In Conversation with Nadege Winter
Tell us about your background:
Expert in fashion, trends, and experiences, I am a forerunner of the 360° generation. Former Head of Communications of the Palais de Tokyo (PARIS) and of the Colette concept store (PARIS). I founded in 2008 my agency: NWA, offering global expertise in branding/identity, experiences, and product creation.
In August 2019, I moved from Paris to NYC, with my daughter and husband (who still lives between Paris and NYC) to work at Calvin Klein, as SVP of Brand Experience. One year later, as the Covid pandemic took the world by storm, and convinced that the fashion industry must re-invent itself around purpose while still providing an escape and creating desire, I decided to go back to consulting. In addition to my client assignments (Hermès, Chanel Beauté, Cartier, Burberry, Petit Bateau, Kenzo, Belvedere, L’Oreal, Timberland, H&M Conscious, Maison Standard, etc.), I never stop creating and producing my own projects.
In 2008, I co-launched the Big Music Festival in Biarritz which went on for 8 years (100,000 visitors). At the same time, I organized the Parisian seasonal event BrunchBazar bringing together over 10,000 people for a week at the Palais de Tokyo. Then, I launched a fashion brand AmishBoyish in collaboration with my friend and graphic designer Dyane de Serigny. In partnership with Delphine de Canecaude, I launched the new collaborative and community media platform TwentyMagazine.fr, a “phygital” platform of expression for the new generation of twenty-something talents.
What do you wish you’d known when you started out?
The faster you know your hard and soft skills, the better you own them and are able to brand yourself as a unique and amazing person. I wish I would have embraced quicker this 360° capacity to strategize and be creative as a strength rather than a weakness, as the traditional and corporate system tends to say to all the "out of the box" profiles.
Best career advice you've ever received?
Nothing is Impossible. And follow your bliss. Spend your life doing the thing as passionately and as perfectly as your heart and soul whisper it.
What leadership qualities are important to you?
Great ear (keep listening to your peers cause nobody knows everything), Great eye (keep watching the next generation because you have to learn from them as much as you have to teach them) Great gut (respect your intuition) Great heart (be a great team builder: confidence is the key for an efficient collaboration within your team and in between all teams working together)
What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far?
Moving from Paris to NY in my late 40s, from being a freelancer to work in a big American Company, challenging myself professionally but also personally. The biggest challenge but also the best.
And for fun, what is your favorite wardrobe staple?
Denim, a man’s jacket, vintage t-shirt, Nike sneakers, or leather loafers (this is the pre and post covid era when sweatpants will be just a souvenir).
Website: http://www.nwagency.fr
LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nawinter/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadege_winter
