The O.C. native is the senior vice president of creative and marketing at Boot Barn, a Western and workwear retailer, which also carries Western-inspired fashion.
Credit: PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF BOOT BARNOne of Nicole’s first initiatives at Boot Barn was to rebrand the nearly 50-year-old company, which has more than 500 stores nationwide, with five in O.C., including a new one in Huntington Beach. She grew up in San Clemente, moving back and forth from the East Coast to study ballet before spending time in Germany at the prestigious John Cranko Ballet School. After graduating from college, she went to work at Boot Barn. “Fashion was the introduction into the Western world, but it’s the values that have kept me here,” Nicole says.
How did you come to work at Boot Barn?
I was working within the Western industry already, and Boot Barn was putting on its first fashion show. The CEO and CMO knew I had a background in performance arts … and all of (Boot Barn’s) creative was outsourced. They asked me to put on their first fashion show. The budget was $35,000, which, if you know anything about hiring models, that’s not a lot of money. I negotiated with everyone. I literally was painting the stage with a team of people. I made a film that was the backdrop to the fashion show. I acted in the film, I worked with an editor, I choreographed a flash mob, I worked with the dancers, I styled the looks with another gal … there were live performers, and I worked with the person for that. It was this multimedia event. I thought that was just the task I was given. I didn’t know the expectation was like, “And now Julia is in Shyanne jeans.” That’s what they thought it was going to be. The CEO called me and said, “I need you to quit your job and come work for Boot Barn, and we need to rebrand Boot Barn.” I think there’s something to really home in on with just trusting your instinct and trusting your intuition.
In 2018, you came up with the idea for Wonderwest, blending runway trends with classic Western style. What gap did you see in the market that inspired this?
In 2018, there was this movement of Western-inspired fashion that was popping up everywhere. Our core customer … feeds America, builds America, and protects America, so when you’re creating these really authentic gritty visuals, it’s hard then to shift gears and show people short shorts from Miss Me that are rhinestoned. But there is a customer for that, and it’s part of our lifestyle, but it’s all fashion, zero function. Wonderwest was created simply because a lot of people were inspired by Western fashion, but we didn’t necessarily have a space to directly talk to that customer and show them the kind of visuals and marketing that we thought would open them up to the Boot Barn brand.
You’ve spoken about the importance of creating a positive, supportive workplace. What does that look like in practice?
I think what it looks like is not leading with rigid ideals but leading with empathy … and understanding that family is truly the priority. Work, although it matters, is not as important as the role of being a mother or a father. I always say, I don’t care when the work gets done, I just care it gets done.
HEAR MORE!
Listen to Isha Nicole on “The Zest,” airing March 5.
lnk.to/TheZest.