REBROADCAST: From Finance to Fashion - Joanna Dai '08 (original air date: 8/19/20)

In celebration of Women's History Month, the next three episodes will be rebroadcasts of our Wall of Wonder series from last summer, featuring interviews of three women profiled in the book by authors Madeline Dubelier, Catherine Gurecky, and Abigail Macaluso, all Class of 2020. Need a refresher on the book itself? Go back to season 3, episode 8 to hear an interview with Madeline, Catherine, and Abigail and how the book came about. And for the next three episodes of Fresh from the Hill, enjoy this look back on these interviews with some incredible women.

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The world is better when women succeed. Joanna Dai’s eight year finance career in New York and London instilled a sense of effortless style with cool attitude, but lacked the comfort and ease from her Californian upbringing. Yet, when it came to workwear shopping, she felt increasingly discouraged by a market where fabrics restricted movement, designs lacked function and versatility, and quality mismatched value. She had the vision of a brand where none of these factors were compromised – a brand of tailored performance wear where comfort empowers confidence.

Listen in to the second episode of our Wall of Wonder series as Abigail Macaluso '20 chats with Joanna about her journey - from being one of five women in an incredibly difficult major at Cornell, to landing a job at Bear Stearns right before the Great Recession, to eventually finding her footing in the fashion world by creating a brand committed to sustainability, empowering women, and promoting comfort and style.

“I really believe that brands have that power, they have the platform. And through their platform and voice they can really impact change.”

Read the episode transcript.

Created and produced by Amanda Massa.
Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu.
Artwork by Chris Kelly.

*The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.