Suzanne Kopulos is the style director and founder of Garmental, an online community of local shopping and style. Kopulos is also a renowned stylist with influential artist, model and fashion agency Ford Artists and owns the luxury handbag line “Boujie Baby Couture.” Suzanne’s go-to fashion staples are leather and vintage jewelry. The DePaulia was lucky enough to sit down and chat with her about the Chicago fashion industry, Garmental, and so much more.

ξ

The DePaulia: So, how did you wind up in the fashion industry in Chicago of all places?

Suzanne Kopulos: Chicago is where I’m from, so I could have chosen any place, but I was moving back to be closer to my family. I started in fashion after I graduated from law school so I was making a career change directly after graduation. That was when I kind of jetted off to New York for a little while just to interview small manufacturers and learn what it took to launch your own brand; more specifically, how things were made. That’s when I launched my first handbag collection.

ξ

DP: How would you say the Chicago fashion scene differs from other major cities?

SK: That’s a huge question! To pin point it a little bit, Chicago is a consumer-driven fashion community, opposed to somewhere like LA and New York where things are actually made and shown, like fashion week. Everything in LA and New York is business to business, wherein Chicago that is not the case. There are no showrooms like in New York or LA, so we are not as in touch with the designers or the people who are making things happen like magazine editors – it’s a very different feel. We truly are the “second city” in fashion from that perspective.

ξ

DP: What are your favorite fall trends?

SK: It’s always, always leather. So leather is back – I am a huge black and blue color combo person. When you walk through the stores, it’s always black and blue paired together. I love it so much because when I was growing up, you had to wear brown with blue and I hated brown with blue.

ξ

DP: That does not sound like a good combo.

SK: No, not at all. Also, I understand why everyone loves the gilded baroque but it’s just not that wearable. Military is back again, but I always love it. That utilitarian look is always so easily wearable, and always chic. Glitter shoes are also chic this season.

ξ

DP: Like the Kate Spade and the Miu Miu glitter collections?

SK: I would wear all of those. You can just never go wrong with any of these, ever.

ξ

DP: New York Fashion Week just took place. What collection grabbed your attention?

SK: That’s so hard! This is kind of shocking, maybe it’s just because I don’t wear formal wear a lot, but I loved the Tadashi Shoji show; if you want to be inspired by color and beauty, then this show was just awesome. How can I pick? I always love Nicholas K. Did you see Rachel Zoe’s presentation?

ξ

DP: Sounds amazing! Can you tell me a little bit about Garmental and what is to come in the future?

SK: Well, we have expanded to LA, Dallas and New York so you’ll be seeing a lot of looks available directly for purchase on the website, styled by me. I don’t know, there are some things I can say and some things I can’t!

ξ

DP: Well then what can you say?

SK: People will be able to interact more on the site and have more of a discussion about it with me and each other. We will be getting more into featuring a lot more local people in these cities who can give you more of a fashion perspective, and more of an inside look into the machine.

ξ

DP: Any advice for young women hoping to be in your shoes someday?

SK: (Laughs) Do they want to be? No, but the one thing I think is the hardest is that I never interned for big companies in this industry. I would say if you wanted to be a designer, go intern with these designers so you know the ins-and-outs of how things are made, and how operations are made. Honestly, just network, network, network. Intern for free if you can, make as good of an impression as you can on everybody and truly try to find your right fit. I think honesty and integrity is the biggest asset you’re ever going to have because there are so many people who don’t have it in this industry. You have to work hard and start from the bottom-up.