Claudine Covolo
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Driven to help emerging brands avoid the common pitfalls and achieve exponential growth, Claudine Covolo is a business development executive with over 20 years of experience in the fashion industry. As one of six children, Claudine grew up with humble beginnings in Seattle, Washington working multiple jobs while simultaneously going to school. When she was just 18, she began her career in fashion at Nordstrom in the contemporary and designer departments.
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As an employer, Nordstrom emphasized education and training for their sales staff and this early exposure to all aspects of product development was the foundational knowledge and spark that Claudine built her entire career upon. Learning the inspiration and detailed manufacturing stories behind each piece of clothing allowed Claudine to bring brands to life for her customers and fueled her growth on the Nordstrom regional and national buying teams where she grew into managing an $80 million buying responsibility.
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After 14 years with Nordstrom, Claudine started both a consulting business and a family. Trina Turk, one of the brands she successfully and consistently retailed for years at Nordstrom, jumped at the chance to continue working with her and brought her on to run their national sales teams. With her retail knowledge, Claudine brought a unique perspective to the Trina Turk brand where she grew and oversaw what eventually became a $40 million wholesale business; launched a new dress division with $2million in sales the first year and $5million the next; and hired and led a high-functioning national sales team. Along with establishing financially rigorous systems and procedures, Claudine’s genuine authenticity and compassion for her colleagues made her a successful team leader.
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The environment at Trina Turk embodied a deep commitment to customer service, professionalism, and kindness—values Claudine carries with her from her decade long tenure there. Her emphasis on fostering strong relationships with customers and employees was instrumental to the successful openings of Trina Turk’s New York, Atlanta, and Dallas showrooms. Working closely with the founder/designer, the board of directors, production, licensing and various other departments, Claudine gained valuable insight into all aspects of the business and an understanding of what truly goes into developing, producing, and launching a successful line season after season. This invaluable experience continues to inform her work as a Brand and Sales Consultant in the fashion industry today.
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As a Consultant, Claudine helps designers and emerging brands create the best merchandised assortment and builds the processes, workflows, and relationships needed to catapult their business forward.
