Worth New York is a luxury clothing line that sells through personal stylists consultants. The consultants recommend and sell clothing to clients through in-person trunk shows and shopping experiences. Worth has grown to over $100 million in annual revenue through its network of over 1,200 personal stylists. The company's model of direct sales of high-end clothing through trusted consultants is successful because it offers a personalized shopping experience that can't be matched by online-only retailers or brick-and-mortar stores.

1. NY Clothing Line Creates
Entrepreneurial 'Worth'
Cheryl Conner
ContributorReprinted from 8/07/2014 • forbes.com
A number of entrepreneurs are cashing in on a growing phenomenon in high-end fashion: luxury clothing lines that sell direct to
consumers through consultants who specialize in matching couture fashion to their clients’ lifestyles and needs.
The consultants create personalized recommendations for clients who are seeking style counsel in addition to luxury goods. They
are also adept at tapping into women’s natural affinities to network by featuring the clothing in trunk shows at various boutique
locations or via luxury shopping experiences in women’s homes. It is social selling at its best, creating immersive experiences that
combine online technology such as the ability to build an “e-closet” with hands-on exposure to the fit and the feel of high-end
luxury clothes.
“We call it ‘personalized luxury’,” says Wendy Selig-Prieb, the President of Worth New York, one of the companies that is leading
the entrepreneurial charge. For couture clothing, it’s a selling proposition that neither online giants nor high-end retail locations
can match. Selig-Prieb shared her company’s strategy with me in a recent visit at the Manhattan headquarters of Worth New York.
Wendy Selig-Prieb is President of Worth New York
Selig-Prieb has an undeniable passion for business and fashion. As I researched her background I learned that she was formerly
the CEO of the Milwaukee Brewers team from 1998-2004, a time in which she was Major League Baseball’s only female CEO.
She holds a degrees from Tufts University and Marquette University Law School and is an entrepreneur through and through.
After departing the Brewers to spend more time with family in 2004 and moving to Arizona, she combined her love of fashion
with her natural abilities to network to become one of Worth’s most successful distributors.
In 2012 she became president of Worth New York. As of April of this year, Wendy assumed a new position as President of New
Ventures. In this position she is responsible for the marketing, digital, social media and other strategic initiatives for Worth New
York and its sister brand, W by Worth. As an organization, the 23-year-old firm is approaching $100 million in annual revenue,
selling through a network of approximately 1,200 personal style consultants. Some are making incomes well into the six figures,
she says.
continued on next page 

2. Back row: NY stylists Jill Bronstein, Marci Sklaver, Bek Howell Blake, Cris
Abbott. Front row, Wendy Selig-Prieb, President, and Lamira Fondren, Cheif
Development Officer, Worth New York
Worth is a leading participant in the direct sales luxury apparel
sector that also includes brands such as CAbi, Carlisle Collec-
tion, and Doncaster. As a whole, the channel is growing rapidly,
experts say. The economic downturn of 2008, in particular, pro-
pelled a million new sales associates into direct sales of clothing
and jewelry, with the total number hovering at about 16 million,
according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal.
Fall 2014 Season Preview, Worth New York
When it comes to luxury clothing, Selig-Prieb notes that those
who combine a fashion background with a sizeable network
and a knack for social selling do best. One of these successful
consultants is Lauren Solomon, the image expert I recently
engaged with who serves as Director of Business Development
for Worth. It was Solomon who connected me with Selig-Prieb.
As we visit, I note that Worth’s model mirrors a trend Forbes
contributor J.J. Colao has covered as well: “…instead of taking
clothes from, say, Calvin Klein and selling them over the Web,
companies are now making their own clothes and creating their
own fashion brands. This control allows them to match traditional
competitors on quality while undercutting them on price.”
Contributor Ariel Adams has also noted the influx of luxury
brands that sell direct to consumers: “Luxury brands with a de-
sire to compete in today’s market must form a close relationship
with consumers that involves impressing upon people the value
of their brand and what new products are available, and giving
them an opportunity to purchase them with ease.”
While some successful consultants cite the opportunity for busy
women executives to enjoy “girlfriend time,” the Worth model
is based on one-on-one relationships, personalized attention
and selection, Selig-Prieb maintains. Solomon agrees, and says
that busy and discerning executives are the crux of her own
clientele. She also notes that working through a channel such as
Worth creates the opportunity to help her clients create looks
that are uniquely curated for them, as they are comprised of
pieces that aren’t available through traditional online channels
or brick and mortar boutiques.
In the case of Worth, the company’s designers create new sets of
merchandise four times a year, to correspond with each season.
They also design the apparel with consistent palettes and color
alternatives (such as “chocolate chip,”“buff,”“geranium” and
“sienna”) that are designed to be intermixed as the seasons evolve.
Lauren Solomon provides personalized fashion recommendations from her
home in Southern Calif.
“The executives I work with don’t have the time or the stylistic
inclination to create an optimal wardrobe or professional image
for themselves,” Solomon says. “This is where I can help. I can
assist them in building a wardrobe of choices that are versatile
and timeless, that bring out the best in their image and appear-
ance, and can blend in a variety of ways to match their evolving
styles and needs.” Like Selig-Prieb, Solomon was wearing and
selling Worth clothing to her private clients before representing
the company as a business development lead. She thrives in the
process of advancing other executives and entrepreneurs and
in helping them discover and advance their best selves. And
she loves fashion. “I admit, I get excited about the opportunity
to expose women to the concept of fabulous, luxury clothing.
I also love the opportunity to help the right woman own and
cultivate her own luxury fashion business from home.”
As Solomon surveyed my own closet this week she made a
number of changes. “We’re not even having this conversation,”
she noted laughingly as she set a number of my prior fashion
choices aside. Privately, as I prepare for upcoming presen-
tations, I’m relieved to be getting her support and help in
advance. (For anyone who would like to reach Solomon directly,
she is available at www.laurensolomon.com). With Solomon’s
help, we’ve selected some new pieces that can meet my up-
coming needs. But we haven’t placed the order quite yet–I hear
the Winter 2014 line is about to emerge. ■
Reprinted from 8/07/2014 • forbes.com