Always In Fashion: From Clerk to CEO -- Lessons for Success in Business and in Life

by Weber, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780071849395
• ISBN10: 0071849394
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-01-06
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education

Summary

An exclusive guided tour of the fashion industry--from the inside up

Mark Weber is the ultimate fashion insider. Starting his career as a clerk in a clothing store, he worked his way up to the "big time" in New York City, becoming CEO of Phillips-VanHeusen (PVH)/Calvin Klein and then CEO of LVMH Inc. (USA) (Louis Vuitton/ Moet Hennessy) and Chairman and CEO of Donna Karan International.

In Always in Fashion, Weber walks us through his fascinating career, providing an inspirational and instructional story of his rise to the top, his career disappointments, and his incredible journey back to the top of the fashion industry. Weber shares his insights and thoughts on how to:

• BEGIN A FUTURE
• SELECT A CAREER PATH
• PREPARE FOR INTERVIEWS
• STAND OUT FROM YOUR COWORKERS
• FIND WAYS TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION ON MANAGEMENT
• DETERMINE YOUR BEST SKILLS AND FOLLOW THAT COURSE
• DRESS FOR SUCCESS--AND HOW NOT TO
• NEVER GIVE UP

In addition to his keen business insights, Mark Weber reveals a wealth of insights and mind-opening anecdotes from inside fashion, but which apply to any consumer product industry. He talks about his career-changing interactions with boards of directors and famous designers, and he illustrates mistakes, disappointments, key insights and, most importantly, how he picked himself up when things were down and successfully repositioned himself to build an even brighter career.

Part memoir, part career guide--and a gripping read every step of the way--Always in Fashion is a must-read for anyone with a passion, a talent, and a dream.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Work Is Work If It’s Work
ACT I: In the Beginning
1 I Wasn’t Supposed to Have This Career
2 I’ll Take Luck Wherever I Can Find It
3 What a Difference a Day Makes
4 Youth Is Wasted on the Young
5 The Godfather
6 Ask Not What Your Company Can Do for You
7 Climbing the Ladder
8 Once in My Life I Was Brilliant
9 Life in the Fast Lane
10 The Solid Gold Rolex
11 Pearls of Wisdom
12 You Can’t Always Get What You Want
13 One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
14 Packaging Yourself Is as Important as Packaging Your Products
15 Maybe Twice in My Career I Was Brilliant
16 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
17 Negotiating with the Master
18 Run Away!
19 Who’s That Weirdo?
20 We Liked Everything We Saw but Nothing We Heard
21 My Friend Gene
22 The Termination
INTERMISSION The Search
23 It’s Not How Far You Fall; It’s How High You Bounce Back
24 The Headline That Changed My Life
25 “I Think You’d Be Great for Dior”
26 The Media Barrage
ACT II: The Best Is Yet to Come
27 From Madison Avenue to Paris
28 I Like to Think My Gray Hair Brings Wisdom
29 Licensing Is a Double-Edged Sword
30 My Favorite Word Is “No”
31 Working with Celebrities
ACT III: Weber’s World
32 We Are in the Want Business
33 It’s All About Fashion
34 On a Scale of 1 to 10 …
35 The World Series Versus the World Cup
36 Indefensible
37 Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover
38 Mentoring Talent
39 Don’t Forget to Thank People Who Help You
40 It Pays to Have Friends
41 My Friend Bill
42 The View of the Eiffel Tower
43 Just in Case You Weren’t Paying Attention …
My Job Hierarchy
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author