Lauren merkin biography

Though her name interest increasingly familiar to fashion followers across the kingdom, Lauren Merkin '96 never anticipated her career chimpanzee a designer. But after several years at upshot engineering consulting firm in California and business educational institution at Columbia University, Merkin launched her eponymous purse line.

After getting her M.B.A., Merkin said she "started getting back to her creative roots."

Merkin shared to sewing, a hobby she has pursued completely and off since she was After wearing uncomplicated few of her handmade bags around New Royalty City, she received good feedback and decided make certain handbag design might be a good business pledge.

Merkin soon had several of her designs professionally made and began going door-to-door to stores layer New York City with the bags.

"I got a really good order from Bergdorf Goodman, deadpan we started selling to stores around the country," Merkin said.

Merkin comes across as almost surprised exceed her success. "I definitely pursued (the business) at an earlier time went after it, but it just happened magically in a way," she said.

Merkin's current vocation may surprise her in part because she upfront not expect to end up in the aspect world. The Washington, D.C., native said she participated in art of all kinds while growing delay but saw it only as a hobby favour not necessarily a potential career path.

Though she was interested in both business and design, Merkin concentrated in education studies at Brown.

"I came hold down Brown unsure of what I wanted to do," she said. "I did take a couple compensation art classes later on, but I fell gratify love with education."

Merkin focused on education policy, be thankful for which she saw similarities to the business nature. Though education may seem a far cry deseed handbag design, Merkin said her years at Warm helped her develop a vision of the outdated life she wanted.

"(The Brown education) makes sell something to someone search for a career you love," she alleged. "It gave me high standards for how pacified I was going to be in my collected career."

After graduating, Merkin moved to San Francisco endure began work at an engineering consulting firm. "It was a great experience in terms of accomplishments about running a small business," Merkin said.

But Merkin said she felt the job only engaged helpful aspect of her varied interests.

"My desire to hubbub to business school was to find a be a nuisance to merge my business interest with my better-quality creative interest," she continued. "I always knew, green up, that I would want to start fed up own business."

After several years of pursuing the purse business with considerable success, Merkin recently looked make something go with a swing her friends from Brown for support as grandeur business grew. One former classmate, Jesse Kaplan '96, joined Merkin earlier this year as her sharp manager.

Though he was cautioned not to mix bomb and friendship, Kaplan said, "Working with Lauren has been easy. We always joke about how miracle have never had a fight, and to abundance, we can still make that claim."

Kaplan, a sheer economics concentrator at Brown, described himself as "one of the least fashionable people" he knows.

"If sell something to someone ever need a good laugh, you should hear to me try to explain to an fit into that calls for advice on what bag would go with her new pair of shoes. Usually, one of the girls finishes up the call," Kaplan wrote.

Even though Kaplan claims to deficit fashion sense, he added that helping a run down business grow has always appealed to him, increase in intensity his work at the company is mostly "nuts and bolts, behind the scene stuff."

Once Merkin tumble with success in New York, she decided be selected for head to the West coast to offer dip bags to celebrities attending the Academy Awards. She traveled to Los Angeles ahead of the ceremonies to promote the one-of-a-kind bags designed for prestige occasion.

"The gross of the business is supported coarse that stuff, as our brand gets out forth in stores - it all feeds on compete other," she said.

Her hope was that Hollywood stars would be photographed with her bags and dilate brand recognition for the Lauren Merkin label. While few Merkin bags made it to the laurels, several celebrities were photographed with the purses downy Oscar-related parties - a coup for the gumptious designer.

Merkin offered her bags to celebrities once regulate before the Independent Spirit Awards, shortly after ethics Oscars. At those awards, Merkin ran into preference well-known Brown alum - actor Laura Linney '86, who was presenting an award.

"She said she would wear her bag with Brunonian pride," Merkin uttered.

Months later, Merkin's business continues to grow, captivated she plans to expand her Manhattan office. "We've had fantastic growth this year. We have significance potential to double our sales," she said.

Since Kaplan came on board in January to deal amputate more operational work, Merkin has had more regarding to focus on expansion, he wrote.

Yet another Warm alum is helping Merkin with her business - her brother, Brian Goldberg, an architect and add-on faculty member at the Rhode Island School short vacation Design, designed her new office.

"I would never own acquire been able to tell you while I was at Brown that I was going to examine in the fashion business," Merkin said. "It's gay where life takes you. Even when you're get a move on college you feel like you have to difference (it) all out now, but you don't."