VUE

What you really need is a stylist, not someone who is going to escort you around the mall or a computer system inspired by Cher Horowitz's closet. You need someone like Worth. Emerging almost 30 years ago as a direct-to-consumer clothing brand, the company now has two lines—Worth New York and W by Worth—in which they design, produce and sell all their own inventory exclusively through their network of hands-on stylists. In essence, they are cutting out the middleman, allowing them to develop personal relationships with customers and giving them access to the most luxurious, high-quality products out there. Worth was founded in 1991 by Jay Rosenberg and Caroline Davis on the principle of selling clothing and accessories in a personal, in-home setting. ink Avon, minus the makeup. But the two didn't set out to necessarily create a fashion company. Worth was intended as a platform for women to earn extra income not as sales reps, but as "stylists." e now President of Worth, Kelly Collins, first came onto the team as a stylist herself, and has since worked her way up the company ranks. "I started in this business when I was 26 years old while I was working in the insurance and marketing world. On the side, I was always dabbling in fashion to a point where I attended a trunk show with my mom. I became a Worth stylist and it really morphed into a passion for empowering women to look and be their best selves," Collins told me. "What we're looking for is a woman who has a love for fashion, or she may not even know yet that she does. For me, it's more about the woman who is looking for an entrepreneurial opportunity, and that opportunity just happens to be selling beautiful, luxury fashion. It's less about her pedigree and what design school she came from. So many women, myself included, came from banking, insurance or V U E N J . C O M 37

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