Fashioning the Future
Photo by Rome Shaw.
by David Blosser '19
Growing up in NYC, Gabrielle Joffie ’07 often found herself venturing to the nearby hair salon with her mother. And more often than not, she wasn’t actually there to get her hair done but to experience the culture—from hearing the latest neighborhood gossip to seeing a customer’s smile after a successful styling.
“It was during these moments that I fell in love with beauty and health,” she says.
When Joffie attended Dickinson, she majored in economics and played lacrosse and was often complimented by her peers as “always looking fabulous.” So it comes as no surprise that today Joffie serves as director of brand management at Indique Hair LLC, a hair-extension company based in Atlanta that helps women feel fabulous daily. The company sells premium hair extensions for venues as diverse as movie production sets, theatres and everyday beauty boutiques.
In her role, Joffie maintains the company’s brand and analyzes how it is perceived in the market. Whether she’s designing the most recent marketing campaign or writing the copy for the latest product, Joffie wears many hats during the day. But to her, this variety is one of the most exciting parts of the job.
According to Joffie, a branding strategy is successful when it touches the consumer emotionally and makes a meaningful difference. “There’s a stereotype that the beauty industry is vain,” Joffie explains. “But for many women, the extensions give them the confidence to get through what they’re battling—whether they’re struggling with their self-image or fighting cancer. And that’s a powerful thing.”
When she’s not working her 9-to-5, Joffie runs a digital consulting agency, The Digital Mavens, alongside her co-founder, where she continues to design and manage brands. She also writes her own blog, “Round the Way Girl,” where she highlights her travels and shares her journey of working in the beauty industry.
“Although I’m not sure what’s next, I see myself evolving with the brand at Indique,” Joffie says. “But who knows, before or after then, I might just end up releasing a fashion line. Stay tuned.”
Read more from the spring 2019 issue of Dickinson Magazine.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published May 10, 2019