Photos by Jesse Chambers.
Free spirited but practical, Jarah Emerson runs her own New York fashion showroom.
Photos by Jesse Chambers.
Emerson’s tattoos include the image of her Chihuahua, Little Dude, on her right arm.
Photos by Jesse Chambers.
Emerson bikes to work, usually with Little Dude, her constant companion.
MANHATTAN – Lots of peopledream of working in fashion or livingin New York.
Jarah Emerson, formerly of Trussville, does both.
The founder of Gear Collective, a wholesale showroom, Emerson represents cutting-edge brands like EFM Menswear, People Footwear and Notabag.
“I pair brands to retailers that are best suited for them, and I work with brands to create the right product for the market,”she said.
Emerson’s career grows out of her nearly lifelong affinity for sales, but it also stems from her unique personality. An independent, free-spirited creative, Emerson is also smart, practical and works hard.
This combination makes her theperfect entrepreneur.
The Cahaba Sun met Emerson at her co-working space on Fifth Avenue near the Empire State Building. She talked about her career, how her mother inspired her, what drove her to have her own company and why she loves New York – a big, tough city that is now home for this adventurous Southern girl.
Emerson attended Pinson Valley Elementary, Rudd Middle School and Hewitt-Trussville High School before graduating from Parkway Christian Academy in 1998.
She was always drawn to sales. Her first job was selling knives at an army-navy store. She later sold used cars. Emerson studied criminal psychology at Auburnand UAB but left college one credit shortof graduation.
“I learned that I wanted to work more than I wanted to learn,” she said.
And Emerson always felt destined for a colorful career. “I knew there was going to be something,” she said.
Experiences on temp jobs in conservative corporate settings in Birmingham reinforced her desire to work on her own.
“I would look at regular jobs and say, ‘I’m really not into this,’” she said.
She was also inspired by her mother, Belinda, a hard-working entrepreneur who had a large sewing room in the basement and designed wedding and other custom dresses for wealthy customers.
Emerson’s mother helped her design a line of clothing for junior girls, thereby kicking off her fashion career.
“We designed a lot of tank tops with embellishments, dresses and premium cotton combos that were great for beachwear,” Emerson said.
Emerson started her own company in 2003, selling the line created with her mother as well as some other products, and went on long road trips selling to boutiques in the Southeast.
She moved to Atlanta in 2005, but then moved to New York in 2006 in search of greater challenges and deeper industry knowledge. Toy maker Kidrobot was launching a line of apparel and hiredEmerson to sell it.
Her bosses wanted to place the new products in prestigious retailers Barney’s and Colette. Within three weeks, the driven Emerson had landed both stores.
“I just don’t understand the whole pretense of like, you can’t call them, because they are cooler than you,” she said. “No, they’re not. I said, ‘They are going to be my friend, and they will want to buy from me.’”
In 2008, she went to work at a showroom, The Foundation, where she sold Mosley Tribes sunglasses and G-Shock watches. She became a top salesperson but was driven by a desire for freedom, so she launched Gear Collective in 2010.
“What I enjoy most is that I always know that my best is good enough,” she said. “In the past, I worked for people who thought that a way to motivate was to push harder and act like nothing is good enough.”
Gear Collective is a family affair. Emerson’s mother, working remotely, handles accounting and operations. Emerson’s brother, Jeramy, has a showroom at his house in Springville and calls on retailers.
And Emerson said she loves New York. In fact, the city has a surprisingly soothing effect on her.
“I’ve always had a very busy mind, and quiet and calm somehow have an opposite effect on me,” she said. “I love for my surroundings to be wilder than me, and New York always delivers.”
The city has its drawbacks, including air pollution, according to Emerson.
“I also don’t love walking up 56 stairs every time I come in from outside, but that’s my trade off for living a few blocks from Central Park on the Upper East Side,” she said.
The Upper East Side, where she always dreamed of living, is “gorgeous,” she said.
The health-conscious Emerson bikes daily, including her daily commute, and is almost always accompanied by her 12-year-old Apple Head Chihuahua, Little Dude.
She also enjoys getting tattoos, includ-ing an image of Little Dude’s face on her upper arm.
She misses people from Trussville but is happy to be in New York.
“I loved the South as a child, but I believe some of us are just made to spread our wings and fly,” she said. “I was always a curious kid with no fear. That turned out to work for me in unexpected ways.”
