While fashion itself seems to be in a slumber (how many brick and mortar retail stores can they really close?!), one brand is out there KILLING IT! You may have run across some articles about millennials’ love affair with Gucci. Being a wannabe millennial myself (I swear I was born in the wrong decade!), I can totally see why. I just read this article over on Fast Company about the company’s vision and culture. Now I’m even more impressed! I love how Gucci’s head honcho, Marco Bizzarri, works with his creative director in taking risks. Sure they’re over-the-top but that’s what makes them unique!
Here are some of my favorite excerpts:
“Gucci, you may have noticed, is blowing up.”
“In January 2015, Gucci appointed a new CEO, Marco Bizzarri, who had previously led Stella McCartney and Bottega Veneta. Bizzarri immediately brought on a new creative director, Alessandro Michele, who earned his design chops apprenticing under Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi, and is known for his eccentric maximalist taste. In three short years, the pair have transformed Gucci into an exciting, modern brand that has won over the under-35 set–an achievement that recently earned the company a place on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies in 2018.”
“Bizzarri approached the 96-year-old fashion house with a critical eye. When he joined the company, the brand’s enormous double G logo seemed like a status symbol of a bygone era; Gucci bags and belts languished in dark corners of people’s closets. ‘The company was really losing speed and was a little bit dusty,” Bizzarri says. “There was too much emphasis on heritage. I wanted to move the company to be more inclusive, more joyful, full of more energy.’”
“At luxury fashion houses, especially, there is a great deal of pressure to protect the brand’s image and heritage. Bizzarri’s message to his employees was to relax. “This creates a shift in people’s minds,” he explains. ‘If you don’t take the work too seriously, you can experiment with things that people are not expecting. On the other hand, by taking it too seriously, you tend to replicate things you have already done, trying to be safe rather than innovative.’”
“I wanted to have a company culture to be one where emotion and creativity were at the front and business followed,” Bizzarri says. “A place where creativity is foster by joy, by happiness. This is a perspective that I shared with Alessandro.”
“If people enter our shop, they enter our house and we need to be hosts to them,” Bizzarri says. “Changing people’s mentalities and behavior, that is the most difficult thing to do. The approach should be welcoming and smiling in a genuine way that is not forced, because this is the way to be inclusive in the end.”
“Our approach, both in terms of product and visual campaigns, is to do something that is unique,” he says. “The point is that if you are able to spontaneously and genuinely talk to millennials in a way that they can see really comes from the heart, you are talking their language.”
“These social media gambits are timely and speak directly to millennials, but Bizzarri wants to make sure that the driving force behind everything that Gucci does is about being authentic, creative, and inclusive, because this is what will allow the brand to stand the test of time.”
“This genuine passion is something that can keep us ahead of the competition,” Bizzarri says. “I’ve read many things about millennials these days saying they are not loyal and switch from one brand to the text. This may be true, but it doesn’t apply to us.”
Bizzarri is a genius!
– I’ve always suffered from acne. In high school it was bad, I would have these massive volcano eruptions on my face and as I got older there would be little bumps everywhere. I went to the dermatologist and he recommended 
– On my search for the perfect, most comfortable legging, all signs pointed to LuLaRoe. Being an introvert, I decided I would never go to one of their parties to buy their leggings so I hopped onto eBay and bought their leggings…for more than retail! To me, it was worth it, though. No uncomfortable chit chat. Then, I discovered VIV Collection leggings. Like LuLaRoe they have some God awful patterns so I stick to just black but I can attest to the fact that they’re buttery soft like LuLaRoe and they’re hella cheap at $12.99. 
– If you’re looking for the perfect laptop bag for your boyfriend or husband, check this one out. It has tons of places for cords and it’s big enough to fit a 17 inch MacBook Pro. I like the little details like how there’s faux fur lining in the laptop compartment so it protects the computer. Sam used to carry around a beat up North Face bag, this one is much sleeker and he really loves the minimalist design.
– This steamer completely changed the way I take care of my clothes. I used to be an “ironing” girl, but after I found this steamer, I can take out all the wrinkles in my favorite shirts in a quick few minutes. This is great for those of you who’ve purchased 
– Again, I’m a big fan of confetti so when I saw these earrings, I knew I had to have them. They’re the perfect size, not too big or too small and they liven up any outfit. They’re a bit bigger than your average studs. They’re more like a statement piece.
– For Christmas this year, my two boys got their own Apple iPad minis. We try to limit screen time since they’re semi-addicted to the game Minecraft. It’s amazing what they can build, though! Sometimes our whole family jumps on and we “virtually” say “hi” to each other. I like how this iPad is small enough for the boys to carry around, our old ones, that we passed down to them were too bulky and slow.
– Simon Sinek’s book, Start With Why, really made me think about why I wanted to start Skylar Yoo. What was my purpose? If you’re starting your own business, this is a great book to read. 
: This short story gives you some heartfelt lessons on business and life in general. It outlines five laws for stratospheric success. I love the concept of giving without asking for anything in return. Here’s a good quote: “Watch out for the other guy. Watch out for his interests. Watch his back. Forget about fifty-fifty, son. Fifty-fifty’s a losing proposition. The only winning proposition is one hundred percent. Make your win about the other person, go after what he wants. Forget win-win – focus on the other person’s win.”
– Lately, I’ve been waking up early to journal. It’s a great, refreshing way to start the day (or end it). There’s tons of notebooks out there but this one spoke to me because it’s timeless, it’s not too bulky or too thin, and it has this handy pen loop so you’ll never lose your pen again. I’ll still collect my notebooks, but for my journals, I think I’ll stick to this one.
: This is by far the best pen I’ve ever used. It’s just so smooth and the the way it grips makes it feel so natural. I want 1000 of these. Speaking of pens, I use 
this black one for my journaling. Love it, too.
: Now that I’m past 40, I need me some eye cream. I checked Amazon and this one was far and away the best seller. Tried it on and loved it! It feels gel-like at first but then quickly absorbs into the skin. I used to suffer from dryness around my eyes but that’s all been cured. 
– This is kind of an older book (2005) but it still has a lot of valuable life lessons. Maxwell is a pastor so there are some references to God but overall you can learn a lot of what you can do today to be successful tomorrow. He includes a ton of quotes in this book so if that’s your jam, you’re going to love this. He narrows down the areas for critical success to 12 or what he calls the “”Daily Dozen.” This includes having a positive attitude, sticking to priorities and investing in good relationships. Solid.
