Masks: The Greatest Fashion Accessory Right Now

These days, scrolling through Instagram feeds show endless ads for companies selling face masks. It’s as if overnight, the face mask has become the new hottest fashion accessory.  It's no surprise that the protective face coverings we've been advised (and in some cases, ordered) to wear outdoors to curb the spread of coronavirus, have quickly been embraced and beautified by the fashion world. Celebrities, social media influencers, and fashion designers have been instrumental in driving product demand. Across the world, designers and retailers are enthused by the emergency existent in this space and they are making the pivot. Many are donating as many as they sell or a portion of the profits. It is estimated that the global fashion face mask market size is expected to reach USD 2.38 billion by 2027. That is a whole lot of revenue for this newest accessory that the fashion industry is jumping on.

For the consumer, face masks may still feel like an unusual addition to our daily routines because of the way they conceal the parts of ourselves that are normally exposed, but that doesn't mean our identities have to be hidden too. The cloth face mask has become a chance to make a fashion statement without compromising on personal style. Face masks have become fashion accessories, even statement pieces … it’s an entirely new form of self-expression! If people feel good about how they look in a face mask, we hope that they will be more likely to wear one. And that maybe, a dose of good design will bring people some happiness during this difficult time.

Looking for fashionable face masks to match your style? Check out these brands below that offer eye-catching and stylish face masks for all occasions.

The Little Project ( gorgeous matching scarf/mask duo as seen in above)

Mizzen+Main - Great men’s performance fabric and style-driven masks.

Mizzen+ Main

TWILLORY

Buttercloth

Rothys

The Real Real

Alice & Olivia

Nisolo

Stay safe in style with these fashionable mask options from some of our fashion clients.

To learn more about the clients Emerging Blue supports in the fashion industry click here.

We're Hiring! Sr. Designer Color & Materials: Footwear

Sr. Designer Job

W’e’re hiring a Sr. Designer of Color & Materials for a streetwear brand.

To learn more and apply, click here.

Talent Spotlight - Shannan Johnson

Meet Shannan, a born leader with knockout design skills who for the past 25 years has worked as an art director. She has creatively led teams at Pier 1 Imports, Neiman Marcus, The Bombay Company, JCPenney, The Container Store and Wisteria. Shannan excels in directing photoshoots, challenging teams to exceed expectations, concepting alone or with a team, as well as creating and executing on big ideas. She is a big believer that understanding the overall plan means fewer miss-steps that can cost the company a fortune. Not only is Shannan a highly organized and detail-oriented designer who handles stressful situations with ease, but also delivers consistently on client business strategy and marketing objectives.

What is Shannan’s secret sauce? She is a team player and leader who was born to create. Through her inspirational leadership, her team takes a vision and makes it even better to create winning marketing campaigns.

Shannan’s next move? Joining a retail team where she can let her passion and design leadership skills shine. If you’re looking for a collaborative art or creative director in the Dallas area or remotely, then Shannan is the leader you need. Connect with her here or at EMERGING BLUE.

Beauty Sites We Love: Wellness Tips To Consider Before Your Next Interview

Video Interview Beauty & Wellness

If you’re stressed out by your job search, it’s helpful to keep your personal wellness in mind. Keeping your skin healthy at home and creating a positive routine will help to alleviate stress during these uncertain times.

Combating wrinkles hardly seems important now given the global pandemic, but if you want to look your best for a Zoom interview, we love the following articles that offer tips to keep your skin glowing. 

1. Refinery29

2. Glamour

3. InStyle

4. NY Times Magazine

Click for more Tips about Interview Prep.

We’re Hiring: Footwear Design Director

Footwear Design Director

We’re hiring a Footwear Design Director for a great luxe streetwear brand. Interested? Learn more and apply here.

Talent Spotlight - Steve McMahon

Meet Steve McMahon: a merchandising leader with over 20 years’ experience working with performance brands such as Adidas, Nike, Under Armour, Skull Candy, Merrell and Black Diamond. Steve has created and maintained optimized product assortments and business models which lead brands toward success.

Steve is passionate about merchandising, driving products in apparel and footwear, and takes pride in having an innovation and white-space exploration mindset. Steve is consumer focused with the ability to manage cross-functional teams to create, inspire and lead them to reach their goals.

Steve lives by a team-first mentality; to work across teams, create harmony, show commitment to each person, and be fully dedicated to their success. He describes himself as a family man, and he ensures that his team knows that he spends as much attention on his work family as his home family.

For his next role, Steve is looking for a company where he can establish a unique selling position and work directly with products to drive business. If you are looking for a merchandise leader in Utah or Oregon, then Steve is the talent you need!

Connect with him here or Emerging Blue

Denim Designer - NYC Fashion Job

Fashion Staffing NYC.

We’re hiring a Denim Designer in NYC for one of our fashion brand clients. For more info and to apply, click here.

WFH and Video Interviewing Fashion Trends You Don’t Want To Miss

Video Interview and WFH Fashion Trends.

WFH and video interviews during Covid-19 is where it’s at for the foreseeable future.

If you’re looking for inspiration on what to wear?  Check out @wfhfits, our daily dose of hipster outfits for WFH trends, or video job interview options. Some of the outfits are hilarious and some are spot on.

If you’re looking to nail your outfit for those Zoom calls or a job interview, be sure to check out our amazing client Mizzen + Main, who’s products take a nod from the athleisure industry - but are styled for any occasion.

For those luxury fashion pieces to complete your look, consider consigning clothing, and participating in a circular economy with our client TheRealReal. Did you know that for every one item consigned, one-third of that item is not produced anew?

No matter where you search,we know that finding the perfect outfit sometimes leads to the perfect job!

For more helpful tidbits about video interview prep, check out our Tips.

EB 360: Fashion, Home, & Beauty Staffing & HR

“The EB 360 Service from Emerging Blue has been a perfect fit for our team and business. The EB team took the time to understand our brand and our culture, which led to a more effective recommendation of candidates. They were timely, resourceful, open to feedback, and followed through on commitments. Given the size of our business and speed by which we are growing, the EB 360 Service through Emerging Blue has been an incredible addition to our team.”

— Chris Phillips, CEO, Mizzen+Main

EB 360 is Emerging Blue’s staffing and HR consulting service for Fashion, Home, & Beauty brands.

Talent Spotlight - Erin Hogue

Meet Erin Hogue – a merchandising leader with more than 20 years’ of experience working with brands like JCPenney and The Container Store. She loves the art of shopping, the trend and working to create something beautiful. Erin has spent the last 16 years at The Container Store where she developed new products from concept through creation. In fact, it is her expertise that propelled The Container Store to dominate the closet market where she was able to boost revenue from 60 to 300 million. Her latest role was VP of Merchandising which is her strong suit since she loves the strategy side of the business.

Erin's many top skills include excellent communication, cross-functional team leadership, project management, passionate problem solving, and motivating others to success. In addition, Erin is fantastic with global supply chain management, financial analysis, negotiation, product development, strategic thinking, product and assortment management, continuous process improvement, brand partnerships and positioning, patent strategy, and vendor relationships.

What’s next in store for Erin? She is open to different avenues, but would love to be a VP of Merchandising or Product Development. If you’re interested in Erin leading your team, reach out to Erin here or reach out to us at www.emergingblue.com

Paris Fashion Week Continues Forward

Click on the link below to see how fashion designers are participating in the first ever fully digital Paris Fashion Week.

https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/paris-fashion-week-tries-a-digital-format-just-this-once

Happy 4th of July!

5 Sites to Brush Up Your Skills.... for free!

Amidst the global pandemic, many distance learning organizations, educational websites and apps are offering free access to some, or all, of their courses, allowing you to brush up on your skills and learn some new ones!

Photoshop

Business, Data Science, and Language

UI/UX, Web Development, and More

Cultural & Educational Programs

Language Skills

Emerging Blue fills jobs in the fashion, home, and beauty industries. Contact us to learn more.

Talent Spotlight - Haley Kilar

Meet Haley Kilar – an event management expert who is very creative, strategy driven, and loves to bring together talent, entertainment, and events to create elaborate yet fun experiences. At ENCORE LIVE she assisted putting on concerts and corporate conferences, rewards trips, political events, and extravagant birthday parties.

Haley is a great motivator, describes herself as a leader, helps teams and employees grow through dynamic action plans. She also is a great problem solver where she can come up with solutions on the fly.

What is Haley looking for in her next gig? She would love to be in a creative industry as a client liaison where she can develop relationships with clients, and help them with their internal growth. Haley loves large, established companies where she can bring her creative background to help drive employee engagement.

Want Haley to join your creative team as a director or employee experience coordinator? Then connect with her here or at Emerging Blue.

Wishing you all a Happy Pride!

Pop-Up Shops - A New Retail Reality

Emerging Blue, Pop-Up Shop Staffing

Opening a pop-up shop right now is a great idea and here’s why.

As we emerge from lockdown, people have been missing the ability to touch and feel product and to interact with brands in-person.  This is where pop-up shops come in.  They provide an opportunity to craft a shop that allows for safe shopping and social distancing.  Let’s face it, these are our two realities right now.

Given months of shutdown, we find that stores have excess inventory, and many have locations that have limited in-store shopping ability.   Opening a Pop-Up shop would bring products to the consumer in a way that fits the new retail reality.

With the pandemic creating an economic whirlwind, and with many retail storefront vacancies to choose from, it is an opportune time to have a brick-and-mortar, short-term presence.   Whether an outdoor shopping center, a kiosk, or a free-standing boutique, companies are likely to find a perfect fit for a pop-up location. We recommend checking out Storefront for a list of incredible retail locations.

Planning a safe and successful pop-up includes hiring and training a staff that is sensitive to both. Our team has been working with independently owned retailers and national brands to launch pop-ups this summer. We are actively supporting our clients with in-depth staff training on safe customer interactions for each pop-up.  

Sure, this new retail reality has been tricky, but having a plan, training the team, and doing it right is the key to pop-up shop success.  Now is the time to start planning.  

*Emerging Blue, supports retail clients across the US by sourcing, hiring, and training staff who are a match for each brand while handling all payroll and human resource processes. To engage our team to staff your pop-up reach out here or at info@emergingblue.com.