This Accomplished Fashion Industry Exec Relocated to Providence - And Just Launched a New Company
Thursday, December 22, 2022
Accomplished fashion and merchandising industry executive Jennifer Cassara wants to help change women’s lives by helping them to create not just timeless, effortless wardrobes, but “GoodRobes.”
Cassara, who moved to Providence with her husband Chris two years ago, just launched “GoodRobe & Co,” to make it easy for women to look their best and feel confident, with styles that are created to “mix and match for endless and effortless wardrobe options.”
A native New Yorker, Cassara has had a wide-ranging career, but always had in the back of her head the concept for GoodRobe.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“Growing up, when most girls would have dozens of Barbies, I had one Barbie — and a trunk full of clothes for her,” said Cassara. “I’d take a blanket and lay out dozens of outfits for her, but each outfit had to incorporate a piece of the previous outfit.”
In a career that took her from New York, to Boston, to Washington, DC, and finally, to Providence, Cassara says she could not be more thrilled with landing in Rhode Island, working for both a family-owned jewelry company by day as well as on her passion project GoodRobe.
“I love it here. I love downtown Providence. I love the people,” said Cassara. “There’s just something about Providence that clicks with me personally.”
But before she got here — it was a long and winding journey to where she is now.
And one of her career highlights? Flagging the meteoric trajectory of Rhode Island jewelry behemoth Alex & Ani as it had just begun its ascent, in what Cassara calls a “Tom Brady” moment of her career.
Sewing the Seeds of a Career in Fashion
Growing up on Long Island, Cassara’s interests included dance and fashion — and mathematics, which is what she first majored in when she went to SUNY Binghamton.
Cassara originally thought she wanted to be an actuary.
“People kept telling me it wasn’t for me,” laughed Cassara. What she really enjoyed was helping her classmates get dressed for big events.
“I’d go to formals in college, and I was always the last one to get ready because I was helping everyone else,” said Cassara, whose talents also include doing make-up. “I love that smile when a woman feels beautiful. Being able to do that, you don’t think of it as a talent, but it’s just who you are.”
So when Lord & Taylor came recruiting on campus, Cassara, who was a communications major at this point, knew pursuing a career in buying could be a good “fit.”
“Buying is using both sides of the brain. There’s the fashion and creative hit, but it’s also very heavy mathematics,” said Cassara.
It was when Cassara was commuting into Manhattan that she met her future husband Chris — a University of Rhode Island graduate, also working in the city, by doing what she might do best — chatting him up.
“I hated the commute. I hate the Long Island Railroad. But that’s where I met him,” said Cassara. “He was working for Price Waterhouse, and we randomly met on the platform. I think he stared at me for 45 minutes while I just kept talking.”
The chance encounter led to marriage, and a decision to move up to Boston, where Cassara worked for both Filene’s and Filene’s Basement, before she opened and ran her own stores — Bella and Bella’s Closet in four locations in Massachusetts — and then the Great Recession hit.
“It was hard to manage growth. At that point, I just couldn’t get the funding,” said Cassara, whose next move was to The Paper Store, where she went all in on Alex and Ani at its outset.
“[The Paper Store] didn’t have fashion and jewelry at the time,” said Cassara, who changed that — quickly.
In the early days of Alex and Ani, Cassara said she had gotten a rate sheet and was interested, but at the time thought they were too new. The company hadn't even launched their bangle bracelets yet.
Then she saw the first Alex and Ani store in Newport, and that all changed. She was sold.
“When I brought them into The Paper Store, I said this is mine. This is my account,” said Cassara, who said that employees she supervised would usually handle the account.
“It was my Tom Brady moment,” said Cassara, noting that The Paper Store's revenue for a period of time was roughly 30% from the jewelry brand, and they outperformed stores such as Bloomingdale’s for selling the wildly popular items. “We even carried more bracelets at one point than Alex and Ani stores.”
Path to RI
After more than ten years at The Paper Store, Cassara knew she wanted to move on to the next thing — which she thought would be launching GoodRobe, but she was lured to work for a company in Washington, DC, instead.
“I knew what it was like not to have a paycheck owning your own business. I chose the safe road instead,” she said.
And what had seemed like the “safe” option turned out to be anything but. Cassara said the job wasn’t a fit from the beginning, and she had an emergency hysterectomy while in Washington, while her husband was working still back in Boston as she recovered.
Then the pandemic hit — and she was let go from her job.
“I think hitting rock bottom is the best for everybody,” said Cassara. “I was dying to do GoodRobe.”
And as luck would have it, her expansive network connected her with jewelry company Periwinkle by Barlow in East Providence — and Cassara jumped at the chance to move to Rhode Island, which she had come to love spending time in Newport when she and her husband had lived in Boston.
Now, Cassara works for Periwinkle by day, and her passion project GoodRobe in all the other hours she can.
“The goal is about community and connection. It’s more than just a clothing company,” said Cassara.
Her goal is to partner further with Dress for Success — to which she currently gives 5% of proceeds — to find a way to match her “capsule” collections with women in need who could benefit from her professional wardrobe.
“It’s never been about the money for me. When I had Bella’s, we didn’t even have a couch for years. I literally cried when we finally got a couch,” said Cassara.
These days, Cassara said she’s excited to start exploring Providence — where the couple lives — in earnest, as they had moved to Rhode Island during the pandemic when most everything was shuttered.
And as far as community and empowering women, Cassara is now going to be featuring female leaders in profiles regularly on her website.
“I call it the ‘Do-good’ spotlight,” said Cassara.
You can check out GoodRobe — and learn about Cassara's latest mission — HERE.
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