Celebrity dresser, truth teller, and self-proclaimed “funny fashionista”– TV personality and style expert Robert Verdi stopped by the SCAD Museum of Art this past Monday to share his insight on building a personal brand. In a live conversation with Margaret Russell, decor writer and Honorary Dean of the School of Building Arts, the two discussed the keys to success when it comes to interviews, switching careers, and fearless decision making.
Advice is usually best delivered with a personal anecdote, so Verdi began by elaborating on his individual brand story. Starting as a young entrepreneur on the streets of New York City, Verdi eventually enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology’s jewelry program. While admitting that jewelry is his first love, it’s obviously not the career field he finds himself in today. After realizing there was more money to be made in retail, Verdi swiftly took a job at ABC Carpet and Home.
His key to success for such a rapid career change: be able to self-educate. Soon, one thing led to another and Verdi eventually found himself as one of Sandra Bernhard’s go to interior decorators and after a brief mention by Bernhard on air, Verdi was asked to be profiled for the New York Times.
Though he proclaims to be baffled as to why the Times would have any interest in him, this article was a serious move for Verdi’s career. With no real strategy or plan in place, Verdi sat at the starting line of a fashion, interior, and television career that would take off. In the following years he appeared on shows such as Fashion Police, What Not to Wear, and his very own The Robert Verdi Show. Now working as a celebrity stylist, the man is a real “Jack of all trades.” Which makes sense, considering his greatest piece of advice was to be prepared when your career doesn’t go as planned.
When asked to elaborate on what he meant by this, Verdi admitted that he wished he’d been more prepared to take bold career chances in his youth. He wished he hadn’t been afraid of the unknown. When offered a job by jewelry designer Elsa Peretti while still attending FIT, Verdi turned it down because it seemed just too irrational. He now looks back on that decision, not with regret but wonder of what could have been.
However, it’s tough to dwell on this for too long when he has experienced so much success in the path he’s taken.
As for building a brand for himself, Verdi reveals that his brand is his story. That goes for everyone. You want to appear professional to customers and employers. Be wary of inappropriate social media posts, always dress appropriately yet individually for an interview, but most importantly make sure you are likable. Verdi admits that he doesn’t want to hire someone he doesn’t like, considering he has to spend every waking moment with them. He also amusingly shares that you must be able to do the small stuff, for instance, check the box for overnight shipping. All jokes aside, however, just know yourself. Have continuity with your image, both on social media and in real life. Because in the end, your brand is your story.
Written by Kat Sours
Photos by Liam Graham Haehnle