Happy Almost Fashion Week!
For today’s Black History Month Living Legends Series, i am going behind the scenes with Luxury Retail Consultant June Haynes.
Her name might not be familiar to you, but the Guyanese American has had a robust career in the fashion industry for over 27 years, working as Director of Stores for Dolce & Gabbana’s for 8 years, and serving as Valentino’s Senior Vice President of Retail for 10 years. She opened her own consulting firm, June Haynes Luxury Retailing, in 2013.
June began her fashion industry journey early in life, working at her mother’s clothing boutique in her hometown of Guyana, South America. She said, “That was where my internship began. My role and responsibility was packaging everything the customer would buy. One of the things that I realized and recognized was a lot of her clients would keep coming back. They felt the environment was a social gathering. These women would come and meet and purchase, but have a fun time while they were doing it. And that was intriguing to me, the social aspect. So when I arrived in America, growing up in the industry, I knew right away that I wanted to be in the fashion industry, and I continued on that journey.”
Her interests landed her at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she eventually majored in fashion merchandising. She says, “I was really intrigued by the selections that would go into a store, the process of how it was done, and really understanding the business side of it.” From there, she interned at Bloomingdales in the buying and purchasing department, then scored her first job at Kenzo as a salesperson, catering to high profile clientele like Jackie Onassis. She explains,”I worked with her frequently, making her selections for Kenzo. I quickly was promoted and became a manager.” She then moved on to Barney’s New York, where she opened their Madison Avenue store, and became a manager, overseeing brands like Comme des Garcons, Azzedine Alaia, Donna Karan, Dries Van Noten, and Dolce & Gabbana. It is there that she fortuitously met Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana, and set her career on a different course.
The Milanese duo were looking for a qualified candidate to manage and open their first US flagship on Madison Avenue, and interviewed and hired Haynes to fill the position. She went on to work for Dolce & Gabbana for 8 years. She says, “By the time I left, I was Director of Stores and had opened about 4 Dolce & Gabbana stores.” With the industry well aware of her expertise, June was then plucked by Valentino’s CEO to transform the brand from just red carpet gowns to more of a global and lifestyle line. During her 10 year tenure with Valentino, she opened 9 stores and was eventually promoted to the Senior Vice President of Retail. In 2013, she opened June Haynes Luxury Retailing, her own luxury consulting firm.
Her advice for breaking into the industry? “Stay focused and learn as much as you possibly can with regards to the industry, so you become valuable. Really master your craft. Realize that sometimes it’s going to take a while. I’ve been doing this for over 27 years. It was really about climbing the ladder. I’ve been everything from a stock person to a salesperson to a Vice President and a Senior Vice President. It’s about understanding the chain of the command, and paying your dues.”
She continues, “When you really want to achieve goals, you have to think about the strategy. If you were to do a line up consultants, designers, managers, or whatever industry you want to break into and asked someone to pick one person, you always have to think: what can I do to really stand out in a crowd?'”
She says, ” It’s also [about], how you live your life. When you’re not here or when somebody thinks about you or gives a reference about you, what are those key words that you want people to use? And whatever words you come up with, that’s how you live your life. You have to stay consistent with that. In this day and age, there’s competition in every field. How you set yourself apart from others is what’s gonna make the difference.”
In closing, Haynes offers, “Everyday I wake up, I try to inspire somebody, someway, somehow. From even just putting a smile on someone’s face walking down the street or giving advice on fashion, mentoring kids, or spending time in the orphanage in Africa with kids who are HIV positive.”
” We, as humans that are privileged, should help others. If you don’t give, you don’t get. To me, it’s always about every single day, thinking about when I wake up, how am I going to make a difference today in inspiring somebody.” Well, I’m inspired!
Learn more about June Haynes at JuneHaynesLuxuryRetailing.com and follow her on Twitter @JuneHaynes.
What did you think of this Breaking into Fashion interview?
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