):
share with others.
So I always love to go to otherindustries whenever I can and
try to immerse myself.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
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(26:33):
You know, when Project Accessorywas on, which was the spinoff
of Project Runway in 2012, Iwant to say because I was
involved with the casting, whichis really funny the handbag
designers on there were for me.
They had my book which had justcome out that they all had to
(26:57):
read, and then I was supposed tobe one of their on-air talent
people, but then they said Iwasn't famous enough, which,
whatever, who cares they're likewe'll have you on for the next
season.
I'm like sure, sounds great,but I was their official blogger
of that time and Molly Sims wasthe host, ariel Foxman, who was
in style at the time, kennethCole was one of the judges and
(27:20):
then they'd have a rotatingperson after that and it was
very, very interesting tosomeone who does what we do to
really see the silos, as yousaid, that those skill sets
within the accessory industrydon't translate.
(27:41):
They don't.
It's very, very specific.
It's like someone saying someonewho's a fishmonger would know
how to make a dessert.
Just because it's food and youeat.
It doesn't mean that they'rethe same.
You have the samequalifications to make it right.
So the show I thought, whilebeing part of it, was going to
(28:02):
be flawed, because someone whounderstands the last of a shoe
will not understand the buckramfunctionality of a hat, will not
understand the drop of ahandbag, will not understand how
to use a blowtorch for jewelry.
It was one of those things thatI saw.
It was a really hard conversionfrom one to the other and I'm
(28:24):
sure you can speak to this justbecause it's accessories, like
people, are all cousins.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
They are not brothers and sisters within this
business.
Yeah, there are manufacturingspecifics that you really that.
There is a reason.
There is a reason why thosesilos build themselves up
Exactly.
Each of the industries has anuance or nuances about them
that require expertise.
I'm wearing a new pair ofglasses.
Glasses are, while they'refashionable and beautiful,
(28:56):
they're also a medical device.
So there are rules andregulations and considerations
in the optical category that wedon't have to worry about.
In scarves, where footwear,you've got to worry about the
last.
It's got to fit, it's got to becomfortable.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
There's so much math in footwear and people don't
even realize that.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Different considerations.
I think it's one of thetoughest businesses to get into
because of sizing and the amountof units that you need.
Jewelry's got a whole hill ofother regulation, depending on
where your stones come from, tothe variable cost of metals,
(29:43):
security issues that we don'thave necessarily in other
categories.
But I still think that ifyou've got a great handbag
person and a great jewelryperson, you might end up with
some killer hardware.
There are combos that reallywork, and so when expanding a
(30:06):
brand, if you're in bags and youwant to go into another
category, you might want tosurround yourself with some of
those experts who can help youavoid some of the pitfalls or
save you some time, save yousome money.
But maybe you don't want tohave so much background there
(30:26):
that you're not creative.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Yeah, you know I have found a Nancy Foreman of the
Accessory Think Tank Another fablady.
Oh my God, I love her so much.
I have my go-to's my selfishgo-to's for the podcast where
I'm like it's time to get aState of the union.
Let's see what's going on.
But Nancy is always one ofthese very clever bunnies in
that if there's extra materialfrom bags, she's always like we
(30:52):
can convert this to jewelry, orthe hardware of the handbag that
could then be converted tojewelry.
So there's very easy add-ons tonot so much upsell your
customer but kind of make yourbrand more well-rounded.
So I think there's a lot oflow-hanging fruit that a lot of
people don't see, because andI've spoken about this that even
(31:15):
the most organized people andthe most methodical people, when
they decide to get into acreative business, nine times
out of 10, and there's alwaysthat one out of 10, but nine
times out of 10, like all betsare off.
They are no longer responsible,they are no longer methodical,
they are no longer organized.
They think with their heart.
(31:36):
They think, oh my God, I wantto do this.
I want to do that because it'ssuch a deviation from who they
are in their day-to-day thatthey're so excited to be this
creative entrepreneur and followthis and, before they know it,
they've dropped 15,000 onsamples and bags and importing
leathers and materials fromItaly and bespoke lining.
(31:57):
And this is a business likeanything else you got to do your
homework, you got to do yourresearch.
So once people like anybody gothrough this whole process, then
they're able to say, okay, holdon, I've got something that I
can move forward with.
Like Sanrev, I'm probablypronouncing that I adore her.
I had her on my podcast soclever, so methodical, straight
(32:22):
to it, knew exactly what she wasdoing, did so much data
resource right at the beginning.
And I think that's this gentleshift, a gentle balance of
trying to understand right-leftbrain in terms of taking a
product to market and I think,just to bring this full circle,
being part of the council iswhere you'll find these
resources to bypass all thisdumb stuff that we all do and
(32:47):
money that we end up pissingaway trying to with that
learning curve and that is ourgoal.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
So sometimes we call ourselves the accessories
counselors.
That's amazing, having done itfor as long as we've done it, we
can.
Often, if we can't answer aquestion, we have lifelines like
yours around us and we also doa lot of behind the scenes work,
whether it's legal issues,sustainability issues,
(33:15):
operational shipping, some ofthe parts of the industry that
aren't as sexy or aren't as fun.
We have amazing partners thatcan really help again, save
money, save time and give thekind of advice or the kind of
services that will help adesigner, a young company, grow.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Yeah, a young company grow, yeah, and I think so much
of that is just so, so, soimportant, because nobody can do
anything alone.
They just can't.
You might think you can, butbeing in that solo mental silo
silo is the word of this meeting.
I think it's one of thosethings that it's virtually
(34:00):
impossible to be successful ifyou stay in your apartment, stay
in your office, stay in yourdesign studio, that you are
nothing without networking,without meeting people, without
asking for help, withoutpresenting.
I'm sure you've dealt with thisand I'll sign anybody's NDA, I
don't give a crap.
But if you're having me sign anNDA and you've never done this
(34:22):
before and you're greener thanthe seed I just planted, like I
know, you're not going to go asfar as you think you are.
Because, as the great StevenRosenberg from Verve told me as
a first run designer, you arenot creating a van go.
You are creating a handbag thatyou want people to come back
and buy over and over again.
If you don't a handbag that youwant people to come back and
buy over and over again, if youdon't put it out there to learn
(34:45):
to get feedback, you ain't goinganywhere Right the end.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Anyone who walks in.
So the council is amembership-based organization
and over the course of the yearwe probably have 100 different
opportunities.
I'm not exaggerating.
Some of them may be social.
It might be an Instagram event.
It could be a small-scalenetworking event.
It could be educationalwebinars Right, it could be
(35:13):
grand-scale events and contests.
So we encourage everyone to getactive, get involved.
Don't just join and not doanything.
In fact, we don't Don't justjoin and not do anything.
In fact, we don't want peopleto join and not do anything.
It's nice, we'll cash the check, but at the end of the year
they're not going to want tocome back and honestly, I don't
(35:33):
accept.
I didn't get anything out of it, because we have so many
opportunities that if you didn'tget anything out of it, it's
your own fault.
Bingo.
So every single week we have anewsletter that goes out and
it's got editorial opportunities, events, it's got news, it does
(35:53):
spotlights on members, if thatwould be one thing.
Anybody who might be watchingor listening sign up for the
newsletter ataccessoriescouncilorg Doesn't
cost any money and that's whereyou really see what's happening.
Of course, on our website,accessorycouncilorg, we have a
lot of that information too, butthe newsletter that's our
(36:17):
weekly gospel.
Follow that.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
Perfect.
This is a great way to wrap up.
How, karen, can we find youfollow you and, ps, I'm so
having you back for a State ofthe Union Like you've just?
You're officially part of myroster, so lucky you check check
.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
How can we learn more about Accessories?
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Council.
You can.
You can call me.
We have a small passionate teamand we love talking to brands.
We love listening and learningthe stories and then trying to
figure out how they fit into ourecosystem where we can best
help.
So I'm Karen atAccessoriesCouncilorg.
(36:59):
You can go on the website andcontact us.
We love it when people reachout, we love it when they follow
the newsletters and we love itwhen they show up in person.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
Perfect, karen, you're coming back.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
I'll see you soon, absolutely.
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single
platform at handbag designer.
Thanks so much.
See you next time.
And I really believe strongly that we're all better
when we sometimes get out of ournormal channel, that we can
learn best practices, gaininspiration from watching what
other industries do.
And, by the way, it doesn'teven have to be fashion, it
could be somebody is making cartires or toys.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hi and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the
podcast, with your host, emilyBlumenthal, handbag industry
expert and the handbag fairygodmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love, from the iconic brands andtop designers to the creativity
, craftsmanship and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate
(00:43):
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Welcome, karen Guyberson, toHandbag Designer 101, the
podcast.
Karen, president of theAccessory Council, accessory
Council extraordinaire.
We go back a billionquadrillion zillion years,
(01:06):
making us both 22.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Tell everybody how old.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Welcome.
I'm so excited to finally haveyou on.
I mean, the beautiful thingabout having this podcast is I
get to be selfish and I get tohave people on I want to talk to
.
So you know, huzzah, you'rehere.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Well, thanks for having me and I congratulate you
on your new book.
We loved reading it, we lovedwriting about it and love
talking to you at New York Now acouple of weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Yes, yes, yes, that was a fun chat.
We are going to have the it Bagagain at the next New York Now
in February, so that is going tobe exciting to keep this going.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Can't wait to see.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Me too.
Me too, I mean, you know, Ilove finding new handbag
designers and they also find me.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
It gets easier.
And the council we exist tohelp people thrive.
So you know we're cheerleadersfor success.
So anytime, anytime somethingcomes out, we want to figure out
how we can help be part of thesuccess journey.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Oh my God, exactly.
So just to talk about you.
You, and clearly not giving upyour age because obviously
you're fabulous, timeless,especially with these glasses.
Thank you, filter free Ifanyone watches this on YouTube.
Karen's killing it right now.
How did you stumble into thebig bad world of accessories?
Speaker 1 (02:35):
So it was sort of the way fate took me.
I started out of college in theMacy's executive training
program and it was at a timewhere it was really a remarkable
experience.
We were in store line buyingline.
I ultimately spent a couple ofyears working in stores and then
when I went to the buying line,I was placed in Sterling Silver
(02:55):
Jewelry.
So world changed, startedreally getting involved in
jewelry, and when I left I wentto QVC and over the course of
the years worked in a lot ofdifferent categories, but
primarily accessories, footwear,pretty head to toe.
(03:16):
We did a lot of celebrityprojects but just fell in love
with the category and the peoplereally the people and the
categories and have stayed eversince.
When I left QVC I had thechance to join the council and I
thought, oh, I'll do it for afew years and somehow 20 years
(03:38):
blew by and here I am.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
I'm just going to stop by.
Yeah, Can I ask you?
When you were in the Macy'sprogram, you were in New York
City, right?
Or you were in Philly.
Well, very good question.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
When I started, the Macy's and Bambergers had not
completely merged.
And jewelry was one of the lastdepartments.
Jewelry and dresses were one ofthe last departments to move,
probably because there were somany SKUs, and so in the very
beginning I sat in Newark, NewJersey.
(04:12):
That's sexy and we moved overto 34th Street where you know I
still.
At that point I was anassistant buyer and my
responsibilities were the NewJersey stores.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
So you, essentially, though, where were you living?
Hoboken, you were in Hoboken, Iwas in Hoboken.
Where are you from originally,though?
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Born in Michigan, grew up in Northeast
Pennsylvania.
I went to school in CentralPennsylvania and Macy's was my
first job.
I interviewed and I had thechance to be part of the
executive training squad.
I really hadn't thought aboutretail as a career.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
As a job job.
It was like oh, this makessomething to do.
I was excited about theinterview.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
I was excited about the people that I had talked to.
My degree was in communicationsand journalism so I thought,
look, give it a shot.
And I was bit by the retail bug.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Do you think those kinds of programs still matter?
Speaker 1 (05:20):
I feel very fortunate to have gone through the
program that I went through.
I don't know that they exist inthe way that they existed.
At that time we literally spentweeks training, hearing from
executives, learning, bondingwith each other, the sales
(05:42):
managers, and then we were alldispersed to different stores.
But that initial trainingprogram was the start of a
network that was a lifelongnetwork.
I still am in touch with peoplethat I knew from my days at
Basie.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah, the people who went through that that, that was
like retail boot camp, so youkind of have to bond with those
people because that was from thepeople I know who went through
it.
It was like it was proper rigor, hard, you know, like know your
numbers, know your math, knowyour retail math like that was.
(06:23):
It was no joke, like a lot ofpeople couldn't survive because
it was so intense.
It was like the version ofworking in an investment bank,
but in retail and not gettingpaid the same.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
I felt like it was going to get a master's and it
was like a little mini program.
And then I went through itagain about a year later because
I was selected to go to Tyson'sCorner when they opened their
first store in Virginia and itwas a pretty big moment for
(06:58):
Macy's because it was the firsttime that Macy's and Nordstrom
were in the same mall complexand so at the time Nordstrom's
was the top of the pile as faras selling and customer service.
So this was really a task tosee if Macy's could match what
(07:21):
Nordstrom was doing at the time.
And so we went through trainingagain and it was a commissioned
sales experience versus whatI've been doing before.
So I felt like I got a doubledose of amazing training.
That's wild.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Isn't that crazy.
You know not that I'm someonewho reflects on age or anything,
but I can like certainexperiences were so profound and
so prolific that you can stillremember the feeling you had
going through it, because it was.
You know, if you're fortunateenough to go to college and
(07:59):
you're fortunate enough to havethat experience where hopefully,
the only job you have duringthat time if you're lucky enough
is your only job is to learn,and then you get this kind of
experience where you're like, ohmy God, I must be all in or
else I will miss something.
And then livelihood and salesand Monday morning numbers they
(08:19):
will come back to me if I don'tlearn this in the manner and the
time that I'm supposed to.
That's a huge, hugeresponsibility for someone who's
not that old.
It really is.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
No, but you know, at the time I was in a group of
people that were like me andwe're all just passionate young
executives and sucked it in likesponge young executives and
sucked it in like sponge.
And then I got the chance tocome back and work in the buying
(08:51):
office which you know how luckywas I Sterling's jewelry.
It was amazing.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Did you have a choice to get into jewelry?
Or there was an opportunity, orthere was like okay, we have
jewelry, do you want to take it?
How did it work?
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Well, at the time they used to call it, you were
released to interview.
I think that meant you had done, you had kind of hit your mark
as a sales manager.
So I was released and they sentyou to interview with buyers
who had openings, and I had myagain.
There was an opening in thejewelry department and that is
(09:27):
where I landed.
So as a result, of that?
Speaker 2 (09:31):
was that something you were like?
Okay, I can totally becomefluent in this.
I definitely see myselfbecoming passionate because I
know people who've been releasedinto dishware and knitwear and
I mean Macy's is a giganticretail operation.
You could essentially fall intosomething like I don't know
(09:52):
outdoor tires not that they'dhave it there, but you know that
could end up becoming yourquote unquote level of expertise
.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
The karma gods sent me to jewelry, and you're
absolutely right.
I could have ended up in towelsand had a very different kind
of career, but the job was openin jewelry.
I hit it off with the buyer andthe rest was history To go from
New.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
York City, though, to go to Westchester Pennsylvania.
I say that with a pause becausethose who don't know where QVC
is, it is not Westchester NewYork, it is Westchester
Pennsylvania.
I say that with a pause becausethose who don't know where QVC
is, it is not Westchester NewYork, it is Westchester
Pennsylvania.
I was lucky enough to go on QVCa hundred million years ago.
It is a campus, it is its ownentity.
(10:39):
You go there like that's it,you're in QVC land, land it's.
At that time, though, shoppingtv was not, as I don't know, I
don't want to say, sociallyacceptable.
But now retail is retail.
Sales are sales like you getcelebrities who are willing to
go on.
Then it was perceived verymiddle america and it was still
(11:01):
obviously volume driven andsuccessful in its own right.
Was that hard for you tomentally be like okay, I'm
fabulous, I'm at Macy's, now I'mgoing to QVC.
Or, were you like, bring it on,I'm from Pennsylvania, I'm
coming home.
I'm excited to share my newbook with you.
Welcome to Savvy Susanna'sAmazing Adventures in Handbags
(11:22):
and the Start of Susanna'sTriumphant Journey to Become a
young handbag designer.
Filled with ingenuity, fun anda hint of steam, susanna will
inspire children and youeverywhere to follow their
dreams and put in the hard workto get there.
Savvy Susanna is available onAmazon, barnes, noble or
wherever you get your books.
Thanks for your support.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
It was a combination.
I was lucky because when I gotto QVC, I did have a choice.
I had a choice to be in thejewelry department or to go into
fashion, and I decided to gointo fashion to broaden my
experience and my background,and I was excited about it
because I had gone to school forcommunications and theater arts
(12:04):
.
So here we are.
I love retail.
This is live retail, it's thetheater of retail, and so it
felt for me like I was doingsomething with my education and
what I had been doing for acareer.
I think my first aha momentswere that the quality of the
(12:26):
product that we were selling atQVC was superior to what was,
you know, something I would havefound in the store, because
they were so particular aboutmaking sure that it exceeded
expectations.
Because there was already astigma about shopping on TV In
the early days.
(12:47):
No one wanted to.
I shouldn't say no one.
Many people didn't want to sellon QVC, certainly not any
designer of note or brand ofnotes.
They thought that it woulddenigrate their brand or their
reputation.
So it was very hard initially,hard initially, and I would say
(13:12):
one of the other big aha momentsthat I had was it was the first
time in my career where Irealized that, oh, those vendors
aren't just being nice to mebecause I'm fabulous.
They were being nice to mebecause I had access to help
write orders Exactly, and thatit became very apparent quickly
(13:33):
who my real friends were in thattime.
That's nuts, yeah, and it kindof.
It was like kind of an instantclobber.
I'm like huh, all right, Iguess they're not so interested
in, you know, communicating.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Isn't that crazy, like at that age, to be like
wait a second, these aren't myfriends, this is, this is
transactional.
It's kind of a weird epiphany,especially after going through
this, like bonding experiencewith people in Macy's and you
guys were in, like you know, inthe showrooms and then all of a
(14:09):
sudden you're getting winedenied.
You're like, oh my God, I'm sopopular, I have so many friends.
And then you realize like, ohdamn, they just You're out of
zero.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
But not everybody.
No, of course not Truly noteveryone.
There were some realrelationships and real
friendships that wereestablished at that time.
But to go from a store likeMacy's, where people wanted to
sell, to then to go to QVC was,yeah, it was definitely an
adjustment, and then thingschanged there very quickly.
(14:39):
So I remember the early daysand I have to say it was those
early days of having to workextra hard that got me where I
am today, of course, because,okay, we're now dating.
There was no Zoom, there wasemail, but fundamental email.
(15:01):
We were mailing things back andforth or faxing things back and
forth.
So if I saw a brand that I wasinterested in, I'd be cold
calling.
And I remember cold calling abrand and it wasn't even all
that of a brand, it was a okaybrand that isn't in business
anymore.
And they said to me I'd ratherput my product in the trash than
(15:28):
sell it to you.
So I was like, huh, how aboutthat?
I'm going to have to take adifferent approach here and the
approach that I took at thattime I was working in
accessories.
I saw a little teeny, weeny adin Women's Wear Daily and one of
my vendors, one of the peoplethat would sell to us, was a guy
(15:50):
named Joel Pinsky who had acompany called Omega Belts and I
called Joel and I was like, hey, I see this accessory council
thing being formed.
How do I get to be a part of it?
And my goal in doing it waspurely like networking.
People might still say no to me, but it's a lot harder to say
(16:10):
no in person, and or at least Ifelt like if I could at least
explain what was happening therewhich was really exciting at
the time you would at leastlisten to me where you might not
have taken the call.
And so that is how I started myjourney with the Accessories
(16:34):
Council.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
You're a clever bunny , Karen.
Look at you.
That's crazy.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
How you knew.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
You know, I mean yes, of course, and like when people
say, oh, it was luck, and youknow luck.
I think right time, right placeobviously has something to do
with it.
But having the wherewithal tohustle to make sure you're at
the right place at the righttime definitely speaks to you
and your gumption and yourability to sniff out opportunity
(17:03):
.
And I think had you not hadthat experience at Macy's to see
where the market would be goingand then going even further to
go to QVC to see understand whatmass selling really is, I don't
know particularly and I can'tspeak on your behalf, but I
don't think you would have beenable to see like hold on, this
(17:24):
is needed, like there is anetwork that's needed to bring
people together.
Accessories historically hasbeen a very splintered kind of
industry.
You know, again speaking onbehalf of handbags, the majority
of people who were doinghandbags in the advent of
handbags were men.
They were old school, they were, you know, people who came from
(17:45):
different countries, who wereused to making things with their
hands and then took over fortheir father's business.
Very few were women, very, veryfew.
So you know, to try and bringeverybody together, having done
so much history on the historyof handbags, especially in New
York, you know, even going backto the handbag tax that took
(18:08):
place during World War II andhaving to pull back and things
that made people have to thinkout of the box to bypass that
handbag tax Like the council orthere was a handbags association
at the time.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
They used to set the market week dates way back.
Oh my God, that's how themarket week dates way back.
Oh my God.
So that's how the market weekdates were set Exactly.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
So, you know, all these things kind of fold into
one and the other.
I think you know the council isa very unique organization in
that you, you have the eyes andears of the bigger brands.
And do we need to havesomething like this?
I think so because you know, itmight be all the people from
(18:52):
the industry, but all the peoplefrom the industry need a reason
to come together and somebody,somewhere, needs to be that
person, somebody needs to bethat organization.
So the fact that the councilhas become so ingrained in what
accessory culture is about, Idon't think it speaks to
anything.
But you, that's you.
You did this Truly.
I mean not to do you knowfangirl stuff, but you know,
(19:17):
knowing and hearing yourbackground.
All this makes so much moresense as to how and why all this
came to be.
It's just like you saw it, yougot it and you realized we need
this player and that player andthis player, and then we need to
bring it together.
Were you the one who createdthe Ace?
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Awards?
No, the Ace Awards existed.
So the council from my earlydays.
I quickly joined the board.
You were young then.
When you did I was young.
I became an officer.
I was actively engaged andinvolved and the ACE Awards
started about two years after.
(19:53):
This is why you had a day job.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
You were still doing this and coming at QVC.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
I was at QVC.
I was a board member.
In fact, the ACE Awards willcelebrate in 26, its 30th
anniversary.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
And you've been with it for two minutes.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Yeah, so so I I went to the first ace awards I I
think I've been to all the aceawards.
I know I've been to all the aceawards.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
There's a handful of us have been all of them, but
not very many anymore I thinkI've been to three and that's
because I went as a guest for so.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Puppy.
It's exciting, it's our blacktie, it's our gala, it's where
we bring out our celebrities.
It's also our most expensiveevent.
Most of the events we do areeither complimentary or really
low cost.
Ace Awards is one of the placesthat the council was built on.
It helps us generate money thatwe use for our operating budget
(20:53):
and it's also an extraordinarypress event.
That is what we exist.
To do is try to sell moreproducts and help our brands
sell more product, whetherthey're large or small.
We have members who are soloentrepreneurs all the way to
some of the biggest companies inevery category, and you said
(21:16):
something, emily, that was, Ithink, really poignant in our
journey is that we do work witha lot of different categories,
and what I find is thatcategories tend to silo
themselves.
So people stay in theirfootwear group.
Optical people stay in theoptical group, bag people,
(21:39):
jewelry people I just was at ajewelry conference.
I came in.
It's obvious these people haveknown each other their whole
careers.
They may move companies, butthey tend to stay in the
industry.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
It's very off-putting as a new person to come to
those events.
I've been as someone who's kindof done the crossover between
toys and bags and retail and TVand all that.
It's kind of scary to be thenew person there because
everybody knows everybody andthey bounce from one company to
the other and true to form silois, I think, the perfect way to
(22:11):
explain it.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Well, I love the experience for many reasons.
One it forces me to learn andgrow.
So I always want to be learningand growing and gathering new
information.
I took a red eye last night.
I was at a conference in thefine jewelry space.
I learned so much in one daythat I didn't know about the
(22:34):
fine jewelry business.
It just gave me insights.
It'll help me be a betterleader and help me steer our
members.
But the thing that I love aboutthe council is we get to swirl
it all up.
We get to take the best ofjewelry and the best of footwear
and the best of bags and get tointroduce people and cross
pollinate.
(22:54):
And I really believe stronglythat we're all better when we
sometimes get out of our normalchannel, that we can learn best
practices, gain inspiration fromwatching what other industries
do and, by the way, it doesn'teven have to be fashion.
It could be.
Somebody is making car tires ortoys.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
I was just going to say yep, yep.
I mean, it's so fascinating.
I've spoken with Beth fromCircona, beth Goldstein.
She's one of my favorite peopleto talk to, just because she's
like bursting with like nuggets.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Oh, my God.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Yeah, she, she's my statistic person.
I messaged her.
I'm like do you have a quotefor what's going on for the
numbers here?
Just let me know basics on howI can rephrase it.
I love her but, like theinfluence like the car industry
and the colors and certainshapes can then carry over to
one, and so much of this alwaysgoes to accessories, like that's
(23:51):
the first one that gets hit,because I think it's the easiest
, the easiest influence to beimpacted.
You know, like color here, Idon't know, you would know
better than I would, at least interms of jewelry.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Well, I think it's color.
I think the different levels ofthe industry you know, high-end
fashion down to mainstream mayadapt things in different ways.
But basically, we're, we're.
There's things we can all learnfrom each other, whether it's
materials.
You know, maybe there'ssomething that's happening in
(24:26):
the automotive industry thatcould be a great handbag.
Or there's technology in lasercutting that could, you know,
was never intended to be injewelry but could be, have an
application in there.
There's best practices that welearn in shipping that we can
(24:47):
share with others.
So I always love to go to otherindustries whenever I can and
try to immerse myself.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
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(26:33):
You know, when Project Accessorywas on, which was the spinoff
of Project Runway in 2012, Iwant to say because I was
involved with the casting, whichis really funny the handbag
designers on there were for me.
They had my book which had justcome out that they all had to
(26:57):
read, and then I was supposed tobe one of their on-air talent
people, but then they said Iwasn't famous enough, which,
whatever, who cares they're likewe'll have you on for the next
season.
I'm like sure, sounds great,but I was their official blogger
of that time and Molly Sims wasthe host, ariel Foxman, who was
in style at the time, kennethCole was one of the judges and
(27:20):
then they'd have a rotatingperson after that and it was
very, very interesting tosomeone who does what we do to
really see the silos, as yousaid, that those skill sets
within the accessory industrydon't translate.
(27:41):
They don't.
It's very, very specific.
It's like someone saying someonewho's a fishmonger would know
how to make a dessert.
Just because it's food and youeat.
It doesn't mean that they'rethe same.
You have the samequalifications to make it right.
So the show I thought, whilebeing part of it, was going to
(28:02):
be flawed, because someone whounderstands the last of a shoe
will not understand the buckramfunctionality of a hat, will not
understand the drop of ahandbag, will not understand how
to use a blowtorch for jewelry.
It was one of those things thatI saw.
It was a really hard conversionfrom one to the other and I'm
(28:24):
sure you can speak to this justbecause it's accessories, like
people, are all cousins.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
They are not brothers and sisters within this
business.
Yeah, there are manufacturingspecifics that you really that.
There is a reason.
There is a reason why thosesilos build themselves up
Exactly.
Each of the industries has anuance or nuances about them
that require expertise.
I'm wearing a new pair ofglasses.
Glasses are, while they'refashionable and beautiful,
(28:56):
they're also a medical device.
So there are rules andregulations and considerations
in the optical category that wedon't have to worry about.
In scarves, where footwear,you've got to worry about the
last.
It's got to fit, it's got to becomfortable.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
There's so much math in footwear and people don't
even realize that.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Different considerations.
I think it's one of thetoughest businesses to get into
because of sizing and the amountof units that you need.
Jewelry's got a whole hill ofother regulation, depending on
where your stones come from, tothe variable cost of metals,
(29:43):
security issues that we don'thave necessarily in other
categories.
But I still think that ifyou've got a great handbag
person and a great jewelryperson, you might end up with
some killer hardware.
There are combos that reallywork, and so when expanding a
(30:06):
brand, if you're in bags and youwant to go into another
category, you might want tosurround yourself with some of
those experts who can help youavoid some of the pitfalls or
save you some time, save yousome money.
But maybe you don't want tohave so much background there
(30:26):
that you're not creative.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Yeah, you know I have found a Nancy Foreman of the
Accessory Think Tank Another fablady.
Oh my God, I love her so much.
I have my go-to's my selfishgo-to's for the podcast where
I'm like it's time to get aState of the union.
Let's see what's going on.
But Nancy is always one ofthese very clever bunnies in
that if there's extra materialfrom bags, she's always like we
(30:52):
can convert this to jewelry, orthe hardware of the handbag that
could then be converted tojewelry.
So there's very easy add-ons tonot so much upsell your
customer but kind of make yourbrand more well-rounded.
So I think there's a lot oflow-hanging fruit that a lot of
people don't see, because andI've spoken about this that even
(31:15):
the most organized people andthe most methodical people, when
they decide to get into acreative business, nine times
out of 10, and there's alwaysthat one out of 10, but nine
times out of 10, like all betsare off.
They are no longer responsible,they are no longer methodical,
they are no longer organized.
They think with their heart.
(31:36):
They think, oh my God, I wantto do this.
I want to do that because it'ssuch a deviation from who they
are in their day-to-day thatthey're so excited to be this
creative entrepreneur and followthis and, before they know it,
they've dropped 15,000 onsamples and bags and importing
leathers and materials fromItaly and bespoke lining.
(31:57):
And this is a business likeanything else you got to do your
homework, you got to do yourresearch.
So once people like anybody gothrough this whole process, then
they're able to say, okay, holdon, I've got something that I
can move forward with.
Like Sanrev, I'm probablypronouncing that I adore her.
I had her on my podcast soclever, so methodical, straight
(32:22):
to it, knew exactly what she wasdoing, did so much data
resource right at the beginning.
And I think that's this gentleshift, a gentle balance of
trying to understand right-leftbrain in terms of taking a
product to market and I think,just to bring this full circle,
being part of the council iswhere you'll find these
resources to bypass all thisdumb stuff that we all do and
(32:47):
money that we end up pissingaway trying to with that
learning curve and that is ourgoal.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
So sometimes we call ourselves the accessories
counselors.
That's amazing, having done itfor as long as we've done it, we
can.
Often, if we can't answer aquestion, we have lifelines like
yours around us and we also doa lot of behind the scenes work,
whether it's legal issues,sustainability issues,
(33:15):
operational shipping, some ofthe parts of the industry that
aren't as sexy or aren't as fun.
We have amazing partners thatcan really help again, save
money, save time and give thekind of advice or the kind of
services that will help adesigner, a young company, grow.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Yeah, a young company grow, yeah, and I think so much
of that is just so, so, soimportant, because nobody can do
anything alone.
They just can't.
You might think you can, butbeing in that solo mental silo
silo is the word of this meeting.
I think it's one of thosethings that it's virtually
(34:00):
impossible to be successful ifyou stay in your apartment, stay
in your office, stay in yourdesign studio, that you are
nothing without networking,without meeting people, without
asking for help, withoutpresenting.
I'm sure you've dealt with thisand I'll sign anybody's NDA, I
don't give a crap.
But if you're having me sign anNDA and you've never done this
(34:22):
before and you're greener thanthe seed I just planted, like I
know, you're not going to go asfar as you think you are.
Because, as the great StevenRosenberg from Verve told me as
a first run designer, you arenot creating a van go.
You are creating a handbag thatyou want people to come back
and buy over and over again.
If you don't a handbag that youwant people to come back and
buy over and over again, if youdon't put it out there to learn
(34:45):
to get feedback, you ain't goinganywhere Right the end.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Anyone who walks in.
So the council is amembership-based organization
and over the course of the yearwe probably have 100 different
opportunities.
I'm not exaggerating.
Some of them may be social.
It might be an Instagram event.
It could be a small-scalenetworking event.
It could be educationalwebinars Right, it could be
(35:13):
grand-scale events and contests.
So we encourage everyone to getactive, get involved.
Don't just join and not doanything.
In fact, we don't Don't justjoin and not do anything.
In fact, we don't want peopleto join and not do anything.
It's nice, we'll cash the check, but at the end of the year
they're not going to want tocome back and honestly, I don't
(35:33):
accept.
I didn't get anything out of it, because we have so many
opportunities that if you didn'tget anything out of it, it's
your own fault.
Bingo.
So every single week we have anewsletter that goes out and
it's got editorial opportunities, events, it's got news, it does
(35:53):
spotlights on members, if thatwould be one thing.
Anybody who might be watchingor listening sign up for the
newsletter ataccessoriescouncilorg Doesn't
cost any money and that's whereyou really see what's happening.
Of course, on our website,accessorycouncilorg, we have a
lot of that information too, butthe newsletter that's our
(36:17):
weekly gospel.
Follow that.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
Perfect.
This is a great way to wrap up.
How, karen, can we find youfollow you and, ps, I'm so
having you back for a State ofthe Union Like you've just?
You're officially part of myroster, so lucky you check check
.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
How can we learn more about Accessories?
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Council.
You can.
You can call me.
We have a small passionate teamand we love talking to brands.
We love listening and learningthe stories and then trying to
figure out how they fit into ourecosystem where we can best
help.
So I'm Karen atAccessoriesCouncilorg.
(36:59):
You can go on the website andcontact us.
We love it when people reachout, we love it when they follow
the newsletters and we love itwhen they show up in person.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
Perfect, karen, you're coming back.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
I'll see you soon, absolutely.
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single
platform at handbag designer.
Thanks so much.
See you next time.
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