Career Profile: Cynthia Rowley, Fashion Designer

I walked through a gold door into Cynthia Rowley’s West Village studio on a dreary, rainy weekday. Despite the weather, I slowly moved into a summer state of mind as I browsed through racks of colorful dresses, skirts, bathing suits and wetsuits. Cynthia Rowley walked in a few minutes later with her French Bulldog Ziggy trailing behind her.

Cynthia serendipitously stumbled into fashion design when a local department store buyer discovered her on the train when she was in college. “I studied art and thought I would be a painter, but I always made my own clothes,” she remembers. “I switched to fashion at the Art Institute of Chicago and starting a company right out of school was sort of an organic evolution.” She packed up a U-Haul and moved to New York City to start her company.

“I’ve taken a lot of risks through the years, but I always followed my instincts and always explored new opportunities. The biggest reward has been having an idea and being able to make it a reality,” she says, “My passions always lead the way — travel and adventure, fitness, art and home.” I spoke to Cynthia about her career path and advice.

What advice do you have for other women who hope to start their own businesses?

Do it.

What are your responsibilities as designer and founder of Cynthia Rowley?

First and foremost, I’m responsible for the creative vision and storytelling of the brand. This is the fun part that leads our business strategy. We have a great team and we all work together to push boundaries. This all sounds very high-level, but of course the day-to-day includes every single part of the business, from soup to nuts, designing all products, e-commerce, retail, public relations, wholesale and sales, partnerships, accounts payable and receivable, warehouse logistics and coming up with a clever caption for Instagram.

Where do you draw inspiration from when you are designing a new collection?

People always ask what my inspiration is and it’s never something that’s easily explained. Yes, we’re known for the mix of sporty and pretty, and Vogue coined the phrase “surf-leisure” to describe our collections, but every piece has a multitude of influences. I think it’s important to stay curious and see and experience as much as you can, whether it’s art, performance, music, travel or just hanging out and people-watching.

You’ve collaborated with a wide range of brands including Manhattan Portage, Staples and Birchbox. What do you love about collaborating with other brands?

Doing things outside of the traditional fashion gives me the opportunity to bring a fresh eye to unexpected markets. It has to be organic to what we’re already doing, but it gives us a chance to learn about new categories. Always introducing new ‘surprise’ products helps us tell a broader story and grow our audience.

How has social media changed the business of being a fashion designer and business owner?

Social media has removed the filter of the editorial system in many ways. There’s never been a more exciting way to communicate with your audience and be a part of a creative community. Fashion is a very personal thing and social media gives a voice to millions of individual curators. They are women inspiring women in every part of their lives.

What’s the biggest lesson you learned at work and how did you learn it?

I used to think, “If only this would happen, I’d be set.” I’ve learned through the years that everything you do is cumulative. There’s never one thing that will make or break you. The point is to edit and amplify existing successes while layering on fresh ideas.