Meet Velou’s Fashion Intelligence Director: Tricia Lahren
Why did you choose to work at Velou?
I've been working in fashion for two decades, from retail sales at Benetton and Nordstrom to dressing for New York Fashion Week, designing for a sportswear line, and styling Ad campaigns.
I received a B.S. in Merchandise Management and an A.A.S. in Fashion Buying and Merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. My favorite styling project was a commercial shoot for Nestle Butterfinger. I liken the Butterfinger shoot to a "mini-movie" filmed in downtown San Francisco with a wardrobe trailer and production crew. I was also fortunate to style a music video at George Lucas's ranch!
My clients range from luxury department stores to specialty stores such as Baby Gap, Neiman Marcus, Pottery Barn, Lord & Taylor, and Levi Strauss. I got started with Velou after working for Area 120, an in-house Google incubator called Tailor App that needed stylists for their platform. I became interested in the intersection of Fashion and Technology and the processes one takes to incorporate a fashion tech solution on an individualized basis. Everyone loves fashion and personal shopping advice. At Velou, I've been able to work on the technology side of fashion and applying my industry expertise.
What are you responsible for?
As the Fashion Intelligence Director at Velou, my primary goal is to align fashion to quantifiable datasets so that our engineers can build the algorithms our retailers need. I categorize and index fashion as the basis of these algorithms.
“It feels good to solve problems. One of our goals is to use this data to offer personalized styling algorithmically. Of course, my other favorite thing at Velou is the people! ”
What does a typical day at Velou look like for you?
Our team works across different time zones, so I usually check my Slack messages before my first cup of coffee. My day is never quite the same at Velou, but it will always involve something fashion or beauty-related. I spend my time multitasking between research and analysis, data interpretation, and communicating with our engineers. I also routinely check our clients' web stores and search capabilities to ensure we're exceeding their expectations with our business solutions.
What is your favorite thing about working for Velou?
I enjoy the analytical aspects of combining fashion to data and collaborating with our data team. It feels good to solve problems. One of our goals is to use this data to offer personalized styling algorithmically. Of course, my other favorite thing at Velou is the people!
What do you like to do for fun?
My favorite activity is walking my dog near the Golden Gate Bridge. I’m not sure which of us enjoys it more, but we relish the cool breezes, city fog, and unparalleled views.
Which social media platform do you use the most?
I enjoy watching chef Kenji Lopez’s cooking videos on YouTube and following San Francisco interior designer Ken Fulk on Instagram :)
What was the last fashion item you purchased online?
My favorite online purchase is a 1970’s ceiling light called “Starlight” by Danish designers Anton Fogh Holm and Alfred J. Andersen that I bought through Etsy.com. The best part is that it came from Porto, a coastal city in Portugal. Through the transaction process, I made friends with the shop owner. A win-win all the way!
