ABOUT
Welcome to Merchant Inspired- I am so grateful you stopped by! My name is Cristina, and I am a retail professional who couldn’t love this industry more. My goal is to inspire you the same way this business continues to inspire me every single day. So let’s dive in…
After recently leaving a corporate position to support my husband’s career- the passion I had for being a merchant (and the industry as a whole) would not subside. I missed it. I missed being a part of the process, the product, and standing along side those who created it. So with a ton of dreams and lots of tear sheets- Merchant Inspired was born.
Now I'm in phase two of my career; consulting those with a similar passion and pursuing this dream of mine as a newbie blogger. Both of which allow me to share fifteen years of experience (from stores and sales to buying and merchandising) with all of you.
The blog itself is meant to be a resource- filled with insight on my favorite brands and the talent behind them. The posts are honest, heartfelt, and baked in gratitude for a business I adore. There’s also storefront imagery, career advice, noteworthy headlines, and tons of encouragement along the way.
It’s a bit of everything you would expect from an inspired merchant, and hopefully this is just the beginning. I want nothing more than to support this amazing industry and all of the dreamers within it. I hope you join me…
Cristina
Cristina attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and received a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising. She went on to work for Limited Brands post-graduation and most recently held positions within buying / merchandising for Ralph Lauren and OshKosh B’Gosh.
Due to work commitments, the blog hasn’t been updated since 2017. However, Cristina is available via LinkedIn if ever looking for advice, support, or questions regarding the retail industry.
"Cristina has an outstanding work ethic that not only generates tremendous big ideas but also cultivates team collaboration. My time partnering with her at Ralph Lauren stimulated profit growth for the company in tandem with spawning trend and fashion growth. Her upbeat and positive attitude made working together a true pleasure no matter how daunting the task at hand; there was no limit to her energy and ability to multitask which always led to a constructive and productive outcome."
- AC, VP of Planning at Ralph Lauren
"Cristina quickly proved to be an invaluable asset to our team at OshKosh B’Gosh. As a competitive analyst, she provided us with an objective point of view and clear understanding of the market we competed in. We were able to apply that information to build our seasonal strategies. We had incredible insights as to what our competition was up to, and were able to predict what they might do next.
Cristina is a self starter that required very little oversight. She is a passionate individual that pours her heart and soul into her endeavors. She is not afraid to dig into a challenge."
- FL, CMM at Hoffmaster Group Inc.
