by Lisa Boghosian Papas
From the moment you walk into her office, you can tell that she's made it.
It's not so much that her desk is piled with papers, that her phone is still buzzing at 7:00 at night, or that she's adorned in the latest off the Paris runways. But in the highly competitive world of fashion, with Chanel at the top of the couture hierarchy, Barbara Garjian not only has made it to the 10th floor of the newly constructed Chanel Boutique on New York's vogue row-57th Street- but she also has her own private office with a view.
In the ABC's of the fashion industry, with "C" leading the way at Chanel, Inc, Garjian, recently promoted to Director of Merchandising for the Retail Division, explains that when she sees her office she is in awe. After working for the privately held company for 10 years, Garjian, first starting in the wholesale account division, has climbed the corporate ladder and is in charge of merchandising for all the 16 Chanel fashion boutiques and 9 free-standing fine jewelry boutiques today. Translated, that means she is responsible for buying all Chanel accessories-including scarves, ties, handbags, fashion jewelry, leather-goods-and ready-to-wear clothing.
"I am happy and shocked," she says, referring to her dream job. "Before I started working here, I was enamored with the company and the clothes. Coco was such a maverick in the world of fashion-really reforming the way women dress. The shoulder bag, the cardigan sweater, the costume jewelry and the little black dress are all staples of her innovations. Now I look at myself and I am wearing the clothes and am working for the company. It's hard to believe."
But as the saying goes, passion runs deep. And for Garjian, becoming a merchandiser was a skill that she gained years ago. "When my mom and I would go shopping when I was little, she'd often lose me in the department stores. Over the loud speaker, the announcer would say, 'There's a small girl by the mannequin in such and such department.' Later, when my mom would find me, I was busy redressing the mannequin with new clothes and accessories!"
Today Garjian finds herself in Paris buying the latest collection of merchandise designed by Karl Lagerfeld, head designer for Chanel, and attending the Fall and Spring runway shows-a slight change from her days with her mother at Bloomingdales on Route 4 in New Jersey. "The shows are very exciting," exclaims Garjian, who knows that when you talk about fashion, Paris is it. "Last Spring, the show was held at the carousel underneath the Louvre Museum. There is always a lot of hype about the models and the actors and actresses who come. It's supposed to be a mouth-dropping event to get the media's attention."
But when it comes down to business, Garjian works long into the evening after the show is over to place her selection for the following season. From the runway, she is ushered off to the Chanel showroom in Paris where she is shown the entire collection. She has the next five days to place buys for all the different boutiques. "It's definitely challenging to do," says Garjian. "But when it comes to buying, the fashion part of it is the most fun and the least challenging. What I do before the buy and throughout the year-looking at the numbers for the boutiques, analyzing the stock and reviewing the spreadsheets- is what merchandising is all about. I always tell the boutiques the more stock you sell the more you get. That is the only way to drive the business."
When all is said and done, Garjian represents the total look of Chanel in all the stores. And with handbags ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, men's ties around $100, women's shoes starting at $300 and suits at $2,500, buying for Chanel is more like being a psychologist for the very wealthy. "In our Hawaii and California boutiques, customers are very interested in logos," says Garjian. "In New York, the clientele is much more sophisticated and career-oriented. Texas and Florida draw a casual crowd and Chicago is more urban."
Though Chanel's shoppers have traditionally included "ladies who lunch," Garjian says single career women, young mothers and women interested in a more casual look are the future of the boutique. Going forward, there will be fewer suits and more mixing and matching of skirts, jackets and pants.
"I think that one of the best things about Chanel is the fact that the products produced are classics," says Garjian, inferring that the Chanel look will forever remain in tact despite changing consumer life-styles. "The fact that the company does not mass produce its clothes and still keeps the integrity and image of its heritage is appealing. There are not too many designers who can boast leading selling products like Chanel. Number 5 perfume has been one of the top-10 selling fragrances for the past 75 years. In the perfume business that is unbelievable."
While her job may appear all-glamour, Garjian works relentless hours in the office and travels cross-country to each of the boutiques at least once to ensure that merchandise is moving. She is also in charge of seasonal window displays working with visual designers to promote the Spring, Fall and Cruise lines. This year, she helped open two new boutique locations in Houston and Las Vegas. Though overseeing, critiquing and analyzing the multi-million dollar buys is tough, Garjian says the hardest part of her job is juggling her travel schedule with her day to day business. "Plus keeping on top of my staff," she adds. "Managing others is not easy. When things get hairy around here, we have a saying that puts everything in perspective. 'Calm down, we aren't saving lives!'"
Garjian came to Chanel in 1989 after working as an associate buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue upon completion of the executive training program there. Her preparation at Saks, buying for 46 different stores combined with her degree in business and minor in retail management from New York University, landed her the position in wholesale merchandising at Chanel. "At the time I started there were only a few boutiques, including those in Palm Beach, Beverly Hills, New York and Honolulu," says Garjian. "In the beginning, my concentration was not on the boutiques but on department stores like Bergdorfs and Bloomingdale's that sold Chanel merchandise. As the company grew, I switched over to the retail division."
Raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, Garjian says she owes her success to her father who recently retired after 40 years practicing dentistry. "My Dad loved what he did," she states. "Seeing him happy really made an impression on my sisters and me. He engrained in us a strong work ethic and encouraged us to do what we loved." Testament to his influence, Barbara's sister Lori, a physician, is Assistant Chairman of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York and her other sister Janice is Vice President of Corporate Planning for the Television Bureau of Advertising in New York. This past year, all three sisters were promoted at once.
Garjian also praises her Armenian culture for defining her winning edge. "The strong family values, the work ethic and emphasis on being professional were common traits amongst the community of Armenians I grew up around. My culture has definitely influenced me. And usually any Armenian I meet shares these values and is proud of their heritage."
When she's not in her office or traveling, Garjian loves to ski, play tennis and roller-blade. She is a member of the St. Thomas Armenian Church in New Jersey, and volunteers her time with the New York Junior League and the Children's Blood Foundation at the New York Cornell Medical Center.
