Biography
Regarded as the “eyes of Bergdorf Goodman,” Linda Fargo is responsible for spotting trends and shaping the visual identity of the storied and opulent New York department store.
Renowned for her discerning taste for fashion trends and creative directorship of the Bergdorf shop windows, Fargo has held her role at Bergdorf since 2006, prior to which she was a visual merchandiser for both high end brands and mass market clothing companies like Gap.
Her knack for creating displays developed at an early age. She grew up in the suburbs of Milwaukee, and started constructing collage boxes as a teenager. After she moved to New York, she started as a window dresser at the mid-market department store Macy’s, eventually rising to become the visual director. She has been with Bergdorf since 1996, when she was hired as the visual director of the women’s store before being promoted to vice president of visual merchandising just a year later.
With a background in the arts — Fargo has a BFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison — she has created over 1,000 window displays for Bergdorf Goodman. Her eclectic compositions combined products and trends with grittier, intriguing themes. “I started out taking a lot of risks with the image of Bergdorf’s through the windows. Doing windows that were not just precious, brittle prettiness, but gutsier — a girl lying in nails or a girl at a tawdry sideshow,” she told Gotham magazine.
Indeed, her displays have filled two books, "Windows at Bergdorf Goodman" and "Dreams Through the Glass."
As fashion designer Greg Mills told Time magazine, "She's very visual and tactile and sensitive. She's not the run-of-the-mill merchant. She really looks. She's open-minded."
In May 2017, Bergdorf launched Linda's, a permanent store-in-store curated by Fargo, featuring a revolving stock of Fargo's favourite items, ranging from fashion items (clothes, accessories, etc) to food and tea.