Vice President of Merchandise & E-Commerce at GUESS?

FIDM was honored to have Dan Sewall, the VP of Merchandise & E-Commerce at GUESS?, talk with FIDM students about his career, his work at GUESS? and to share with students his advice on working in the industry.

Dan grew up in Wisconsin and majored in the performing arts. His original career plan was to teach English with the Peace Corps in Kenya, however a freak ski accident led him to his first retail experience. He tripped wearing ski boots in his mom's kitchen and fell, breaking both his hands. With his hands in casts, he sought employment in retail where he could operate a cash register with one finger and wrestle clothes into shopping bags.

It was there that his fast-track to success began, and in just two years he became a buyer for the Federated Stores. He then became a buyer for Dillards and after four years was named "Buyer of the Year." Eventually he became the Divisional Merchandise Manager for Dillards. In 1998 he joined GUESS? and has since been instrumental in helping them regain their enviable fashion status and strength as a company.

As a buyer, he's had lots of opportunities to meet and interact with designers. He laughingly told the audience that in addition to his successes, he's famous for telling Tommy Hllfiger in 1988 that he wouldn't make it and that the world didn't need him. "Tommy has since proven me wrong," he said.

Dan prefers specialty stores like GUESS? to department stores because the specialty stores treat shopping as a form of entertainment where you can get all the excitement of fashion and trends. He believes that service has gone down in department stores because they're so focused on the costs. In contrast, GUESS? makes a point of offering a more service-oriented and exciting shopping experience. At GUESS?, their employees are trained not only in the products but in management and customer service as well.

He takes pride in the fact that GUESS? is among the top 15 brands for advertising revenue and is known for establishing the careers of models such as Anna Nicole Smith and Claudia Shiffer. But the most important thing about GUESS? is that they're perched on the edge of current trends. That means that although GUESS? is essentially a jeans and denim house, they're adaptable enough to meet the demand for fashion items and accessories in a specialty shop environment. But if the market were to change back to a department store model, then they're prepared for that trend as well because their merchandise is also carried by department stores.

When asked by one student what they're looking for in a new hire for their design team, Dan said, "Years of experience is not the most important thing. What's most important is your attitude. It has to be positive, youthful and energetic."

Another student asked how Dan knew he had found the best career for himself. He answered that during his executive training classes, he knew in the first two weeks. The atmosphere of those classes was very exciting and competitive, which pushed him to learn as much as possible. If one trainee learned something that he didn't know, he rushed right out to ask the buyer to teach him as well. He was also very attracted to the glamour of the job, by the New York City fashion showrooms and by the joy of growing a business.

Students came away from the talk with some great advice, and in addition three lucky raffle ticket winners received $50 gift certificates for GUESS? merchandise.