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Interview with Grechen Cohen of Grechen's Closet |
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Articles, How-To's and Interviews -
Guest Interviews
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Written by Jennifer Thompson
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DivaTribe recently had a chance to talk with Grechen Cohen, President and CEO of Grechen's Closet LLC (www.grechenscloset.com).
DivaTribe: When and why did you get started with Grechen's Closet?
 Grechen Cohen: I started Grechen’s Closet about two years ago for lots of reasons…mostly it began as a hobby, or just as a ‘let’s try it and see what happens’ endeavor, and now it’s my main business/career getting about 1,000 unique visitors a day. Honestly, I have to place most of the blame/responsibility on Carrie from Sex in the City: I had become obsessed with trying to find online a long brown striped Ella Moss dress she wore in an episode with David Duchovney. I typed Ella Moss into Google and searched through pages and pages (and pages) of results and never found a comprehensive list of all the boutiques online that sold Ella Moss – or the dress. All I wanted was one site with a database or list of boutiques that sold Ella Moss online…there wasn’t one, so I decided to create it. Also, as I started to do more research and shopping online, I felt more and more frustrated that I could never know how an item of clothing would look on my size 12, pear-shaped body since all of the boutiques display clothes on size 2 models or laid out on the floor.
So, I started doing the Reviews and modeling new outfits/clothes with descriptions of how things fit, sizing, and why I liked or didn’t like something. Now, the Reviews are one of the most popular features of the site because millions of women can identify with my body and size and finally have a place to go that celebrates that and gives real-life advice on dressing different body types and sizes. Finally, I never want to wear something I might see on anyone else, so I started shopping more and more from independent designers. I knew other women would appreciate that as much as I did and so started to feature independent designers alongside more established and luxury designers to mix things up a bit and expose my visitors to the lovely world of indie shopping online.
DT: How has the site changed since you first started it?
GC: When I first started the site, I did all the design and maintenance
myself. I had a very rudimentary knowledge of HTML and graphic design,
but wanted to design it myself instead of pay someone to do it for me
because I’m a bit of a control freak - I had a very specific idea of
how I wanted it to look and the functionality I wanted it to have. As
we grew, it became more and more difficult for me to keep the designer
directories updated, and the site maintained, so I hired Morfia Design
to re-design the site making it blog-based and easier to maintain. I
also hired a software company to develop a directory system for me to
make the Designer Directories more functional and easier to use. Now, I
can focus on the more fun stuff like shopping, modeling and writing
articles!
DT: What are some of your favorite features on the site?
GC: I LOVE the Designer Directories where you can choose a designer
you’re looking for from the drop-down menu and see all the boutiques
online that it. Most of the time we are more comprehensive than
Froogle or Google, and on Grechen’s Closet, you don’t have to wade
through the redundant or irrelevant entries before getting to the
boutiques. I also love the reviews – I don’t know of any other site you
can view a size 12 model in designer denim or pieces by independent
designers. In that way, I help ‘average’ women learn what pieces look
best on their size/body type at the same time as learning for myself!
DT: What is the best part for you about running the site?
GC: The feedback I get. I love to hear from someone that I helped her
find the perfect pair of jeans, or that she looks at my site everyday.
I also love the day-to-day work of writing entries, articles, and
features. The shopping isn’t so bad either…
DT: What is the biggest challenge you face in running the site?
GC: Keeping everything updated, staying competitive with other sites,
also making sure I’m relevant to my audience and giving them what they
are looking for. To a certain extent, Grechen’s Closet is very
personal; I feature things I love and would buy for myself, but also
try to balance that with the desire a lot of women have for the latest
trend or designer that celebrities are wearing. That’s sometimes a
challenge because that’s not my ‘thing,’ but I recognize that it’s a
part of the current culture and important to work with.
DT: How do you find the designers and items you feature?
GC: I participate
in lots of message boards and hear about new designers that way, I also
read all the fashion publications – online and off – and browse through
independent designer directories. Honestly, most of the time,
designers find me! Through the form on my site, I get 5 to 10
submissions from independent designers a day for inclusion on my site.
I’m very picky about the sites/designers I add and feature though, I
don’t want Grechen’s Closet to just be a link farm – each site I link
to has to offer something unique and/or something I would purchase for
myself.
DT: Do you have any special features like newsletters or message boards that DivaTribe's visitors might like to know about?
GC: I love the newsletter contest that we have running now – each month
we feature a basket FULL of cool prizes from 8-10 different independent
designers valued at at least $200.
Each person who signs up for our newsletter is entered in the contest
where one person is randomly chosen to win the prize basket. I choose
all the pieces myself and would use or purchase any of them myself, so
you know they’re fabulous!
Thank you for your time Grechen! It was great getting to know more about you and Grechen's Closet.
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