From Silicon Valley to Fashion's Frontlines
Divya Chowdary Mathur's Journey
By Pooja Shah
In the heart of tech-centric Silicon Valley, where startups and coding reigned supreme, young Divya Chowdary Mathur dreamed of sequins and silhouettes. With an entrepreneur father and a venture capitalist mother, Mathur seemed destined for the world of bytes and algorithms. Instead, she chose the path of haute couture and retail revolution.
Fast forward to today, and Mathur boasts an impressive 18-year career that's seen her navigate the ever-evolving landscape of fashion retail. Her journey began in the bustling streets of New York, where she worked as an associate buyer at the iconic Saks Fifth Avenue. Little did she know, this was just the first stitch in a tapestry of roles that would span the breadth of the fashion industry.
As Mathur climbed the career ladder, she found herself at the intersection of fashion and technology. Remember the days when people scoffed at the idea of buying luxury handbags online? Mathur was there, pioneering e-commerce strategies when the digital fashion frontier was still a wild, untamed territory. Her roles read like a who's who of fashion powerhouses: Senior Director of Global E-commerce, Buying and Site Merchandising for Michael Kors, Head of U.S. Merchandising for Yoox, and INTERMIX’S Chief Merchandising Officer.
"I love building teams and working in chaos and with no structure, because there's so much potential."
It's this embrace of the unknown, coupled with her knack for relationship-building, that has propelled her to the forefront of fashion's digital revolution.
Today, Mathur holds court as the Chief Merchandising Office and fashion director at Revolve Group, a California-based fashion e-tailer that's become synonymous with influencer culture and cutting-edge style. Founded in 2003, Revolve has grown into a veritable fashion empire, offering everything from apparel and accessories to beauty and home products.
At Revolve, Mathur's playground is vast and varied. "We have a huge platform and have the ability to amplify our brands through our reach," she explains. "We are always trying to do outreach and work to find unique ways to collaborate with interesting products and brands so consumers can experience it themselves."
But Mathur's vision extends far beyond the traditional buy-and-sell model. In her eyes, the future of fashion lies in collaboration – not just within the industry, but across different verticals.
"Music and sports are big opportunities," she adds. "For instance, Formula 1 is a big opportunity where we can merge worlds and gauge what the fashion angle is for our customers."
This cross-pollination of ideas is where Mathur truly shines. She and her team at Revolve are
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