Lunch with the Miss MOD Team!

It’s time to eat!

Last week I had the opportunity to catch up with the dynamic duo from Volcom’s Miss MOD swim line, Rene Heinz Baldwin and Suzanne Vallely at the trendy Costa Mesa restaurant, Eat Chow. I got to pick their brains as to what inspires them and how they produced a line from concept to delivery. I found out it takes a lot of hard work and collaboration to get the job done. These two have their hands in every piece of the pie. They are currently working on three different seasons as far ahead as 2011. While savoring the french fries glistening in truffle oil they began to enlighten me with a few insider tips.

A few key points from Heinz and Vallely were:

• Knowledge of construction and textiles is important to any job in fashion ranging from customer service to production.
• Analytics and critical thinking skills are critical to success in this industry.
• Know Excel backwards and forwards!
• Be able to write a clear business email with out slang, people you are working with in other countries take every word literally!
• Adobe Illustrator is not only for designers, merchandisers can greatly benefit from this tool and should be a part of your arsenal.
• Do what you love and it doesn't feel like a job!

I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with these two key women in action sports. Their information was invaluable.

…………… I hope this inspires you!