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| Molly
Doyle (top) will take three students (from left) Sharon Giroux, Rachel
Pearl, and Jennifer Fangmann to New York City this spring. |
Behind the scenes of the New York fashion world is an army of style sergeants
— buyers and merchandisers who ensure that glamour-conscious consumers
can choose from the hottest trends. For accessories sales representative
Molly Brunton Doyle, the fast-paced lifestyle is so dynamic that she delights
in sharing it with Ohio University students intrigued by the fashion industry.
But simply conveying career tips isn’t enough for the incredibly
energetic Doyle, BSHE ’79. Every spring, she helps two or three undergraduate
retail merchandise majors gain career experience as they travel with her,
all expenses paid, to New York City for “market week,” when
fall fashions are laid out for department store buyers. Doyle covers the
trip’s cost with proceeds from an annual “samples sale”
she conducts at her Cincinnati home with the students’ help.
“When I see that market week helps change the students’ view
of the garment industry, and they become wiser about their chosen profession,
then that’s rewarding,” Doyle says.
This year’s students — Rachel Pearl and Jennifer Fangmann, both
of Cincinnati, and Sharon Giroux of Houston — have a solid mentor
in Doyle. Ensconced in a world of scarves, evening wraps, jewelry and
handbags, she works for industry leader Cejon and Kenneth Cole Accessories.
The contacts she made earlier as an independent sales rep have enabled
her to convince companies to provide her with free or deeply discounted
samples, which she in turn sells to the more than 500 women who attend
her annual sale. This year’s extravaganza buried almost every room
of her house in women’s accessories and clogged the streets of her
suburban Cincinnati neighborhood with shoppers’ cars.
Doyle says her own “eye-opening experience” as a summer intern
at a Columbus department store introduced her to the market week experience.
So eight years ago, she started out small, paying the expenses of one
student assistant by selling samples of sterling jewelry, fashion watches,
scarves and socks. Today, the weeklong trip costs Doyle $1,500 per student.
“The important thing is they get to experience what really occurs
during market week appointments,” Doyle says. “Buying appointments
are business meetings at which financial statements, profitability, receipt
plans and advertising are discussed.”
Doyle includes the students in her meetings with buyers and enlists their
help in cataloging and pricing samples and organizing showrooms.
“It’s different from an internship because the students spend
an intense few days immersed in the process of merchandising,” says
Ann Paulins, director of the School of Human and Consumer Sciences. “They
can use this meaningful experience as a résumé builder,
and in a job interview it gives them an edge.”
Pearl, a senior, believes the experience will help her reach her goal
of one day owning a cosmetics business.
“Being in New York is a different world than what we do in Ohio,”
she says. “Molly’s an exciting person, and it’s amazing
that she’s giving us this opportunity.”
Adds Giroux, also a senior: “We learn a lot in college, but real-world
experience will shake up and reinforce my illusions about the fashion
industry.”
The students’ work leaves a lasting impression on Doyle’s peers,
too.
“They always comment on the great work ethic of our students. They
work their tails off, which makes our university look good,” she
notes.
Doyle comes by her own strong work ethic — and her loyalty to Ohio
University — naturally. Her father, Wallace Brunton, was the only
one of nine children in his Glouster, Ohio, coal mining family to graduate
from college. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University in
1949.
“His ability to go to college made a difference in his life and made
a difference in our lives,” Doyle says. “When we were growing
up, there was no question we were going to OU.”
Brunton of Sarasota, Fla., describes his daughter as “high on life,”
someone who enjoyed her four years at Ohio University so much “she
doesn’t want to let go.” He says it’s a good bet his grandchildren
— Doyle and her husband, Jeff, have two daughters, Katie, 14, and
Kelsey, 10 — will follow their mother’s footsteps to campus.
In the meantime, Doyle is relishing her own continuing connection with
the University, and she encourages others to get involved.
“It amazes me how many people leave college and don’t think
the University ever needs their help,” she says. “I’m just
a normal person, and I can do it. My little samples sale is so meaningful
— I just love it.”
By Melody Sands
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