Today we’d like to introduce you to Germanee Gerald.
Germanee, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve had a very fortuitous series of moments in my career that led me to fashion entrepreneurship.
Unbeknownst to me (I thought I’d be a dentist), I began my career in fashion and retail, working at Gap stores in North Carolina while in high school and college. After graduating with a Brand Marketing and Management degree from North Carolina State University, I set my sights to San Francisco, where I joined seven other trainees for Gap Inc’s highly coveted, Rotational Management Program (RMP), also known as the “the Harvard of retail.” It’s a rigorous, highly selective, 9-month leadership training, where I competed with 3,000 applicants to get a seat at the table with my seven classmates. The training not only exposed me to Gap Inc’s executives and brand portfolio, but it also gave me insight into the key areas that drive the product pipeline – production, merchandising, and inventory management (buying).
My goal walking in the door was to land a position as a merchant. Merchandisers were the decision makers for the customers, who got to be both creative, working with designers, and analytical by partnering with buyers to build financial plans before clothes went to stores – this was perfect for me because I’ve always enjoyed using both my left and right brain.
I achieved my goal after graduating RMP, I accepted a position as an assistant merchandiser for Old Navy’s newborn girl division. While this wasn’t ideal, since I wanted to work in women’s, it was a part of a divine plan. Looking back, being in newborn allowed me to think of product objectively versus instantly falling to subjective bias. Had I taken a job in women’s after graduating, I would’ve only thought about “What would I wear?, versus “What the customer would wear?” Now, this is one of my driving skill sets as a stylist. I’m often tasked with creating a vision that is objectively eye catching and yet authentic to each client. This requires me to truly connect with their individual personalities and needs, putting aside my own. Eventually, I landed a role in the Women’s Division at Banana Republic as a Merchandiser for the second largest product category.
It was a rocky, three- year road in my succession from assistant to merchandiser. In the interim, I found my passion – personal styling. I always had an eye for conceptualizing outfits and enjoyed educating people on how to do it too. Shopping with a girlfriend, she suggested, personal styling to me. I initially refuted the idea. I didn’t want to be a stylist, I wanted to ascend up the corporate ladder, not to mention, the words “Bay Area” and “Wardrobe Stylist” felt like a complete oxymoron.
However, I did agree to help style my friends who worked in tech so that they possessed the confidence to command a room during any meeting, pitching business ideas, or going to conferences. I began executing this at scale through my Sip N’ Style events, where I created an engaging and safe environment for women to learn about their body types and how to dress themselves accordingly. These friendly projects started to create buzz, their word of mouth led me to paid one-on-one gigs, which finally landed me the opportunity to work with the BOZOMA ST. JOHN!
I worked around the clock, sharing time between my equally demanding 9-5 and side-hustle – I was creating long-range company plans and selecting product for the upcoming seasons at Banana Republic during the day all while making space for GG&Co as it grew… taking client calls from Hong Kong and New York, doing fittings and intimate Sip N’ Style events after work and on the weekends. After three years, I was burnt out. I couldn’t sustain the sleepless nights and lack of self-care. I had to choose. On the day of my ten year anniversary at Gap Inc., I left the world of merchandising to solely focus on my career as a stylist.
So I was wrong, that oxymoron ended up, helping me carve a niche, paving the way for who I am today – a wardrobe stylist providing style solutions and convenience to entrepreneurs, professionals, and high profile men and women in tech and entertainment.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, the road hasn’t been smooth, there have been many peaks and valleys and I think it should be that way because there are lessons that each has to offer.
So to answer the question, I’ve seen struggles along the way, there are a few that come to mind.
The first being intrapersonal conflicts like having to fight self-doubt, depression, and comparison. After leaving my corporate job, there were so many moments when I didn’t know if I had what it took to sustain myself (financially) and take my business to the next level. I also struggled to feel worthy as a “wardrobe stylist,” living in Los Angeles, where so many individuals focus on celebrities. As one who cultivated a niche centered around professionals, entrepreneurs, and high profile executives I often wondered if I had the credibility to call myself a stylist. I had to take the reigns and turn off the voices in my head, speaking positive affirmations, praying, and believing in myself; I had to learn that my niche was my peculiarity and my culture add to the universe. I had to understand that I had the sauce, no need to compare.
I also dealt with interpersonal challenges regarding my family. When I initially approached them about entrepreneurship, they encouraged me to continue the corporate track. They didn’t understand the vision and because their opinions weighed heavily, I considered giving up styling and sticking to merchandising at Gap Inc. After crying for days, I snapped out it and realized that I had to fight for what I wanted, understand that everyone won’t see your dreams until you make them a reality, and recognize that their sentiments were only them showing their love for me and not wanting to see me fail but I couldn’t let their apprehension deter me.
The last challenge was understanding that I had to secure my own bags. I no longer got a guaranteed check every two weeks. I had to come face to face and learn about my business’s elasticity and client demand so that I could save, plan, and strategize for the moments when I anticipate business will be soft.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about GG+Co Styling Firm – what should we know?
GG&Co Styling Firm provides an array of services to professionals, who desire to amplify their brand message, build confidence and elevate their personal style. We offer one-on-one personal styling, curated intimate or large scale events and a five-course online module entitled theDressCode, crafted to help women hone in and develop their signature style.
I love that our portfolio offers services to meet each style need and am proud that we make the concept of having a stylist accessible to all. You don’t have to be a celebrity to be deserving of great style and we make sure that everyone who has an encounter with us via one-on-one consultation, group event, or online course, believes and feels that.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I would have to attribute my success to my tenacity and dedication to see a plan out. If I say that I am going to do something, I work methodically and tirelessly, knowing that in due time your intentions will come into fruition.
Pricing:
- theDressCode Style Course is $450
- Personal Styling Session starts at $450 a session
- Sip N’ Style Events start at $50 per event
Pricing:
- theDressCode Style Course is $450
- Personal Styling Session starts at $450 a session
- Sip N’ Style Events start at $50 per event
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ggandcostyling.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: germanee_g
- Twitter: germanee_g
Image Credit:
The only photo that needs to be credited is the CreateHer Collective. This photo is CreateHer Collective’s and was taken by Kaye McCoy
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