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Jennifer Chamandi
Interview & Words Bethany Boyo
As the sun sets on a mildly cold Friday afternoon, I sit down for an interview with Jennifer Chamandi Boghossian conducted by Zoom of course, as the current pandemic would have it. I am greeted by Jennifer sporting a warm and welcoming smile seated with a backdrop behind of heels which are to die for, every shoe lover’s dream. I immediately know that this interview is going to be fun. As I embarked on greetings and my first question, she highlights that the topic of women in leadership is something close to her heart and speaks on her endeavours with the charity UpReach, led by her former boss and mentor, the charity focuses on placing male and female students from underprivileged backgrounds into top jobs. Immediately I am blown away by how much she’s given back, as we begin the interview questions her answers further confirm my viewpoint.
As a woman in a leadership role what values do you hold close to your heart?
As a woman in leadership, you should show how to lead with kindness. You don’t have to shout or be patronising towards people to get your point across. I started in banking on the training floor and when you work in the corporate world it’s so easy to become masculine and lose your femininity, people think that’s what women become when they work in a male dominated industry. However, I quickly realised that I had to stay true to myself, it may seem innocent or naïve, but kindness is such a strong asset to have. I find that most of my successes come from leading with kindness and maintaining the relationships that I have even in the midst of challenges. When the initial seed is planted with kindness, then the relation will work continuously.
What makes Jennifer Chamandi stand out from other shoe brands?
What makes us stand out is very simple, it’s called ‘The Eye of the Needle’ and it’s our signature design. In French stiletto means ‘le talon aiguille’ which means needle heel, I don’t come from a fashion background, so I said if I’m going to do something, I have to be different, have a unique design and strong DNA. Contrary to other brands that tend to launch and then find their brand DNA along the way, I started with the identity and then developed the brand. That signature is seen in all my heels and even the flats, ‘The Eye of the Needle’ has even now been patented in the U.K, U.S and Hong Kong. It’s an instant recognition of the brand, I wanted it to be that if you have 10 black heels you can spot the Jennifer Chamandi pair easily.
Wow that’s amazing and so unique. How did the brand come to fruition?
I always wanted to do something within fashion I was always passionate about it, I see now in my kids too. I studied Economics for my parents as they wanted me to have a strong base, which today I cherish. I moved to England and I didn’t know a word of English apart from the lessons I had at school two hours a week and my recorder that I brought with me. It was a big challenge, but my dreams were bigger, my vision was bigger, and I knew that if I didn’t try nobody would just give it to me. I did my internship at Merrill Lynch in Lebanon just before the war broke out in 2006, which led to them closing the office. I sent a four-page motivational letter to someone from the Merrill Lynch office in the U.K, I had to do the interviews by torch light, which is surreal to think that you can go through that in the 21st century.
I started working on the trading floor in 2007 and went through the financial crisis of 2008 on the trading floor, looking back I can say that what I learnt with challenge comes strength and those seven years taught me 20 years combined. I went on to do short courses at Central St. Martins to see if I like the enough to make a business out of it, I found that the more I was doing it, the more I felt like I was fulfilling something internally and so I said, “You know what if I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it.” It’s funny life happens in cycles of seven years normally and I didn’t really have a plan, but I always felt that if it didn’t work out, I could always come back to finance. That’s why its so important to never burn bridges because you never know when you’ll cross paths with people again, even though they’re different industries everything is interrelated. I started the business and learnt Italian because I wanted to manufacture my shoes there, I googled manufacturers and got rejected four times and finally agreed because he saw my persistence and my passion. I was incredibly lucky to be launched by Browns and just 10 days before I gave birth to twins, which is ironic because I had said that I would launch the brand before having kids.
That’s quite the journey and that’s what makes the brand what it is today. So, what’s next for Jennifer Chamandi?
I’ve been thinking and reflecting on this and what I was thinking is before the pandemic fashion was very fast and everybody was focusing and thinking of the next thing. However, I almost want to do the Anti and the opposite of that. I design shoes because I feel it in my core that it’s what I’m made to do and it comes from within, also I love to design timeless shoes that people who buy it will cherish and wear for a long time. I only introduce one style of shoe a season because I see from both my private clients and e-commerce customers that they are recurrent buyers. A lot has happened in the last five years, so right now I’m really trying to cement the brand, Jennifer Chamandi is not something I created just for the hype of it I want the brand to still be around in 10 years’ time. I’m building something with strong foundations and establishing a classic brand and style. Year by year I want to focus on ecommerce and building a community made up of the wonderful, down to earth women who wear my shoes. I receive testimonials everyday which I respond to myself, I want to be relatable to the women who buy my shoes.
Amazing. I feel like those are the types of brands that stand the test of time, the ones with a sense of community behind them. Describe Jennifer Chamandi in Three Words?
Timeless, chic and empowering!
Everything has energy shoes, clothes, bags everything! I choose my outfits based on my shoes. I always say shoes either make the outfit or continue the outfit. Shoes have the power to make you feel empowered. I remember walking around the house in my mothers’ heels and in fact I studied better when I was in heels. When you wear good shoes you instantly feel a boost of confidence.
What drives you to achieve your goals?
I have these boards that I keep in front of me, I call them vision boards. We all have big dreams, it’s important to have the big visions but it’s also important to have and set for yourself the mini visions and the wins. Goals to have to always feel like you’re moving up the mountain. I always want to be an expert in everything I do, knowledge is power, and nobody can take your knowledge from you. You have to set your goals but also put things in place to practically achieve them, I’m always trying to upskill myself and learn new things. You have to see, feel and hear what you want to achieve, I put everything I want to see happen and I want to achieve on my vision board, and I immerse myself into really thinking and reflecting on that goal. whilst working hard towards it. I practice creative visualisation a lot of the time, I wouldn’t call it meditation it’s more about sitting and thinking, training your brain to visualise the goal.
