As a young child Avelinda Garcia was encouraged by her mother to design costumes and clothing. Needless to say, a love affair with crystals, sequin and chiffon blossomed. She was destined to work in fashion.
Miss Garcia's college education began at the University of California-Davis where she earned degrees in Design and Textiles & Clothing. The programs curricula involved designing and sewing clothes, weaving fabrics, performing laboratory experiments on textiles, conducting branding case studies and producing student-run fashion shows. Avelinda's job as a graphic artist at the school newspaper sparked a continued desire to work for a magazine.
The yearning to become a fashion editor lead her to New York City where she continued her education at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Fashion Merchandising Management. Avelinda's career began as a fashion assistant at Fairchild Publications for Women’s Wear Daily and its sister magazine W. Duties ranged from taking market appointments, styling and producing trend stories to pushing rolling racks all over the streets of New York for editorial photoshoots.
Miss Garcia returned to California and began working for Chaiken, a San Francisco-based ready-to-wear designer with presence at New York Fashion Week, ties to the New York garment industry and a satellite office located in Soho. Avelinda’s role at the intersection of sales, production, design and public relations, also involved managing creative projects for the company including email marketing campaigns, lookbook design and website production. She established the social media presence for the contemporary womenswear label, as well as implemented the original e-commerce and social commerce efforts.
In 2009 Garcia founded boutique fashion consultancy Superstylin*™. During the burgeoning fashion & technology scene, she penned an e-commerce column and wrote for think tanks located in San Francisco, New York and Toronto. Miss Garcia’s multifaceted background led her to become an adjunct professor at the Art Institute of California in the Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing & Management departments.
Avelinda then joined luxury consignment marketplace The RealReal and was a founding member of the high-risk authentication team, from e-commerce start-up to IPO, with her role evolving into expert training and development. Specializing in brand research and educational content, Garcia generated fundamental and brand-specific courses creating the internal framework for and pioneering the resale industry leader’s authentication certification program. She facilitated classes and conducted company-wide training on topics ranging from luxury fashion houses and emerging designers to the streetwear and sneaker markets. Her reach further extended offline working with TRR’s client-facing handbag, sneakers & streetwear and fine jewelry & watch valuation experts at its luxury consignment offices and retail destinations.
Miss Garcia’s career portfolio showcases her versatility and adaptability in the fashion industry, and dedication to innovation and collaboration. She has continued interest in resale platforms and is further exploring live commerce, AI and gaming.