Melody Rains of Express Denim
BY BRIANNA COOK
All through her sophomore yr of faculty, Oklahoma local Melody Rains seized the chance to spend a semester in Italy. As a studious 19 yr outdated in pursuit of her pre-med stage, Melody by no means anticipated that 4 months in a foreign country would exchange her lifestyles so vastly. Alternatively, strolling the streets of Milan on a daily basis, she discovered herself enchanted via the design, artwork, and tradition on each nook. Melody quickly discovered that her purpose of turning into a health care provider was once now not in step with her passions. Upon returning house, she modified her primary to Model Design and hasn’t ever appeared again.
These days, Melody is right here to stroll us thru her adventure from pre-med primary to Design Director for Express, a multi-million greenback logo. She has labored for a number of giant names within the industry since launching her profession (Liz Claiborne, DKNY, Nautica), and her love of a problem has result in promotion after promotion and hard earned admire from her trade friends. Melody’s trust in a cast paintings ethic and a team-focused method were the cornerstones of her luck, and we’re utterly charmed via her recommendation to herself at 23—“If I tried to tweak it, I’d probably screw it up for her. She figured it out ok.”
Complete Identify: Melody Rains
Age: 36
Present Name/Corporate: Design Director, Express Denim and Informal
Instructional Background: Bachelor’s stage in Model Design from Oklahoma State College, minor in French
What was once your first activity after faculty, and the way did you land it?
My faculty had an internship program for credit score, and I carried out for a place throughout the Liz Claiborne, Inc. human sources division. As a result of they have been this kind of massive corporate with an enormous selection of manufacturers, I assumed that might give me a superb opportunity to get my foot within the door. Additionally, they introduced paid internships, which was once essential to me since I used to be striking myself thru faculty and did not have the sources to transport to New York with none cash to toughen myself. I used to be introduced an internship there throughout my junior yr of faculty and met some glorious individuals who taught me so much and in the end introduced me a role after commencement. I truly consider entering an organization and appearing them my paintings ethic and attempting to be informed and give a contribution up to imaginable throughout that point was once the rationale I were given employed straight away when I graduated. It was once like a 3 month lengthy audition, and in addition a possibility for me, as a sheltered younger woman from Oklahoma, to truly see if this location and profession trail have been proper for me.
All through faculty you made a big stage exchange, from pre-med Biology to Model Design. Let us know about that transition. What motivated you to modify profession paths?
I had at all times beloved artwork, drawing, and portray all over my lifestyles. I did not truly ever consider model as a possible profession trail just because I used to be by no means uncovered to it earlier than I went to university. I assumed that I’d turn into a health care provider and that might permit me to have keep an eye on over my lifestyles and turn into financially protected as a girl, so I launched into a pre-med stage at OSU. All through my sophomore yr in faculty, I spent a semester in Italy which utterly modified my standpoint on lifestyles. I noticed I sought after to go back and forth, be inventive, and do one thing thrilling that I felt enthusiastic about. I met some humans within the model trade throughout that point, and unexpectedly, it simply clicked for me. This was once a approach to marry my creative beliefs with an actual profession trail that I’d revel in and with a bit of luck, earn money.
As somebody creating a drastic profession exchange, how did you land your first internship within the model trade?
My faculty helped the craze design scholars via offering an inventory of corporations that introduced internships in more than a few towns across the nation. New York was once the one position I’d have regarded as, so then it was once an issue of getting somebody to take a possibility on me with out if truth be told being positioned there but. I despatched out heaps of resumes—snail mail, of route, this was once within the nineties earlier than on-line portfolios and LinkedIn, and so forth—and I cold-called human sources departments. A couple of corporations achieve out to me, so I scheduled a week-long commute to NYC to interview with my portfolio, and by chance, I used to be employed.
Has artwork and design at all times been a keenness of yours?
Sure, my mother has watercolors that I painted at age 8, and there are piles of pencil, ink, and guache illustrations lurking round from my formative years. The humorous factor is my mom was once a house economics trainer, and he or she taught me to stitch at an overly early age, however I by no means concept that figuring out pattern-making and draping could be one thing I’d use in my profession. I suppose I’m extra like her than I assumed!
As soon as returning to DKNY after designing for Nautica, you temporarily started receiving promotions, in the long run touchdown you the position of VP of Design for ladies’s and Junior’s denim strains. With the exception of your design skill, what traits would you assert have led for your luck in this kind of aggressive trade?
I’ve a powerful paintings ethic, and I am just a little of a perfectionist, so it is truly essential to me to ship on what my activity is, and to head above and past on every occasion imaginable. I additionally assume the rationale I used to be given such a lot accountability all over my profession so temporarily is that I used to be ready to rent nice humans to toughen the logo, and I used to be respectful of their skills and their wishes. I discovered that I used to be a excellent supervisor, which is truly what the activity turns into the upper up you cross. My activity is truly to set the tone and the ideas for the design crew after which give them the chance to precise their creativity and the steering to increase product this is thrilling and in addition salable. I consider in being very inclusive and communicative with my crew. I feel it is tremendous essential to have a gaggle of those who truly gel in combination and whose strengths supplement every different. We spend such a lot time in combination; it must be a favorable enjoy.
You moved from one nice activity to every other, and also you are actually designing the denim and informal ladies’s strains for Express! What components led for your resolution to paintings for Express? What recommendation would you give ladies deciding between two nice alternatives?
After a number of years running for wholesale manufacturers, I used to be truly involved in doing one thing that was once nearer to the client, with a extra direct line between what I am designing and who’s if truth be told purchasing and dressed in it. When Express approached me concerning the alternative right here, I assumed hard and long about it. I truly grew up as a clothier at DKNY Denims, and I had employed my whole crew there. I used to be emotionally connected to them and to the logo, alternatively the danger to be informed one thing utterly other was once very engaging to me. I used to be additionally attending to the purpose the place I want to problem myself and get away of my convenience zone to peer if I may just be triumphant at every other logo the way in which I had succeeded at my earlier place.
The recommendation I’d give somebody seeking to decide like this is to in truth weigh the professionals and cons of every position. Take into consideration the place you need your lifestyles to be in 365 days, in 5 years, and which activity you spot taking you there. Then consider if you are going to be proud and satisfied to visit paintings there, design that product, and inform your family and friends about it.
As a clothier, you might be accountable for being on most sensible of key tendencies and conscious of buyer comments. What demanding situations include those duties, and the way have you ever conquer them?
Being on most sensible of tendencies is the thrill section. It feels truly nice to unexpectedly have an intuition or intestine feeling about one thing and feature it develop into a larger concept within the mainstream market. I additionally go back and forth a excellent deal for development analysis. I am going to Europe, Asia, and the west coast every yr to scout new concepts. This is in point of fact one of the most efficient portions of the activity for me.
The nice, and in addition humbling factor about running for a store like Express is that it is vitally evident when a buyer loves your designs or hates them. The corporate is so devoted to being attentive to its shoppers and having the designers and traders speak about promoting in combination every week and talk over with retail outlets to talk without delay to our mates and shoppers that we’re continuously honing and focusing to be higher at offering what she desires. We HAVE to hear her to be triumphant.
The place do you in finding inspiration in your designs?
For my part I in finding inspiration thru such a lot of sources. Boulevard taste blogs, artwork shows, a stroll thru a fab community for people-watching…..I additionally assume some of it’s only intuition. You simply get a sense every now and then a couple of form or a method no longer feeling “right” anymore and it forces you to assume of inventive possible choices. Occasionally the latest outfit concepts pop out of merely being bored of dressed in the similar issues the similar manner.
Stroll us thru an ordinary workday or week.
Conventional workday for me would almost certainly come with a number of conferences to hook up with my service provider and manufacturing companions, aligning on types, and methods for the season. I’d even have a couple of fittings on my calendar, to check samples at the type and tweak the measurements. Relying at the time of season, I is also doing anything else from approving sketches, opting for colours and materials, outfitting mannequins for a presentation, or touring in a foreign country for development inspiration to Asia or Europe. A large section of my activity comes to go back and forth (visiting factories, researching tendencies in different markets, attending Ecu cloth displays), so I’m typically at the street once or more per 30 days.
What was once an important factor you realized throughout your internships and early on to your profession that set the level in your luck within the trade so far?
Paintings onerous, be respectful of humans at ALL ranges throughout the corporate, pay attention and be told up to you’ll be able to, take a look at anything else they’re going to permit you to take a look at at paintings, and do not be afraid to let your voice be heard.
What recommendation would you give aspiring designers?
Just about similar as above query. Moreover, paintings in your portfolio or your website online very moderately. Very continuously it’s the best factor that may get you within the door somewhere, so it will have to be a mirrored image of your absolute best aesthetic paintings. Finally, you will have to have the ability to speak about your level of view with self belief. If I am hiring a brand new clothier for my crew, I need to pay attention what and who conjures up them, and notice that they’re enthusiastic about their profession.
Taking into consideration all of your ordinary profession accomplishments, what profession targets are you continue to striving to reach?
I’ve targets I’m seeking to hit inside my present place, in phrases of rising the industry and hitting positive numbers, and I’ve extra private targets that observe to me as a design chief and crew supervisor, together with seeking to construct self belief and assist my whole crew understand their complete possible. I additionally would really like to peer Express denim on each cool younger woman within the nation! We’ve truly nice materials and are compatible, and I would like everyone to understand it.
What recommendation would you give your 23-year-old self?
I am not certain I’d inform her to do anything else other. I am beautiful pleased with how my profession has grew to become out thus far, and if I attempted to tweak it, I would almost certainly screw it up for her. She figured it out ok. I would possibly simply inform her to benefit from the boundless power and wrinkle loose pores and skin of being to your twenties as it indisputably will get more difficult to handle it as you grow older!
