VISION Names Its Top Window Fashion Influencers of 2020!
In January, Window Fashion Vision Magazine released its picks for the Top 7 Window Fashion Influencers of 2020. These individuals work in all branches of the window coverings industry, and they’ve all made an impact in their own, unique way.
In celebration of these industry super-stars, we’ve put together quick profiles for each of this year’s Influencers. We hope to not only shine a light on their excellent work in the Window Coverings Industry, but also to inspire those of you who will become Influencers in the future!
WCAA is a proud partner of the International Window Coverings Expo, and we’re thrilled to see some of our very own members recognized on their list. Many of these top-level influencers will be speaking at this year’s Expo, in Charlotte NC, March 25-27. From teaching classes to sitting on panels, these industry leaders are filled with advice, knowledge, and experience that you won’t want to miss. Have you registered yet? Click here to learn more and register: http://ow.ly/9zNS50xXr5j
Congratulations to all of the winners! We can’t wait to see what this year will bring and the impact you will make on our industry. Read below to find out more about each of these Influencers, see some of their beautiful work, and find links to their pages.
LuAnn Nigara
LuAnn began her career more than thirty years ago as a co-owner of Window Works, an award-winning window treatment and awning retailer in Livingston, NJ. She’s also host of the top-rated interior design podcast, A Well-Designed Business®, which airs two times per week on iTunes, Stitcher and iHeart Radio. Her podcast, which was recently named in Architectural Digest as one of the top ten podcasts listened to by intro designers, is the definitive resource for interior design professional interest in operating a profitable and productive business.
LuAnn is also a Director at Large on the national board of the WCAA, the Sr. National Sales Instructor for Exciting Windows! As well as a contributing columnist for Window Fashions-Vision Magazine where she writes on business, sales and negation skills and principles for outstanding customer service. We’re so proud to have someone like LuAnn as a prominent, valued member of the WCAA community!
LuAnn is a sought-after speaker with topics ranging from client acquisition, keys to effective project management, the art of the high-ticket sale and her 3 keys to excellence in leadership. In addition to speaking at various industry events and markets including the Las Vegas Market, Design Chicago, Atlanta’s Americas Mart, Boston Design Center, Design Center Philadelphia, Wanted Design NYC, the ART + IDS Conference, Design Influencer’s Conference, ASID Design Summit NYC, KBIS Modenus Talks, she has keynoted for the IWCE (International Window Coverings Expo), the NKBA Certified Designer’s Summit, The NKBA National Leadership Conference, Thibaut National Sales Conference as well as the opening keynoter for ASID – High Point Market Authority Design Viewpoint Series and the Power House Smarts Luxury Conference in Chicago.
These days her expertise is also in high demand online with dozens of guest appearances on top podcasts both in and out of the design industry including The Nice Guys on Business Podcast, Creative Warriors, Ballard Design’s How To Decorate, Tobi Fairley’s Design You, The Design Influence, Profit is a Choice and Wingnut Social to name a few. Check out her website to learn more about LuAnn’s appearance and industry partnerships.
Her first book, The Making of A Well-Designed Business®, is an Amazon #1-rated international bestseller and her second book, A Well-Designed Business®, The Power Talk Friday Experts was released at her live business conference, LuAnn Nigara Live, It’s About the Conversation held in Short Hills, NJ March 2019. She will repeat her live event this November and will release, A Well-Designed Business, The Power Talk Friday Experts, Vol 2 to her attendees.
LuAnn will be presenting 4 times during IWCE 2020, and you won’t want to miss out!
Wed March 25 | 9:00am – 10:15am | CLOSING THE SALE: IT BEGINS AT HELLO
Wed March 25 | 10:30am – 11:45am | PANEL: BEST BUSINESS PRACTICES FOR SUCCEEDING WITH WINDOW COVERINGS IN 2020 AND BEYOND
Wed March 25 | 1:30pm – 4:00pm | SUPER SESSION PANEL: PROFITABILITY – KNOW YOUR NUMBERS
Thurs March 26 | 10:30am – 11:45am | PANEL: DEVELOP PARTNERSHIPS WITH DESIGNERS TO CREATE A SYSTEMIZED DREAM TEAM
Rosemarie Garner
Rosemarie Garner comes by her sewing passion naturally. Her maternal grandparents were a seamstress and a tailor, and her mother taught her how to sew when she was in junior high school. Fast forward many years later, R Garner Custom Designs was born on the third floor of her Montclair, NJ home, where she worked for 12 years. She recently moved to a glorious 900 square foot industrial space in Butler,NJ where there is finally space to have two tables, all four of her industrial sewing machines, a state of the art industrial iron, a professional clamping system for panel fabrication, and a motorized track to test Roman shades before they leave the workroom.
All types of linings are stored in the workroom to ensure that the correct products for the job are at hand when needed. Rosemarie works closely with different vendors to source decorative hardware, Roman shade headrails, fabrics, hard treatments (woven woods, cellular shades, roller shades, etc.), motorization, and all kinds of cool notions. Rendering software is often used in the planning stage to ensure proportion, placement and design are optimal for the space. She is truly your design partner – and WCAA is proud to be one of Rosemarie’s biggest fans!
Rosemarie once served as the Vice President for the New Jersey Chapter of WCAA. She has been published in Design NJ Magazine, HGTV Magazine, and Vision Magazine, and was even the workroom for an award-winning design entry at IWCE 2018!
Rosemarie lends her talent as an instructor for Workroom Tech in Tryon, NC, and for the Custom Workroom Conference, specializing in Roman Shade Fabrication.
Jill Rodgers
Jill Rodgers has over 25 years of experience in the interior design industry. In 2015, she decided to open her own company. This big step allowed her to understand more than simply the design behind window treatments. She began to focus on the quality and construction of her products.
After working with many designers in the area, Jill unearthed her own creative design skills. She prides herself in the unique customer experience she provides and sincere passion for her work. Jill doesn’t simply view her design elements individually. She looks at the space as a whole concept. You can count on Jill to understand current trends and bring a fresh, southern feel to her designs.
Above all else, High Country Designs is known for the personal touch that Jill brings to all projects. By following a detailed, 5-step plan for all clients, Jill is able to offer a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, truly setting the standard in the industry and among her clientele.
As a member of WCAA, Jill has connected with other window covering professionals to spread her unique vision of knowing that “design is supposed to be fun.” By combining client sentimentality with fresh, new concepts, Jill is able to leave her clients with something exciting, yet timeless.
Roger Magalhaes
A native of Brazil, Roger Magalhaes moved to the United States in the year 2000 in pursuit of the American Dream. After four short years, Roger was well on his way to achieving his goal; having purchased his own home. However, as is the case with many first homes, Roger’s home was in need of some renovations. Putting in hours on his home after work and on the weekends, Roger steadily built his skill. By June 2006, construction was complete, and he decided to put his newfound skills to use. Thus, Shades in Place, was born.
Always striving to enhance his knowledge in the industry, Roger traveled to many parts of the country, acquiring formal training and receiving certifications from respected vendors such as Somfy, Hunter Douglas, Norman Shutters and Lutron. He also attended the Custom Home Furnishings Academy for formal installation training focusing on drapery and other soft treatments.
Shades IN Place, Inc., is a window treatment installation company located in the Boston area. He has done installations in seven states, as well as Cape Cod and the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. He is the founder of the Facebook group Free Speech Window Covering Pros (a private group where dealers and installers from all over the country share information, advice, and suggestions to enhance their businesses), a regular columnist for Window Fashion VISION magazine, a presenter at the International Window Coverings Expo and the installation instructor for the Window Fashion Certified Professional FastTRACK program.
Interested in finding out more about Roger and his experiences in the window coverings industry? Be sure to attend one of his sessions during IWCE 2020!
Wed March 25 | 8:00am – 4:00pm | WFCP FAST TRACK INSTALLATION SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION
Thurs March 26 | 9:00am – 10:15am | INSTALLER’S TOOLBOX
Fri March 27 | 9:00am – 10:15am | INSTALLATION 101
Claudia Clobes Yudis
Claudia Clobes Yudis is the founder of and lead designer for Urban Loft Window Treatments, a nationally acclaimed lifestyle brand dedicated to creating fresh modern design that is authentic, inspiring + enduring.
Claudia’s mission and passion is to provide urban loft’s clients and design partners with beautifully curated collections, quality craftsmanship and an exceptional experience.
Claudia works directly with clients, both residential and commercial, and also cultivates creative collaborations with design partners - interior designers, architects, and builders.
From 2004-2013, Claudia was the lead designer at her boutique firm, Claudia Clobes Interiors, and also worked as a design consultant for other firms in the Philadelphia area and nationally. In 2013, she rebranded and founded Urban Loft to specialize in window treatment design.
Claudia graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park, where she focused on the applied arts, studied interior design, the history of art, and completed a museum curatorship program, which included training at the prestigious Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore. Claudia is also a Certified Drapery Designer and Window Treatment Specialist.
Claudia is a member of the Female Founder Collective, an initiative whose mission is to enable and empower female owned and led businesses to positively impact their communities, both socially and economically. She has served as a jury member and speaker for Moore College of Art and Design in the principles of interior design, lighting techniques, and window treatment design.
Jana Platina Phipps
Jana Platina Phipps, founder of the Trim Queen, is a trimmings expert known for her refined vision in the use of embellishment in home furnishings and fashion. A native Californian, she moved to New York City after graduating from UC Berkeley to enter the fashion industry. While studying at Parsons and FIT, she began her career as an apprentice to Italian-American artisans in a trimmings factory of the garment district, translating handbag specifications from Italian to English for Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren and others. This lead to designing an exclusive line of accessories that sold at Bergdorf Goodman, high-end retailers across the country, and launching a successful fashion-forward trimmings collection for home furnishings that would surpass the fashion trim sales of the factory.
In 2003, after the birth of her first child, Jana became an independent consultant in branding, merchandising and sales representation for manufacturers, which ultimately lead to collaborating with trimmings producers worldwide. She is a designer and an agent for Classical Elements in Raleigh, NC, which supplies trimmings and drapery hardware to the home furnishings industry, customizes private label programs for interior design distributors, and sells to retail stores nationally.
Affectionately called “Trim Queen” by her clients, she began to blog and use her social media channels to chronicle how the design community uses trimmings creatively. She is an embellishment expert, sharing the history of passementerie and modern embellishment trends presenting at The New York School of Interior Design, the Country Living Fairs, Robert Allen Continuing Education Seminars and at the IWCE International Window Coverings Expo. She is a regular contributor to IWCE Vision Magazine and Universal’s smartstuff Social Station.
Jana is a recipient of the 2016 ITA Outstanding Trimmings Representative of the Year Award; she serves on the International Textile Alliance Board of Directors, is a past WithIt NE Regional VP and WithIt Future Leader Award Winner.
She is the longstanding co-chair of the WithIt New York Design Tour which has sold out for 2016, and is planning a Trim Queen Maker Tour of Venice Italy. In addition to trimmings collections, she designs a one-of-a-kind collection of upcycled accessories using trimmings and vintage jewelry and continues to teach Trim Alchemy, the concept of turning something ordinary into extraordinary using trimmings.
This year, Jana will be speaking once every day of the expo! Be sure to pencil in the time to make it to at least one of these seminars, you won’t regret it!
Wed March 25 | 4:30pm – 5:30pm | DESIGNER PANEL: CHARLOTTE’S INTERIOR DESIGN ROYALTY
Thurs March 26 | 10:30am – 11:45am | THE SECRET PROFIT IN EMBELLISHMENTS
Fri March 27 | 9:00am – 10:15am | SUPER SESSION SOCIAL MEDIA BASICS: HOW-TO’S AND HACKS
Sharon
Falcher + Sherica Maynard
There are many things that set Sharon & Sherica apart from their competition. First, they’re Atlanta’s Favorite Mother-Daughter Interior Design Duo.
Second: Though Sharon, the mother in this Dynamic Design Duo, has been in the Interior Design Industry for over 20 years, Daughter Sherica took a different path. Sharon’s experience is expansive, having gotten her start by staging homes and fabricating window treatments, as well as completing the Interiors Program at Gwinnett Tech in Georgia. Sherica, however, spent 10 years in New York modeling full time – being featured in magazines and Fashion Weeks all over the world.
The story doesn’t stop there, though! During her time in New York, Sherica was able to obtain her BFA in Architectural Design from Parsons, The New School.
Now, Sherica has joined forces to combine her visionary talents with her mother’s industry know-how to create their business, Interior Design by S&S
So, what sets Interior Design by S&S apart, aside from their one-of-a-kind origin story? They bring the interior design experience right to your home or office. Their design professionals are equipped to help their clients determine the products and designs that work best with to achieve their visions, finding a solution that aligns with your taste, space, and budget. Their personalized approach, combined with their free in-home consultations, leaves their clients feeling secure and confident in their choice.
Hundreds of residential and commercial customers have chosen Interior Design by S&S, and it’s easy to see why! We can’t wait to see what else these Influencers have in store.
Check out what this dynamic duo has to offer during their 2 panels during this year’s IWCE.
Thurs March 26 | 2:45pm-3:45pm | MEET THE INFLUENCERS PANEL
Fri March 27 | 2pm-3pm | BEST IDEAS FOR IWCE