Jung Yoon, senior vice president of global sourcing at Michael Kors, likes to give back.
Yoon is particularly keen on transferring her knowledge to the next generation of women entering the fashion industry. “If there are college students wanting to tour the office and wanting to hear some advice, I would always like to host,” she said. “If this is going to be the industry that attracts a lot of young women, [then] perhaps I can use any opportunity, small or big, that I have in my daily interaction with them.”
Her academic background was in marketing and statistics, and she hadn’t planned on getting into fashion. Most of the jobs she’s had came through personal recommendations as opposed to the usual submission of a resumé. “I tell everybody that you [are] your resumé. How you show up to work, to your friends and to people around you — that is your resumé every day,” she said, adding that it’s not necessarily what school one went to or one’s GPA. “It’s really about who you are.”
Yoon’s statistics know-how prepared her well for the complex world of sourcing. “Statistics has always taught me to look at the numbers and the trend of the numbers. If you follow the numbers and the data, then the trend of what’s happening is pretty clear,” she said.
She said that background helped her notice issues such as equipment shortage, even before the COVID pandemic. Then came empty containers and the imbalance in shipping, which led to concern about the raw materials the company had ordered, and eventually the domino impact on finished goods. “You always want to have a Plan B, C and D,” she advised about handling challenges.
As a mom of two, she also must contend with traveling for her job. She spoke of a “trick” someone told her about how to make it easier for her kids when she’s traveling, which is to leave a special note in each outfit for every day away. Yoon changed the note to a gift, little items from the Dollar Store, to shift the focus to a more positive experience. And when a colleague at Kors with young kids was traveling for the first time earlier this year, Yoon didn’t hesitate to pass along the tip.
“She didn’t know what to do. And I told her this, and she said it worked really well,” Yoon noted.
A version of this article appeared in the June 1 print issue of FN, as part of the “Women Who Rock” special section. On June 3, FN and Two Ten Footwear Foundation will honor these women at the annual live event in New York City.
