In Conversation with Nicole Heim
Tell us about your background:
I’m a NY based Creative Director, Design Leader, and Brand Consultant with 18 years of experience across creative marketing, product design, and brand development.
I'm originally from California and studied Visual Communications in Los Angeles before moving to New York City to study Concept & Textiles at The Fashion Institute of Technology. I always had a passion for the brand side, and dabbled in different mediums, but ultimately fell into corporate apparel design after college. I admired the strong female executives and learned a lot about what it takes to build a global brand, but at about five years in, I started to question both consumerism and the environmental impact of the industry.
In 2013, I took a sabbatical through Africa in hopes of finding a meaningful way to merge business and design, and as a result, I co-founded a luxury womenswear brand called Cienne in 2014. I led the creative and design, building the brand and business from the ground up. We pioneered ethical and environmental practices but without compromising aesthetic, which at the time wasn't yet happening much within fashion. We received a lot of recognition from press and celebrities, and we were a semi-finalist in the International Woolmark Prize and a CFDA winner. It was an incredibly formative time for me creatively, and single-handedly the most rewarding and challenging phase of my career.
Since 2019, I've been a brand and creative consultant, and held in-house leadership roles across luxury, direct-to-consumer, and multi-billion dollar businesses such as Mara Hoffman, Away, Argent, and Victoria’s Secret & Co. My work takes a multidisciplinary approach and I love to build holistic worlds, stories, and strategies across businesses of all sizes.
What do you wish you’d known when you started out?
Patience is key! Good things take time.
Best career advice you've ever received?
Some of the best career advice I've received was in regards to sustainability, but I think it's applicable to many career aspects. The advice was to go deep with your impact, not wide. Basically, be focused and committed.
What leadership qualities are important to you?
Self-awareness, communication, and collaboration. A strong creative vision that also leaves space for exploration and evolution.
What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far?
Building a brand from scratch. Entrepreneurship is filled with high highs and low lows!
And for fun, what is your favorite wardrobe staple?
Vintage denim, my Michele Waugh trench, and a pair of lace up boots by Sies Marjan.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolelheim/
Website: https://www.nicoleheim.co
Instagram: @nicolelheim
