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Izzie Kalaja is director of operations and sustainability at Australian footwear brand Frankie4.
How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I work at a women’s comfort footwear brand. Once our design team creates a beautiful range for the season, it’s my team’s job to forecast demand, set pricing, place orders with our factory partners, get those shoes in the country, and report on how quickly that stock is sold around the world. Plus, it’s on us to do all of that as responsibly as we can (and as a B Corp).
One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? Sometimes it comes down to jumping in and out of trucks to get the job done.
What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? My favorite project has been leading our B Corp certification journey. The journey to certification is rigorous and requires a significant amount of documentation and collaboration across the business. However, doing business responsibly is one of our core values—everyone was bought-in.
Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? I’m really excited for brands to share more about what’s under the hood and take responsibility for supply chain transparency. Communicating that information to customers is an act of translation, but when done right and meshed with your TOV [tone of voice], it’s magic for the right consumer (and to push for better business within markets overall).
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What’s your go-to coffee order? I’m Australian, and I think we’ve built a global reputation for being coffee snobs. At home, an oat cap. In the US, drip coffee.
Worst piece of advice you’ve received? “Say yes to everything.” There’s nothing inherently wrong with saying yes; I think it comes back to what season of your life/career you’re in at a given moment. Right now I’m in a busy season, but next summer is going to be the summer of yes.
What was your favorite retail product when you were 15, and what’s your favorite retail product now? Traveling to the US and going to Sephora as a 15-year-old (right at the start of Beauty Tube) was an otherworldly experience. I loved it all. I am still a huge beauty consumer and obsessed with brands like Glossier, Merit, Rhode, and Osea.