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Role Call | Kimberly Nemser, SVP of Product Development

Kimberly Nemser, general merchandise manager and senior vice president of product development at Feed Projects, says you miss 100 percent of the shots that you don’t take.
Kimberly Nemser | Source: Courtesy
By
  • Kati Chitrakorn

There are few sectors of the economy that offer as wide and interesting a range of career opportunities as fashion. Role Call highlights some of the industry’s most interesting jobs and the talented people who do them. For more information about fashion industry roles like this and others, visit BoF Careers.

NEW YORK, United States — Kimberly Nemser is the general merchandise manager and senior vice president of product development at Feed Projects, an initiative selling bags in which a portion of sales of each bag is donated to the United Nations World Food Programme to feed children around the world. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Nemser worked on Wall Street as an analyst for UBS Investment Bank and The Blackstone Group for three years, before deciding to pursue a career in fashion. Nemser got her start in the luxury goods sector at Tod's, before spending seven years in women's and accessories merchandising at J.Crew. Nemser began her role at Feed Projects in July.

BoF: Please describe your current role.

As the general merchandise manager and senior vice president of product development at Feed, I'm responsible for our product assortment from concept to shelf, which means that I'm constantly evaluating what is selling and driving profit and observing current macro trends in fashion. Essentially, I am paid to have an “educated gut” — figuring out what our customer wants from us. Being a key merchant means combining what you know about consumer behaviour and implementing that with the company's strategy and vision, to ensure the brand keeps growing and moving forward. It is my job to ensure that our products are designed, merchandised and presented with our mission and heritage in mind, while also working to creatively evolve to meet our customer’s demands.

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BoF: What attracted you to the role?

Lauren Bush Lauren has built a business focused on creating beautiful and unique products, with a mission to help fight world hunger, which was both intriguing and exciting. Having spent the last seven years at J.Crew where product and sharp-pricing was king, I was ready to look at the consumer in a new and more informed light. Developing a product with an impact on a global issue was something I never thought I could do. Today’s buyers are so much more educated and eager to see how their purchase can make a difference. They want to feel both fashionable and informed. With such an important social mission, it's challenging to try and figure out what kind of products are strong enough to speak to our customer.

BoF: What is the most exciting project or initiative you have worked on?

From debuting our new website in mid-August to preparing for the launch of 'Feed Supper' in September, the Feed team has been extremely busy. Personally, I have loved getting into the nitty gritty of the product assortment and how it will play out in 2016 and beyond. I have been working closely with Lauren and our design team to create mood boards that represent how we all want to define the lifestyle that is Feed. To come into a job with new eyes and a fresh perspective after having been at J.Crew for so long has been really fun and eye opening. I am seeing things in a different light and am so eager to work with the team to strategise about the evolution of this impactful brand.

BoF: How is your role changing? What are the forces driving this change?

My role is a newly created one at Feed and it represents the growth and drive behind building the brand. As the business continues to flourish, we need to ensure that we are creating the right product to support this momentum. On a more macro level, both the retail landscape and the consumer have changed. First, the consumer has more access to product and information than ever before. This, coupled with the role of social media in brand and buyer awareness, means the consumer is very informed. In addition, the shift from brick and mortar to mobile and desktop means that you really can test new ideas and new products in a more seamless and calculated way. Our customer has shown us that she believes in our cause, so we just need to give her more opportunities to purchase and participate!

BoF: Tell us about a time you failed and how you learned from it.

As a working mother of two young children, like many moms, I have striven to find the “perfect” balance between being the best I can be at work while also being available and truly present when I am with my kids. Believe me, it's really hard and something I continue to work on. When my five-year-old daughter told me that she “hated” my phone because it meant I was looking at work stuff instead of paying attention to her, that was a real wake-up call. Part of this comes from learning when to say yes and, more importantly, how to say no when you truly have more on your plate than you can handle. Previously, as a manager of 23 people at J.Crew, I always appreciated when a member of the team raised their hand and said "I need help."

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BoF: What advice do you have for people who are interested in doing what you do?

There are two pieces of advice that my father gave me that I still attribute my success and drive to. The first is: “You miss 100 percent of the shots that you don’t take.” When I decided to leave my job at The Blackstone Group to pursue a career in fashion, people thought I was crazy, but I knew that it was what would keep me motivated and impassioned — so I did it. I took a pay cut and a lifestyle change, but I wanted it badly enough that it lead to a great opportunity at J.Crew soon after. The second piece of advice was “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” My father had this saying on his bulletin board in his office and I remember when I first read it as a young child, I didn’t fully get it. When I asked him, he simply replied, everything you achieve comes with hard work. There are no free passes and it was his work ethic that has always inspired me to work harder and push for what I want. I believe this translates into everything we do in life.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

For more information about fashion industry roles like this and others, visit BoF Careers.

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