Today, every brand has an influencer base, but Worth’s superlative highly selective influencer program has the best perks and profits.

In the résumé of the typical influencer, social affluence and business acumen are just two of the nonnegotiable skills to co-create a desirable partnership. But even a mass following won’t open the doors to discounts, commissions, free gifts and a surplus of likes, if one’s personal brand isn’t polished enough for a highly selective vetting process.

Such is the prestige of being one of Worth New York’s chosen ones, the worthy, or better yet their top-tier influencers. As a brand which has been leveraging its stylists and influencer base since 1991, Worth has warranted a personalized approach to shopping – personal style.

Each piece is designed in New York and numbering the latest spring styles are silk blouses, leather zip jackets, twill blazers and plaid pants and more. Worth’s presence is highly anticipated at WWD Style Dimension, where a sampling of the 2019 spring collection of Worth New York and W by Worth will be on feature.

  ]]> Thu, 14 Feb 2019 18:22:41 +0000 /the-most-insta-worthy/ /the-most-insta-worthy/ [email protected] (rlombardo) rlombardo A "Woman of Worth" is entrepreneurial, loves fashion and craves connections to others.

According to the latest consumer survey from the Conference Board, job satisfaction has reached its highest level since 2005. But, it still remains depressingly low: about half of respondents say they are not satisfied with their jobs at all. Half.

Why do so many people dislike their jobs? The reasons vary, and the causes are complex. Some people feel they're not being truly valued. Others are disappointed that their career path has led to a virtual dead end. Demanding bosses, cranky clients, and poor work environments are also burning people out while success remains elusive.

For women in particular, though, the hurdles to success are even greater. Even when women land in their desired field, glass ceilings are real. And in fields where women outnumber men, such as the fashion industry, achieving true success can be grueling and costly – and men still end up taking the top jobs such as CEO, director, and chairman. Moreover, the competition within companies is fierce, and many in the industry sadly note that "fashion eats its young."

But, what if you could work in luxury fashion, on your terms, as your own boss, setting your own schedule while helping other women feel good on the inside as well as on the outside? What if you could turn your love of fashion—regardless of the kind of work you do now—into a career that earns you as much as you want; from $6,000 a season to $200,000 a year (and beyond)?

That's exactly what fashion brands Worth New York and W by Worth are doing for a growing cohort of luxury fashion stylists.

New recruits at Worth quickly learn that being a stylist, hosting trunk shows, and taking appointments from clients is not a typical job. It's a home-based business that requires being adept at certain social skills and leveraging one's creativity while taking a strategic and tactical approach to business. W by Worth and Worth New York, along with its community of stylists, is essentially a platform built upon beautiful apparel that creates an authentic, personal connection between stylists and the client.

Worth Collection President, Kelly Collins, described the role of a stylist as "more than a business opportunity."

"I really consider it an entrepreneurial opportunity for a woman to discover their passion for fashion, and to try something that they have never done before with minimal risk and major upside," Collins explained. "It's also the opportunity that lends itself to a community of women who have the same entrepreneurial spirit and passion for what they do—dressing women to be the best that they are inside and out. Worth is more than being a stylist, it's about what makes the women of Worth, worth it."

The passion Collins noted is key to Worth's vision, which is anchored by luxury apparel that is sophisticated and fashion-forward. The company, founded in 1991 as Worth New York, is compelled by a values-driven ethos. Its mission is to "provide products with visible, intrinsic value through an enduring commitment to style, quality, and service."

When asked about what differentiates Worth and its stylists, the company easily cited 10 reasons, which includes products that feature styles "done in two-color ways with multiple mix and match combinations, so no collection is specifically piece driven." Product quality and consistency is ensured by the design and production teams. "We know who we are and who we are dressing," the company touted.

Other points of differentiation include a philanthropic component where a charity can earn 10 percent from a stylist's travel trunk show.

Stylists can also build an agency with associates, and Worth will pay the associate agency a 20 percent commission on sales—a payout that is one of the highest in the industry.

Other notable differences of the Worth business model are centered on flexibility in selling, which includes being able to sell both brands across two selling seasons. Stylists also have access to the Worth app—a selling tool that has a social media function as well. The company said given the current retail climate, which is focused on e-commerce as well as meeting consumer demands for a higher level of personalization, the app is a complete "game changer."

"With an iPad or iPhone, stylists can sell product with a swipe," the company explained. "Exclusive to Worth Collection, stylists can send closets, assets, looks and also share looks of other stylists to their clients while simultaneously posting these looks on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media platforms."

But, the secret sauce to Worth's success is the culture, which the company described as one that "cultivates a corporate culture of women helping other entrepreneurial women. It is a culture of women who have deep bonds with each other, along with the desire to help one another, and work together."

So, who would make a good stylist candidate?

"Any woman who is looking to expand her entrepreneurial spirit in the fashion industry," Collins said. "It requires a love of fashion, but also working with a community of women who have a like-minded mentality to style and dress women."

Sally Cordovano, of Rowayton, Connecticut, is one of those women. Co-founder of The Empowered Closet, Cordovano offers a testimony that highlights her love of fashion and of people too. "Women have the advantage of presenting themselves in many different ways (work, PTA, church, party, vacation, special occasion, etc.) and I love empowering women through clothing," she said in her testimonial. "I like creating a unique look just for them—whether for a professional woman or someone who needs a few great go-to pieces each season. My clients appreciate the personal experience and service in a relaxed non-pressured atmosphere. It's truly rewarding to help women look and feel their best."

Worth described its stylists as being "relationship oriented" and often intentionally putting themselves in situations to meet new people. And like Cordovano, Worth stylists tend to be "genuinely interested in and value others. Regardless of perceived 'gain' from the relationship," the company said.

Of course, other characteristics of Worth stylists include women who are warm and approachable, someone who seeks "commonality and establishes rapport when meeting new people." They are great listeners, and truly want to understand others. They see every relationship as a potential connection to a new one. And they tend to be active in their community and are usually natural born leaders. Worth stylists also have diverse backgrounds, and don't always hail from traditional positions in the fashion industry. Worth stylists have resumes that include former positions as product managers, teachers, accountants, social media influencers, data scientists, retailers, stay-at-home moms—and attorneys too.

Christine Harriss was a creative director in advertising before launching her own business with Worth. "Women should become Worth stylists because having your own business, and all the flexibility it affords, is great," she explained. "I love that flexibility, especially coming from the advertising field. I just think that doing your personal best within a given framework is what motivates people to succeed in life in general."

The attributes of flexibility and limitlessness is frequently echoed among the Worth stylist community. Natica Wilson said the "beauty about being a stylist is that there are no limits. The more success I have, the more rewarded I am."

For self-proclaimed fashion addicts, being a stylist for W by Worth or Worth New York can be life-changing. Jenni Hummel, described herself as "a fashion junkie" who is glued to "every fashion publication and social media site you can imagine to feed my passion."

"Being a Worth stylist has changed my life," she said. "You can make it whatever you want it to be. The opportunities are incredible. Not only can I share beautiful clothing with women, but I have made some of my closest friends here. I have never seen such an impressive group of women. This company is about women—I love that."

For stylist Cindi, a "lifelong fashion addict," the Worth culture resonated most with her. "The flexibility was tremendously appealing," Shelby said. "I fell in love with the product... the quality and design aesthetic of the collection has never disappointed. Also, I love the company culture—there's a shared vision and commitment that's very meaningful."

Bianca, Worth stylist and social influencer, echoed Shelby. "If you're interested in making others feel good or helping that girl in the back of the room stand out, while having the flexibility to own your own company without missing out on special occasions, then this is the job for you," she said.

Collins added that culture and community are critical to the success of the company and stylists "because it makes our stylists feel a part of something beyond their personal lives."

"Our culture and community are what makes us Worth," she said. "We are a body of women empowered to help each other through triumphant times and hardships. We all rally around each other."

Womens Wear Daily

  https://wwd.com/#/instant-article-DjG9Pez7VB2ow/a-worthy-pursuit

It’s not a terrible model, observed Kelly Collins, president of Worth Collection, but it’s an incomplete one because the question of a customer’s true personal style is not something that is easily cracked by a computer.

“How do you really know someone’s fashion style?” Collins said. “You can’t until you really get to know that consumer on a personal level. Finding one’s style through a computer-generated questionnaire and algorithm may get lost in translation — one fashion style may mean something completely different for that shopper.”

This is where Worth looks to set itself apart as a brand: helping consumers construct their own looks, not through an automated process, but through a real interaction with a real stylist.

Founded in 1991, Worth’s first focus was on its two lines, Worth New York and W by Worth. The company is a direct-to-consumer fashion brand wherein goods are delivered to customers through Worth Stylists and the company’s website. The values the brand most strongly pursues — when outfitting the “Worthers” who shop there — are timelessness, luxury and affordability.

Though Worth has its doubts about a totally automated, technologically-driven approach to curating fashion items for consumers, the brand is all about using technology to better-enhance those more personal relationships. That is why, as of last week, Worth was touting the Worth Collection app, designed to give shoppers access to its personal fashion stylists 24/7, as well as the looks the customers create directly on the mobile device they are almost certainly carrying.

“That’s what sets us apart. We’re not simply styling, we’re wardrobing by having that personal connection with our customers,” said Collins. “With our app, our customers can now get fresh looks instantly 24/7, hand-picked by their personal stylists on their mobile devices. But, most importantly, it’s another avenue for them to continue to build and strengthen their relationship.”

The app is designed around building as flexible a shopping experience as possible — the entire Worth New York and W collections are available on the app and shoppers are free to add individual pieces or entire looks. The app can also be the user’s home base where they can register, connect with a stylist, and create a page to act as their receptacle for looks they love and the fashion ideas they are exploring. The strongest and most important feature, though, according to the Worth team, is the messaging feature that allows consumers to stay constantly connected to their stylist when they need them. Moreover, the user’s designated stylist has access to that Home Page, making it an easy venue for two-way communication, information and ideas.

The new app is looking promising so far, coming out of beta. For the last three months, the firm has been testing its app service. In that time, Worth’s stylists have created over 34,000 looks for their clients and sent over 72,000 personalized style recommendations. In all, they credit the app with pushing a 34-percent average order value.

Overall, consumers are looking for a more personal touch in shopping. The team at Worth seems to be making a winning bet on the idea that personalized service might be, in some cases at least, better offered up to a consumer by a person (as opposed to a clever machine).

Worth Collection Ltd. is adding a high-tech element to its high-touch business model.The direct-to-consumer fashion company is built around stylists who meet with clients at their homes or the national showroom, an approach that leverages one-on-one relationships — some nurtured over more than two decades. While Worth remains committed to its stylists, the Internet age of rapidly evolving technology, demands another way of connecting with customers, so it's launching an app. (And possibly a subscription box.)"Our customers can get fresh looks instantly, 24/7, hand-picked by their stylists on their mobile devices," said Kelly Collins, president of Worth, adding that stylists are embracing the technology. "It’s another avenue for them to continue to build and strengthen their relationships.

"The app is huge," Collins said, noting that during the app's beta-test run over the past three months, Worth stylists created 34,000-plus looks for their clients and sent more than 72,000 personalized style recommendations, which helped generate a 34 percent increase in average order value.Collins also revealed that Worth may be entering the subscription box game. Leveraging personal client information collected by stylists could improve Worth's odds of sending products that are well-received. "The next direction we're going in is curating looks and saying, 'Here's our Worth box. What do you love and want to keep?" Collins said. "We have something a little bit different up our sleeves. For us, it's very much about curating something. 'I know what you might like. Let me send you some things to the privacy of your home, and you can try on those clothes.' We take out a lot of the guessing. We know your preferences. It goes back to the relationship with the stylist and personalization. We're moving toward the idea of how we can continue to personalize.

It's in the pilot stage."Partnering with other brands is another growth avenue, Collins said. "Perhaps with shoes, we'd partner with a Stuart Weitzman, Jimmy Choo or Manolo Blahnik or a fabulous jewelry designer or handbag brand. The sky's the limit. We're taking that to the next step. My goal is to get every stylist to continue to grow average sales."About 400 stylists out of more than 700, met last week in Manhattan for an annual event that included a live runway show and training for the app. "They feel it will only enhance their sales," Collins said. "The reality is everyone is so busy, do you have time to get to someone’s home or the showroom. An appointment is not always conducive to your schedule. If you establish that rapport and relationship with a stylist, you can see something on Facebook or Instagram. The stylist knows your sizes, taste and style preferences, and what colors you like and don’t. It enhances the sales process anywhere. It’s a form of one-strop and shopping." Collins is a stylist herself, who began in the role when she was 26. She was selling insurance at the time, when her mother took her to a Worth fashion show. "I thought, if nothing else, I’ll be the best dressed girl in the office," she said. "I was making more money selling clothes four times a year than sitting in an office."I am and always will be a stylist," Collins added. "I have to lead by example. If I can be president and still increase my sales, so can you. I'm trying to bring the technology into our culture. The stylists are independent contractors. It’s kind of a case of why would you not utilize the app. I’m giving you an opportunity to make more money. Who doesn’t want to make more money?"As world continues to move at such lightening speed we have to be part of that otherwise we’re going to be extinct," Collins said. "I know most people don’t like change and fear change. I’m your change president, otherwise, we won’t be in business."