Her fashion empire has since outgrown the small basement boutique where she started building it — celebrities including Mindy Kaling, Heidi Klum, Christina Aguilera and Eva Longoria have worn her designs on magazine covers and red carpets across the globe.
Still, Kamali's proudest achievement isn't the accolades she's received or the fame of her designs in Hollywood: it's being the sole owner of her company and having zero debt.
"I really fought for a creative life and the ability to say no," she says. "I've had a lot of interesting challenges being a woman and owning a business, like people pressuring me to sell my company or bring in a partner."
Even though female designers like Anne Klein and Mary Quant were carving out successful careers in fashion in the 1960s, Kamali says she had few mentors and women to look up to while starting her own business.
"I had to learn how to connect with my staff and get the same respect men would get in my position," she says.
Looking ahead, Kamali is excited to continue working in fashion for as long as she can. She says she feels good about getting older, too — unless someone implies that her age brings limitations with it.
"When I turned 65, I learned how to do a split," she says. "Challenging myself, trying something new and practicing discipline until I reached my goal gave me a tremendous amount of confidence that I bring with me to my work … and a strong sense of confidence makes success more likely."
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar