Role Call | Alison Bergen, Vice President of Merchandising

There are few sectors of the economy that offer as wide and interesting a range of career opportunities as fashion. Role Call highlights some of the industry’s most interesting jobs and the talented people who do them. For more information about fashion industry roles like this and others, visit BoF Careers.

NEW YORK, United States — Alison Bergen is the vice president of merchandising at Diane von Furstenberg. A graduate of Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, Bergen began her career as a corporate credit sales associate for the Lehman Brothers. Her first foray into the field was at Club Monaco in 2008, through a merchandising internship she took on during her studies. Upon graduation in 2009, she joined Milly as manager of e-commerce and retail development. Bergen joined DVF in 2011 as e-commerce director of merchandising, where she was responsible for buying and merchandising across both the US and European websites. In 2013, she was promoted to director, before being promoted to vice president of merchandising later that year.

BoF: Please describe your current role.

I am the vice president of merchandising at Diane von Furstenberg. We provide design with an architecture for the product lines — think of it like the blue print for a house. We expand upon their vision and guide it into financial opportunities by category, occasion, price point and so on. It is the responsibility of my team to ensure the collection will drive the sales volume needed to hit the company’s financial targets. We know the needs of all of our businesses and use that knowledge to help create a collection that keeps the current DVF customer coming back, while reaching the next generation of DVF shoppers.

BoF: What attracted you to the role?

I love the intersection of data-driven decision making with creativity and innovation. Believe it or not, my first job was on the credit trading floor at Lehman brothers so it has been quite a path to get here. I have always loved fashion but my role now strikes the perfect balance of right and left brain thinking.

Passion is critical at work, but don't get emotional.

BoF: What is the most exciting project or initiative you have worked on?

The LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) exhibition celebrating the 40 anniversary of the DVF wrap dress was an incredible experience. It was an amazing chance to reflect on the heritage of the brand and consider how to reinvigorate our core. I got to partner with Diane and our brilliant new artistic director, Michael Herz, on everything from product concept, to marketing, to in-store presentation. It was really satisfying because it was fun, financially successful and something that touched every part of the organisation, requiring well-choreographed execution at all stops.

BoF: How is your role changing? What are the forces driving this change?

The role has changed to become more strategic as I have advanced in my career. Currently, the main point of conversation is finding the right balance between a design-driven and merchant-driven process, which a lot of companies debate. As the company pushes through financial barriers and enters a new phase of growth, we need to figure out the right processes to get us there.

BoF: Tell us about a time you failed and how you learned from it.

There was an executive meeting where I failed to keep my emotions under control. I let my frustrations show when I didn't feel like the decision maker in the room was making the right call. I realised I was part of the problem — no one could even hear me or my argument because it was muddled by emotion. It was a total failure of communication and still drives me nuts just thinking about it, but I learned a lot and was humbled by the experience. Someone very wise once told me that you have to remember to separate passion from emotion. Passion is critical at work — but don’t get emotional.

BoF: What advice do you have for people who are interested in doing what you do?

My best advice would be that what makes you insecure or different from the typical candidate might end up being your biggest asset. Focus on meeting the right decision makers, on making personal connections and on building those relationships. Hiring managers often forget their "spec " and become more open-minded when they put a face to the resume. Don't waste too much time just sending your resume into space.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

For more information about fashion industry roles like this and others, visit BoF Careers.