The next time you find yourself wondering whether a working mom can truly “have it all,” we hope you remember this boss babe.
Veronica Kerzner is the co-founder of Style Fashion Week, a producer of global fashion events. She has partnered with her husband to revolutionize the fashion industry. And she’s a multitasking boy-mom-extraordinaire. In between talking to HER Magazine about the changing landscape for fashion designers and consumers, she was reaching for her toddlers’ toys.
“It’s not normal and there is nothing normal about it,” Kerzner says about her version of parenthood. “You have to accept that you don’t fit into these standards, and then you can have it all.”
Kerzner has been breaking molds her entire career, which she says has afforded her a unique perspective to be successful.
“I kind of created this out of nowhere,” she says of her internationally recognized event production company, Style Fashion Week, which has roles in New York Fashion Week, LA Fashion Week and Miami Fashion Week.
She didn’t grow up in the fashion industry’s small world, though coincidentally enough, she would eventually marry a man who did. Kerzner has a degree in international business marketing but found herself continually drawn to experiences with designers and runways.
So, when she founded Style Fashion Week, she channeled her training and her passions into one seriously impactful mission: to boost economic development, help businesses grow and create bridges across countries.
How can fashion accomplish so much? You can credit Kerzner’s innovative thinking and creative execution.
See, the traditional fashion show just wasn’t cutting it for the event producer with big dreams.
“Fashion should be fun. It should be inspiring. But people are bored.”
You know the short, but serious routine: audience gets all dolled up to watch a string of models strut down the runway, clap for the designer and shuffle on home. Kerzner saw opportunity in that, and not just for designers.
At Style Fashion Week events, an attendee gets to take pictures on the red carpet, artists and fashion vendors set up booths before the main event, and musicians entertain the crowd. Kerzner envisioned an engaging experience of greater proportions. She’s discovering new ways for designers to profit off their fashion events, and at a perfect time.
The industry is already changing, according to Kerzner.
“Fashion is wanting to digitize and involve the customer in more ways,” she says.
There was a time when fashion shows were meant to debut a designer’s new line. The anticipation would build to see emerging trends debuted on the runway. But in today’s multi-connected world, designers don’t have to wait for these shows, buyers can connect directly, and a fanbase is constantly building.
Kerzner’s next project? Her team is developing an app to debut at the end of the summer. With this new technology, she foresees attendees checking into shows, instantly purchasing directly from designers and sharing the experience with their friends.
“I understood how things needed to change because I didn’t come from that background. It didn’t hold me back,” Kerzner says. “I had a completely different perspective, which removed any fear I might have had.”
As Style Fashion Week works to expand globally in 2017, entering Japan, South Africa and Taiwan, Kerzner is looking forward to what promises to be exciting shows here in the states. Each one of them is making a big impact on the local economy.
In August, Style Fashion Week is teaming up with the city and Mayor of Seaside Heights, New Jersey to throw an epic festival on the newly restored boardwalk. Seaside Beach Festival is an effort to bring business back to the town that was devastated by Hurricane Sandy.
In building her empire, Kerzner never let her past become an excuse. Instead, she let it propel her to success.
“You can have whatever you want in life. It’s not easy. It’s not glamourous. But you can find a way to make it happen.”
