Profession / role:

Founder

Company / organisation:

Dagne Dover

Website (if you have one):

www.dagnedover.com

My primary role in relation to fashion is:

Entrepreneur

I am looking to discover or buy

Manufacturers, Vendors, Partnerships

About me / About business or organisation:

Dagne Dover designs, produces and sells chic handbags and accessories with smartly-organized interiors. Our products are made for women who won't sacrifice style for function. We use high-quality materials and craftsmen based in NYC's garment district.

Career history / Company history:

After graduating from Johns Hopkins University in 2007, Deepa began her career as an Equity Sales Trader at Lehman Brothers. Fortunately she decided to switch industries in 2008 from finance to retail to pursue an industry that she was more passionate about. Deepa started as a Merchandise Planner at Club Monaco (Ralph Lauren) where she managed the company’s $95M women’s retail business reporting directly to the company’s CEO and COO. She honed her planning, allocation, merchandising, and operations skills by immersing herself in every aspect of the company’s operations to ensure a thorough understanding of the vertical supply chain. Outside of her merchandise planning responsibility, she took on a range of company-wide projects including the creation of a portfolio of cross-functional tools, including a proprietary global production booking system. Deepa also gained store experience and operations experience by spending time in stores to develop innovative customer service and allocation strategies to drive top-line growth. While Deepa developed her fashion acumen, she also caught the entrepreneurial bug when launching CM’s Cashmere Shop. Seeing an opportunity for growth, she gained the CEO’s support to build a single-season design concept from a $500K business into its own $5M department. She learned what it takes to launch a new business, gain buy-in and traction and plan for growth. For her exemplary cross-functional collaboration and influential role in growing the CM brand, Deepa was awarded The Club Award in 2010 among many other awards.

In 2011, Deepa decided to pursue her MBA at The Wharton School to build her core business fundamental skill set. At Wharton she is Co-President of the Graduate Retail Club, a Nonprofit Leadership Board Program Coordinator, Student Life Fellow, and member of the 2012 Welcome Committee.

Since 2007 Deepa has also sat on board of the Share and Care Foundation Young Professional Board, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering women and children in rural India through education and healthcare initiatives. She served as Chairwoman of the Board from 2009-2011.