Specialty Fabrics Review February 2022 - 46

[ MARKETS ] BUSINESS
A
Women hold up
half the sky
One woman's cross-cultural
journey to assuming a
pivotal role at a successful
ingredient brand.
by Courtney Caneer-Cruzan
SUCCESSFUL INGREDIENT BRAND IS ONLY
as good as the hard work and supportive foundation
it is built on and continues to nurture. brrr˚ Inc. is one
such ingredient brand, whose talented female founder has built
a strong foundation of trust, perseverance and steady growth
by surrounding herself with a strategically skilled team.
On Jan 5, 2020, I was blessed to find myself relocating
to Atlanta, Ga., making a new home in the cool offices of
brrr˚
, a then five-year-old startup with patented cooling yarn
technology. The journey to this office began when I was in
high school (although the seed was most likely planted earlier
growing up with a creative/scientific design family), when I
decided to pursue a career in clothing, textiles and design with
an international MBA in textile trade policy. That educational
foundation set me on the path to understanding all facets
of the textile industry and how to find my place in it.
My journey first took me to France when I thought I
was a designer; back to California to begin working in retail
management, where I learned how to manage people and
the public; on to managing marketing and development of a
high-end menswear brand amid a corporate shift in culture; to
consulting and living in mainland China; then localizing with a
woven mill in Taiwan; transitioning back to the U.S. to support
new manufacturing of Taiwanese performance textiles in North
Carolina and garment production in Haiti; and finally to Atlanta
to the beginning of the supply chain in developing and sourcing
production of fiber yarn technology and performance fabrics.
Skill sets for success
The journey I took through my 20s and 30s was challenging,
inspiring, intriguing and terrifying. It's the journey, not the
destination, that builds the skill sets for your personal success.
As a professional woman in a fast-paced industry driven
by predominantly strong male leadership, I did encounter
moments of machoism, but it never affected me because I
focused on my value as a professional. No matter your gender,
if you can command a room and be trusted for your strategic
thinking, you will be respected.
The more challenging part of my career has been striving to
 Courtney Cruzan's cross-cultural journey to becoming vice
president of Sourcing and Product Development for brrr˚ Inc.
took her to France, California, mainland China, Taiwan, North
Carolina, Haiti and finally Atlanta. Photo: brrr˚ Inc.
be a superstar without being threatening. Finding myself as one
of the youngest and only " foreigners " in a boardroom, I had to
consistently assert my convictions based on fact and intuition to
advise the best way forward for a product whether that entailed
presenting to the lead sourcing officer for Ralph Lauren or
a Japanese artisanal one-man company. When working for
Taiwanese and Chinese private and public companies, one must
learn how to apply just the right amount of influence without
being viewed as an overly confident American. In addition, for
46 SPECIALTY FABRICS REVIEW / February 2022
Specialty Fabrics Review February 2022

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