Characterisitics of Business Leadership: Vera Wang

her. As soon as she could, she got her own dress shop in Lincoln and

"When you have a passion for something then you tend not only to be better at it, but you work harder at it too.” -Vera Wang1

After WWII ended, she moved to Europe to study art. At age of 19 she moved back to America to New York City to pursue a career in fashion. Furthermore, in 1960 she became the head designer on Jonathan Logan’s Youth Guild label. This contributed to Liz knowing it was time to create her own fashion line, buying Liz Claiborne Inc. in 1976 with money she and her family collected over the past years. Within the first year of business in women’s clothing she earned $2 million for her clothing line (“Liz Claiborne Biography”).

Describe any exposure you have to a global environment (business or personal) and what do you expect from this class based on your level of exposure? What are some key differences between leadership and geo-global leadership? Why is it important to study global leadership?

Her first job was working with Macy 's in 1901 at the age of 15. She began as salesclerk, and progressed serving as a mannequin and a milliner. While at Macy 's she received the equivalent of a fashion education, as well as sharpening her business acumen. Her passion for design, combined with her unparralleled ability creating fashion styles, and the encouragement of her peers ensured that the rest of her life would dedicated to fashion.

Vera Bradley was first inspired in 1982 and created by Barbara Bradley Backgaard and Patricia Miller, who first noticed in an airport that all of the travelers had the same bags. By the year 2014, Vera Bradley had a wide assortment of products that included backpacks, travel products, scarves, jewelry, and other accessories. After slowed revenue growth was seen by the company, in 2012 Vera Bradley implemented a new strategy that focused on a fewer number of flagship products and signature patterns. The quality of these products was a main focus of improvement, and poor selling patterns were quickly discontinued. Vera Bradley saw improved net income from this new strategy for two years until it slowed in 2014 due to the increased cost of goods sold. Higher quality and improved globalization and customer growth has been a focal point for Vera Bradley in these years and they hope to offset these higher costs by increased sales volume.

Liz Claiborne took a great effect in the fashion industry. Born as Anne Elizabeth Jane Claiborne in Brussels Belgium, Claiborne always had a love for art/fashion. Her and her family moved to New Orleans in 1939, but Claiborne moved back to Europe to study art. After winning the Harper’s Bazaar design contest, the eager 19-year-old traveled to New York to pursue her fashion career. She worked as the head designer of Jonathan Logan’s Youth Guild label and stayed for 15 years before developing her company,

Kate Spade worked for Mademoiselle Magazine for five years. While Kate Spade was working there she became senior fashion editor and head of accessories (“Kate Spade Biography”, par. 2). Kate Spade launched her own brand in 1993. She opened a small boutique in the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan soon after (“Kate Spade Biography”, par. 3). When Kate Spade first launched her line she sold primarily handbags (“The Real Kate Spade”, par. 1). Kate Spade New York started off with just a couple of items but has grown since then. Kate Spade is known for its pops of color. Now they sell glasses, purses, shoes, wallet, and much more. She recently launched a new fragrance line called Live Colorfully (“Company Snapshot”, par. 6). As one can see, Kate Spade New York has grown over the

When she was looking through wedding dresses for her wedding, she became “frustrated with the slim selection of existing bridal wear” (Biography 2014). Vera was bored and tired of the selections of bland dresses, so she started sketching designs to have them commissioned to a dressmaker to be tailored, which cost about ten thousand dollars (Biography 2014). Sadly, in 2012, Vera Wang Co. announced that Vera Wang and Arthur Becker have split. Even though they split, them getting married was a huge reason of why Vera is now a fashion icon in the fashion designer industry. Without having married Arthur, Vera’s business and empire wouldn’t have

Her grandmother “introduced Herrera to the fashion world by taking her to runway shows and buying her clothes from Dior and Lanvin. “

Camilla attended Ascham School, located in Edgecliff. She was originally a theatre actress before being discovered for her unique costumes. She started to create handed craft pieces to wear between scenes. This is where the Camilla brand began. Camilla had very informal textiles training. She taught herself how to draw and hired people to make her designs of clothing. She first started to design kaftans. The simple kaftan concept started the evolution of her brand.

The custom line has taken priority, however, due to the higher dollar sales, and the standard lines products were often left temporarily incomplete till the custom orders were met. This is a significant problem because the consumers of the standard furniture expect lower lead times and lower prices.

After moving to New York City, She started her first fashion line in the year 1981. As she moved forward in her career, she began to expand on her clothing lines. She began to design suits and gowns. She also designed lines of wedding dresses, perfume, cologne, scarves, handbags, and other accessories. She has worked with her daughter on a couple of occasions. She collaborated with her on a men’s fragrance line and grooming products. Carolina has also won many awards. An example of one was when she appeared in the International best dressed list annually for 9 years, 1971-1980.

Victoria Secret was founded in by Roy Raymond, and his wife Gaye, in San Francisco, California, on June 12, 1977. The company got its start when Roy Raymond was trying to shop for lingerie for his wife. He’d gone to a department store to make his purchase, only to find himself deeply uncomfortable and made even more so by saleswomen scrutinizing his presence there. “When I tried to buy lingerie for my wife,” Raymond told Newsweek in 1981, “I was faced with racks of terry-cloth robes and ugly floral-print nylon nightgowns, and I always had the feeling the department-store saleswomen thought I was an unwelcome intruder.” Raymond saw an opportunity in his discomfort and in 1977 borrowed $80,000 to open Victoria’s Secret as a store designed originally to make men comfortable when buying lingerie for their wives.

In times of rapid globalisation and economic development growth, the environment of business has become more and more complicated as a huge number of firms want to globally expand their businesses. Subsequently, the managerial implications of cross-cultural management is the challenge of this development. As Abbe (2007) states, cross-cultural leadership has developed as a way to understand leaders who work in the global markets. Culture is the “software of mind” that can influence people’s patterns of thinking and behaving.