COOL FRIENDS: Meet Sonia

Name: Sonia Gallo

Instagram: @Son_Bon

Occupation: Visual Merchandiser Diesel Canada

Website: http://www.diesel.com/

Sonia and I both grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, both lived in New York and both have an obsession with wearing flowers in our hair...even in the dead of winter. Clearly we were destined to be good friends. Whenever I want to talk about a DIY project, an Olsen twin or a red carpet event, I talk to Sonia.

Sonia attended the University of Windsor but shortly after graduating darted off to New York to attend Parson's school of Design where she studied Marketing. She fell in love with New York (duh!) and ended up getting a full time gig with stylist Mel Ottenburg after working her butt off at various internships.

She has been back in Toronto for a few years now and is currently working for Diesel Canada where she handles the visual merchandising. Just returning from a work trip in Italy (can you say jealous?), I flagged her down for some questions.

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What was your first internship after you graduated from Parsons?
My first internship was at Antonio Azzuolo in New York City! I helped with his menswear presentation during fashion week. As an intern, I still got to be involved in everything from casting, to dressing models (perk!), keeping everyone organized and making sure the models were dressed and went out on time. Antonio is an amazingly talented designer- he was just a fashion fund finalist at the CFDA awards.

Describe your role at Diesel.
I am a visual merchandiser for all our corner business, so I travel to all our locations around Ontario (and sometimes out west) to merchandise the shops, put out the new clothes, make sure the shop is up to visual standards, always following the HQ guidelines. I also merchandise our showroom for each selling season, train specialists in our corner shops and take part in the buying team for some of our corner shops. I am really lucky because I get to be involved in a lot and I am constantly learning.


Favourite Cocktail?
Tequila, club soda and a splash of Grapefruit.

Currently reading?
After visiting the incredible Dover Street market last month in London, England, I started reading the kawakubo book. I have also been obsessed with any books about Hedi Slimane which are mostly picture books with his photographs (all of his Anthology of a Decade books)

You used to work for stylist Mel Ottenberg. What was the craziest project you ever worked on with him
Mel is an amazingly talented stylist ( he is actually Rihanna's current stylist, working with the impressive designer Adam Selman to create her looks). I have to say the craziest project we did, although I could name a few, would be working on Kanye West's Power video. We worked with artist Marco Brambillo who filmed the video (he has also created the video inside the standard hotel's New York elevator) and of course Kanye West. Preparing for the project for weeks before and then watching it all come together on the day of the shoot was really cool, obviously a lot of work but if you watch the video it's pretty crazy, there is a lot going on and each different person within it was filmed separately then the entire thing was put together. Seeing the final video was pretty surreal after everything. '

Vice you will never give up?
Does shopping count?

What is the average  day in the life of Sonia?
An average day for me consists of visiting a shop, which includes going to the location, looking over the shop, making it is up to standards, going through the sales goals with the specialist and finding out what has been selling, merchandising all the new collection in the proper colour stories for the season, changing any mannequins and once everything looks perfect, taking pictures to send to the rest of the Diesel team. And after all that is done I like meeting up with my friends, preferably on a patio! I love trying new places and always check out Notable.ca for new drink and restaurants recommendations.

Best piece of advice you were ever given about working in the fashion industry?
INTERNSHIPS! Do lots of them

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years, I see myself continuing on my path in the fashion industry towards success. Continuing to grow and learn and develop new skills as well as mastering my current ones. The best thing about this industry is that there is no much to learn and so many different roles...you can NEVER get bored.

Dream vacation?
Ibiza to dance from day to night and then the Greek Islands to relax

Favourite store in Toronto to shop? Window browse?
The Diesel store and The Room in The Hudson's Bay Queen St- nothing better than seeing the clothes you saw come down the runway in real life.
                           
                           
Favourite fashion website?
Style.com, opening ceremony blog, Vfiles, The Coveteur and any and all street style blogs

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Cool friends

 

Joanna and I met in the most hilarious and nerdy way possible......through a website. We were both new to New York and were both interested in getting into the fashion industry. We stalked the website Ed2010 ( a great resource for anyone looking to get into the publishing world fyi!) and were chatting on the forum "Canadians in New York". We took our chat "off the record" (HA), added each other to Facebook (mutual friends? check!, not a serial killer? was hoping not!) and made arrangements to meet up in the big bad city of New York.



We became fast friends, somewhat became room mates at one point and are now travel buddies- meeting up in places around the globe whenever we have the chance!! After New York, Joanna moved back to Toronto for a bit and then on to Hong Kong. She has worked at a handful of brag worthy places such as 3.1 Phillip Lim, Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton and most currently at Christian Louboutin.
 

 

Describe a typical Monday for you.

I go through all my emails with a coffee in hand! we have a very lean team and handle various markets across Asia, so typically we are working on many different projects; from in store customer events, press launches/previews, designer appearances, special projects and so on. A typical Monday would involve brainstorm meetings about an upcoming launch, meeting with catering to perfect the menu for an upcoming event, handling media enquiries on shoot requests and products, seeing through the translations of content for our Asia social media platform, to compiling a comprehensive budget for upcoming events.

 

What was your first job out of school or internship?

The summer of 2007 was a busy one for me, and marked my first internship experiences- all three of which happened simultaneously while I was completing a summer program at NYU. I was an entertainment intern at NBC Universal's iVillage (I assisted with content production, this undeniably sparked my obsession with celebrity and pop culture), the now defunct Giant magazine (I was a fashion intern, and learnt the basics of media loans/pulls..going from one showroom to the next with a ton of heavy lifting) and 3.1 phillip lim (I was a PR intern - I would say this internship was what solidified my decision to focus in this field).

     

 

New York, Paris or Los Angeles?

Paris. I fall in love with the city every time I go back. the amazing bakeries on every corner, the sophistication, the language, the beautiful architecture, the markets, the way everything falls together so perfectly without effort.

Number of emails on average you get a day?

I would say 40 or so. I work quite closely with head offices as well, so emails from those offices come later at night in HK and I generally wake up to them.

What has been the biggest "WOW" moment for you in your career so far?

When I had a sit down dinner with CL and Franca Sozanni of Italian Vogue / when I went to the red ball DVF BJ

Currently reading?

"The happiness project" by Gretchen Rubin

If you weren't in PR, what would you be doing?

I would definitely be working in the publishing world and writing full time, or working for an events company

                           

 

 

Worst memory in your career so far?

No such thing! Every job has its ups and downs, stresses and frustrations - but despite that I try to remind myself how hard I've worked and how lucky I am to be where I am. the people and opportunities I have met and had throughout my career have been amazing and I would not trade it for the world. Although having to endure a lot of tedious tasks and physical labor during the intern days was not the most enjoyable - it did teach me the importance of understanding how things come together down to the finest detail, and appreciate those who now are in that place assisting me. Grunt work is not hard in this industry, but it is necessary.

Favourite  indulgence?

Treating myself to a spa day! Guilty pleasure (throwing this one in): reading US weekly; always a tradition when I get on a flight

 

Morning or night person?

I'm a night owl. I sleep at 2am most week nights, for some reason my productivity is higher at night. I absolutely hate mornings and love to sleep in on weekends. Friends have nicknamed me sloth and slumber king. Let's just say coffee is KEY during my work week.

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Cool friends doing cool things

Name: Sandra Chabot
Occupation: Studying Holistric Nutrition at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition
Website: www.freetobloom.ca

I met Sandra a few years ago through a mutual friend. Throughout my time of living in LA, Sandra has undergone a lot of changes and has shifted her life in an beautiful direction. She is completely focused on her health and well being and loves to share her knowledge with others on her amazing blog- Free to Bloom. She is currently studying Holistric Nutrition at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition and once I am back in Toronto we are going to swap Yoga and Nutrition Lessons with each other! Cannot wait! It seems like "being healthy" is quite trendy right now and there is an overwhelming amount of products and information out there at the moment so I chatted with Sandra about some of her must haves, the reason for her shift

If you had to pick one food item that you could not live without, what would it be?
Clearly a really tough question, but I would say lemons. I use them every single day. They're just so cleansing and help get things moving. When life gives you lemons, you know it'll be a good day!

What's your favourite morning smoothie?
Green and packed with nutrients. Mine usually consist of either spinach or kale, zucchini, lemon, parsley, an apple or pear for sweetness, protein powder, and a very long list of additional goodies that provide me with mind-body energy for the day.

Describe a typical Monday for you.
I start every morning by tongue scraping and drinking a big glass of lukewarm lemon-cayenne water. Mondays I have school, so I head to class for the day making sure to smile at strangers on the way. In the evening, I take it easy and get myself organized for the week ahead - I’m all about R&R. Then dinner. I’m very lucky to have a wonderful man who cooks gourmet meals. Afterwards, I’ll indulge in a hot epsom salt bath with some aromatherapy. Of course, this is complementary to all the studying and FTB work I have to do.

Favourite place in Toronto to shop for healthy groceries and products?
The St. Lawrence Market is truly a gem. I get all of my local and organic produce there on Saturday mornings. Believe it or not, it’s actually cheaper to shop for two than it ever was shopping for just myself at conventional supermarkets. For all of my extra goodies I stick to Essence of Life Organics in Kensington Market or Vibrant Lifestyle in Liberty Village. Community is important. 

What made you change your lifestyle?
Energy. I needed more of it and I wanted to eliminate the bad energy. My first big shift was going vegetarian, which now after three years solid I’m slowly going off of it. Our needs change and we have to be aware of this to maintain optimal health.

5 products you think every person living in a city should not be without.

#1. A BKR glass water bottle (they are so darn pretty and sleek!)



#2.  Buffered Vitamin C for stress and immune support. 

#3. A good pair of running shoes preferably with neon on them

#4. A salt inhaler- Amazing for respiratory issues. I use it in the mornings and before bed to feel a little more zen

#5. A shower filter- both your skin and insides will thank you!

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