Visual Merchandising — Gianna Pariani

Visual merchandising isn't just about products on shelves; it's a personal story unfolding through the arrangement of colors, lighting, and space. It invites customers into a narrative, connecting them emotionally with the brand, and turning each shopping trip into a unique, personal experience.

My career in visual merchandising has provided me with a rich, diverse foundation across top brands, including pivotal roles at Lululemon, Vuori, Nordstrom, and Veronica Beard, totaling five years of experience in visual merchandising. For two rewarding years as a Visual Merchandise Lead at Lululemon, I immersed myself in the world of athletic apparel, contributing to captivating in-store experiences and shaping the brand's visual presence. I collaborated closely with the merchandising team, bringing creativity, attention to detail, and a deep understanding of the brand's ethos. From curating stunning displays to implementing innovative merchandising strategies, I ensured that our stores offered an immersive and inspiring environment for customers, while also motivating my team to deliver consistent and exceptional results.

Building on this foundation, I transitioned seamlessly into a Visual Merchandising Lead role at Vuori, where I adapted my skills to the brand's unique aesthetic and vision. Known for its effortlessly stylish activewear, Vuori allowed me to deepen my expertise in spatial design, color theory, and product placement. I worked with the team to create visually compelling displays that resonated with Vuori’s audience, showcasing products in immersive, customer-centered environments. My work included opening the Vuori Park Meadows store, where I played a vital role in layout planning, fixture placement, and integrating local culture into the visual elements, helping to establish a strong brand presence and engage the Park Meadows community.

At Nordstrom, I further honed my ability to connect product selection with customer needs, contributing to dynamic merchandising strategies that drove sales and customer engagement. Working across both men's and designer shoes, I focused on analyzing market trends and adapting selections to meet the preferences of high-end customers.

As an Assistant General Manager at Veronica Beard, I collaborated with the buying and planning teams to align product assortments with market demand, ultimately becoming a market leader in the region. By analyzing sales data to assess category performance, I identified top-performing products and recommended strategic merchandising adjustments to optimize stock levels and visual appeal. This experience underscored my analytical abilities and my commitment to aligning merchandising strategies with broader brand and customer goals.

Each of these roles has strengthened my expertise in brand consistency, visual storytelling, and customer engagement. Through collaboration, strategic thinking, and a passion for design, I’m committed to creating impactful in-store experiences that contribute to brand success and leave a lasting impression on customers.

veronica beard

vuori

Vuori new store opening

While working at Vuori as a visual merchandise lead, I had the privilege of assisting the NSO (New Store Opening) team in the successful execution of opening Park Meadows, a significant milestone for the brand. As a temporary part of the NSO team, my primary responsibility was to ensure that the highest standards were maintained throughout the entire process. With meticulous attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and a deep understanding of Vuori's brand, I helped play a crucial role in creating an exceptional store experience for our customers.

Key Responsibilities: Store Setup and Visual Merchandising: Working closely with the NSO team, I actively participated in the setup and visual merchandising of the Park Meadows store. This involved collaborating with the team to design and execute an engaging store layout, ensuring proper placement and arrangement of merchandise, and creating visually appealing displays that showcased our premium activewear. I adhered to the brand's visual merchandising standards, ensuring continuity and consistency with other Vuori stores.

Brand Standards and Guidelines: I ensured that all aspects of the Park Meadows store opening adhered to Vuori's highest brand standards and guidelines. This included meticulously following the established protocols for visual merchandising, store operations, customer service, and overall store aesthetics. By upholding these standards, I contributed to creating a seamless and elevated shopping experience that aligned with Vuori's brand identity.

Vuori Merchandising

Position Overview: In my role as the Visual Merchandising Floor Lead at Vuori, I played a crucial role in supporting the Field Merchant in creating an exceptional in-store experience for our customers. My primary responsibility was to assist the Field Merchant in executing visual merchandising strategies that aligned with Vuori's brand image. With a keen eye for detail, a passion for creativity, and strong organizational skills, I effectively contributed to curating visually stunning displays that showcased our premium activewear products and resonated with our target audience.

Key Responsibilities: Assisting Field Merchant: As the Visual Merchandising Floor Lead, my main responsibility was to support the Field Merchant in executing visual merchandising strategies. This involved closely collaborating with the Field Merchant to understand the brand's vision, product assortment, and target market. By assisting in the planning and execution of visual merchandising initiatives, I ensured that our stores consistently reflected Vuori's unique aesthetic and brand values.

Visual Merchandising Execution: I worked closely with the Field Merchant to translate visual merchandising plans into reality. This involved arranging and styling merchandise in visually appealing ways, ensuring proper product placement, and maintaining overall visual coherence within the store. I paid meticulous attention to detail to create compelling displays that showcased the features and benefits of our activewear products, driving customer engagement and sales.

Inventory Management and Stock Levels: Working closely with the Field Merchant, I monitored inventory levels and assisted in ensuring that the store maintained appropriate stock levels. By collaborating with the Field Merchant and store teams, I facilitated the replenishment and rotation of merchandise to ensure optimal visual presentation and availability of key products. I communicated inventory needs to the appropriate teams, contributing to an efficient and visually appealing shopping experience.

Training and Collaboration: I actively participated in training sessions, acquiring knowledge on visual merchandising best practices, brand guidelines, and product information. I collaborated with store teams, providing guidance and support to ensure consistent visual merchandising execution across multiple locations.

lululemon athletica

Lululemon Merchandising

Position Overview: As the Visual Merchandise Lead at Lululemon, I held a pivotal role in curating an exceptional in-store experience for our valued customers. My primary responsibility was to ensure consistent adherence to visual merchandising standards across all Lululemon stores. Leveraging my expertise in visual merchandising, meticulous attention to detail, and innate creativity, I successfully crafted visually stunning displays that reflected and enhanced our brand image, leaving a lasting impact on our customers.

Key Responsibilities: Visual Merchandising Standards: In my role, I was entrusted with implementing and upholding the visual merchandising standards set by Lululemon. I took pride in training and educating store teams on these standards, ensuring their seamless execution. Regular store visits allowed me to assess compliance and provide constructive feedback to enhance the visual merchandising skills of the team members.

Store Layout and Design: Collaborating closely with cross-functional teams, I contributed to designing store layouts that maximized space utilization and optimized product placement. For each new product launch, promotion, or seasonal change, I developed comprehensive visual merchandising plans. Creating visually appealing merchandise grids for walls and fixtures became second nature to me, as I aimed to effectively showcase our product assortments.

Continuity and Brand Alignment: To ensure consistency across all Lululemon stores, I meticulously followed a pre-made format or guide. Working closely with the Visual Merchandising team, I contributed to the development of brand-aligned visual merchandising strategies. My commitment to maintaining brand standards resulted in a cohesive and recognizable brand presence across all stores. Regular communication with store teams allowed me to reinforce brand guidelines and provide valuable guidance on achieving and maintaining continuity.

Visual Merchandise Execution: As the driving force behind visual merchandising initiatives, I led the execution of captivating window displays, impactful in-store signage, and engaging promotional setups. Collaboration with store teams was vital in prioritizing tasks and ensuring timely completion. My keen eye for detail enabled me to curate stunning displays by thoughtfully arranging and placing merchandise. I proactively stayed abreast of industry trends and consistently incorporated innovative visual merchandising techniques.

Team Collaboration: I fostered a collaborative and positive working environment, promoting cross-functional teamwork. Collaborating with store managers, regional managers, and corporate teams, I ensured visual merchandising strategies were aligned with the overarching business objectives. By providing training and mentorship to team members on visual merchandising techniques, standards, and best practices, I contributed to their professional growth and the overall success of the team.