Meet Chantal Joseph | Founder of Fashconnects

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chantal Joseph and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chantal, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
The value that matters most to me is serving others well. I pride myself in being able to lend a hand to friends, strangers and even my community. I find joy in being able to pour onto others, and being able to see the joy in an individual’s face from that is what keeps me going. Whether in my personal or professional life, I show up each day with a heart to serve and do what I can to leave an impact.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have been in the industry for over 9 years, my background primarily falls in the fashion industry where I have held several merchandise buying/planning roles. During the pandemic, I took a step back to evaluate what I am truly passionate about and what I feel aligns with my goals. I took a leap of faith to pivot careers, where I am now on the agency side focused on strategy work. I have faced several challenges in trying to navigate the corporate world, as with so many women of color, we are often overlooked for promotions and recognition. I wanted to be apart of an organization that values what I bring to the table and thus where I know I can create an impact. During the midst of the pandemic, I found that community was needed and finally took the leap of faith to start my brand Fashconnects which I have been sitting on for years. Fashconnects is a digital space for fashion professionals to cultivate connections, collaboration, along with personal and professional growth to create a more accessible fashion industry. In 2020, we held several live engagements that allowed our community to learn more about negotiation at work, how to navigate the fashion industry, how to combat micro-aggressions and more. In Jan 2021 we launched our fist ever digital conference where we gather industry leaders in fashion media, marketing, fashion buying and finance to help those looking to start, grow or transition their career. The insight were invaluable, and left a lasting impact on our community. I hope to continue to hold spaces for us to come together and share knowledge and insight on how to grow in this challenging industry. We plan to expand our digital offerings by bringing an app where connections can seamlessly be made. More to come on the launch date, but we are so excited to continue to help the underrepresented fashion professionals longing for connections.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Would def go out to Hoboken to hang out by the water, followed by brunch at Brownstone Pancake Factory and dinner at Ventanas at the Modern

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout to all the amazing support of my guest speakers, and moderators that I have met along the way. Those who know me both personally and through Fashconnects that have supported the campaign and events without you there would be no Fashconnects. Incredibly grateful for all the love and appreciate every single one of you!

Website: www.fashconnects.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/fashconnects

Linkedin: Fashconnects

Twitter: Fashconnects

Facebook: www.facebook.com/fashconnects