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Inspiration November 11, 2019
Meet Blake Geffen, co-founder of the luxury accessories membership club, Vivrelle!
In her own words, growing up in New York, Geffen always had a passion for the fashion industry, even though her college major of Speech-Language Pathology may not point to it. In high school, she worked two different jobs at retail stores. Then, right out of college, she took her first job in fashion PR, and loved every minute of it.
Five years ago, she met her husband, Wayne, and today, they are business partners as much as life partners. They like to say that they have two children together: their first, Vivrelle, and their second, Harley Elle.
ENTITY: Can you tell me how Vivrelle works? What are some of the top reasons people choose Vivrelle?
Geffen: Vivrelle is a luxury accessories membership that provides access to designer handbags, jewelry, watches, and diamonds for a monthly fee. When we launched Vivrelle, our goals were affordability, flexibility and sustainability. It was important to us that we offered our members an affordable, flexible way to have the most amazing accessories closet – all while having a positive impact on the environment. One year later, we see our members continue to choose us because they know we deliver on these core values. Whether it’s a working woman who likes to switch up her accessories for business meetings and travel, or a woman who loves variety in her bags and jewelry, Vivrelle fulfills something for everyone!
ENTITY: What prompted you to start Vivrelle? Were there any challenges?
Geffen: Two years ago, I was planning my wedding. All I wanted was the perfect accessories to complement my looks, but I did not want to break the bank. I searched for a place that would allow me to borrow high-end accessories for the weekend. My search came up short and I realized there was a real gap in the marketplace. Weeks later, my husband and I went on our honeymoon. And as newlyweds, we spent our days abroad working on a business plan to get to the market fast. The biggest challenge was taking Vivrelle from a mere vision to a real business. It all came together and it has been so exciting to watch Vivrelle grow this past year!
ENTITY: As far as I know, you have a Bachelor’s degree in science, but now you’re an entrepreneur in the fashion industry. Our reader base is mostly recent graduates or still in school and would love to learn more about how you decided to change fields since some are eager, but hesitant, about making this shift. When you think back to five years ago, did you envision your career as it is today?
Geffen: College is hard. At a very young age, you decide what career you’d like to have for the rest of your life! Personally, at 18 years old, I was at a loss, as I’m sure most students are. I had a variety of passions ranging from charity work to events to fashion. How could I decide which to focus on? While I knew I would be happiest working in fashion, I didn’t really know what path to take. I had a mentor at the time who was a speech pathologist, so I decided to follow in her footsteps. Then my junior year I realized speech pathology wasn’t for me. What I wanted to do was pursue a career in fashion. While it was too late to officially switch my major, I focused on applying for summer jobs & internships in fashion and PR. So I paved my new path. It’s important to not let your major define you! My experiences opened many doors for me. They finally led me to LaForce (a PR agency) where I worked on the fashion team for 8 years. Five years ago, if you told me I’d be a CEO before I was 30, I wouldn’t believe it. However, all of my experiences led me to where I am today and helped drive my vision for Vivrelle!
ENTITY: The fashion industry is one of the major polluting industries in the world. Thus, buying from sustainable brands and consignment stores, or renting, are all great options in today’s world. But, these options are still very expensive and only available to the few who can already afford to buy better. Do you have any suggestions for the average person who would like to have an ethical wardrobe?
Geffen: My advice for anyone is to make each purchase meaningful by following the “three times” rule. When purchasing an item, can you identify three times you might wear it? Apply the same advice for the memberships you choose to enroll in. Will you utilize your membership enough to justify the value? We asked ourselves this question when developing our membership tiers. Our Classique and Couture tiers allow you to extend your wardrobe for less than your monthly cable bill!
ENTITY: An increase in environmental concerns has made renting fashion items more popular than ever. Do you think fashion is actually becoming more sustainable? Or is the idea of sustainability just another fleeting trend?
Geffen: Fashion is becoming more sustainable, driven by a younger generation of consumers who are increasingly vocal about making sure that the brands they engage with are socially conscious. As long as consumers continue to support sustainability, it will stay “on-trend.”
ENTITY: In a new season of Business of Fashion Podcast series, Tim Brown said, “If you’re not doing it for something larger than yourself or for some deeper reason, it’s extraordinarily difficult to build a business.” Do you believe in this motto?
Geffen: To build a business in today’s competitive landscape, you have to be incredibly driven and focused. I firmly believe that the most successful businesses solve a universal problem. Luxury goods were previously inaccessible to most women. Even if you own a high-end accessory, seasons and trends change. And it’s simply not sustainable for the majority to purchase a new accessory every few months. Vivrelle is breaking down this barrier and democratizing access for our members.
ENTITY: I know you are pretty active on Instagram. What are some of the top profiles that inspire you? What is the best way to keep updated on the industry news?
Geffen: As a female entrepreneur, you often hear that you can’t “have it all.” I have a ton of admiration for the women leading their respective industries and showing everyone that you actually can. Whitney Wolfe Herd from Bumble is building her empire while pregnant, Eva Chen who defines “powerhouse” as a working mom, Diane Von Furstenberg who is timeless, and so many more.
I believe that you have to stay current to stay on top. If my TV is on, the news is on. I set push notifications from major publications to keep me in the know on headlines. Even if I can’t deep dive into the articles, it at least keeps me up to date.
ENTITY: Do you have a mentor? If not, who has influenced you the most in your life?
Geffen: I learn so much from everyone I surround myself with. That said, as corny as it sounds, if I had to choose one person as my mentor it would be my husband and business partner, Wayne. My favorite line of encouragement from him is “if we don’t do it, someone else will.” When this idea came about, he pushed me not only to act on it but to act quickly. He inspires me to always think bigger, never sit still and never settle.
When asked about rental fashion’s effect on sustainability, Geffen emphasizes that both value and sustainability are at the core. However, rental isn’t an alternative to purchasing. It is a flexible way to extend the members’ closets while also extending the value of their dollars. Instead of using an accessory a handful of times, the usability and the life span of each item are increased.
Although rental fashion isn’t a new phenomenon, it has become more popular than ever. Though there are many reasons for its rise, young Americans have started to choose this life of non-ownership, not only out of necessity but almost as a way to be trendy.
