Listen to the full conversation between Dakota Kate Isaacs and Fashionista Beauty + Style Director Steph Saltzman on The Fashionista Network on Spotify.
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Of the many consumer businesses we cover at Fashionista, only a few have
experienced what can truly be described as “meteoric” rises. Among them are
beauty company Deciem (creator of The Ordinary) and DTC giant Quince. Both beloved for offering accessibly priced, high-quality products, the two entities also happen to have one other thing in common: Dakota Kate Isaacs.
The brand builder began her career in agency PR before becoming Deciem’s first U.S. employee, overseeing the company’s expansion into more than 2,500 doors across North America and playing an integral part in its acquisition by The Estée Lauder Companies — at the time ranking as ELC’s largest acquisition in its history.
(In the interest of full disclosure, Dakota also happens to be a friend! She and I have had the pleasure of working together for almost the entirety of our careers, and I played a little part in helping her land the Deciem job – listen to our interview for more about that.)
After nearly a decade with Deciem, she was tapped by then-up-and-coming (and now $2 billion-a-year) retail brand Quince, becoming its head of brand strategy & narrative. Isaacs sat down for an interview on The Fashionista Network to share her wide-ranging insights — including how she landed these major roles without ever applying for them, her career advice for young women, some of the challenges she’s faced and the “how” of it all with regards to Quince’s business model. (Yes, I asked her for her thoughts on it being referred to as a “dupe” company.)
Watch the full interview with Fashionista on YouTube below (and check out Isaacs’ own podcast and Substack for more from the fashion and beauty pro)!
