Turbocharging Corporate and Creative Energy with DVF CEO Sandra Campos

The Boss School Podcast

In this episode of The Boss School, I talk with CEO Sandra Campos about her habit of “lifelong learning” and how it has both driven her career and contributed to transforming Diane von Furstenberg’s iconic brand.

She shares strategies both personal and practical that have made her a force in the fashion industry both as a corporate executive and entrepreneur. Fearless outreach and insatiable curiosity are cornerstones to Sandra’s success. She never tires of meeting new people and hearing about how others are innovating within her world as well as across other consumer verticals.

Sandra has been at the helm of major brands, including Global Brands Group, where she oversaw Juicy Couture, Bebe and BCBG. Her entrepreneurial ventures include Mobi and Cynosure Holdings-ACH, a celebrity brand management co responsible for launching Selena Gomez’s lifestyle collection.

I’ve always been about innovation and culture and learning about what’s happening and what’s most important with the consumer today … l love white space opportunities. Click To Tweet

As the daughter of immigrants, Sandra grew up in Texas watching her parents’ relentless work ethic and aspiring to contribute equally in her own way – and model the same for her own three children. Her willingness to take on any job dovetailed well with her early career, working in a number of startup and transitional environments where she could wear a variety of hats, from PR to logistics, warehousing to customer service and sourcing.

All of that experience ultimately prepared her to take on DVF, the fashion design legend with a powerful mission to empower women intergenerationally that still resonates 45 years after the signature wrap dress first appeared on the scene.

It’s the art of discovery. It’s discovering new people and discovering what’s going on in the world, who's making noise and which communities are relevant. Click To Tweet

Sandra shares in this episode some of her daily routines and an exhaustive list of media resources that feeds her insatiable hunger for new knowledge. She’s a shameless advocate of leveraging social media to locate inspiration and identify relevant communities (and her rate of success with cold outreach is 99%!).

A week rarely goes by in which Sandra doesn’t attend events or initiate contact with people whom she can learn from or help. Because ultimately you never know where that next transformational idea might show up. Staying grounded, focused, present and engaged with others ensures that Sandra doesn’t miss a thing!

The worst a person can say is “no,” or not respond and then you’ve lost nothing. Click To Tweet

Topics Covered:

Early startup and transitional fashion companies offered Sandra the opportunity to try on lots of hats and get exposure to many facets of the industry.
How DVF evangelizes its “in charge” mantra – nurturing confidence in women and being the CEO of your own life.
New innovation depends in part on being out and about, meeting people, studying influences and media of all kinds to understand consumer products, technology, demographics.
Among DVF’s strategies for engaging and growing: digital messaging aimed at busy women; making bricks-and-mortar shopping virtually more convenient; marketing on-demand online options; sponsoring and participating in events, pop-up spaces and collaborations.
Sandra’s routines (especially exercise) are a stabilizing influence and cultivate a positive energy that resonates among all those around her in the workplace and at home.
Social media burnout is a real thing and can be a time sink that requires constant vigilance.
Use patterns and types of digital media have evolved among younger generations.
Networking never stops being important and Sandra regularly attends events from which she draws new ideas, critical contacts and business opportunities.
The DVF brand is focused on community and nurturing an inter-generational sense of female empowerment, confidence and the ability to get things done.