Olivia Palermo is an American socialite, fashion influencer, and entrepreneur. She is founder and Chief Creative Officer of Olivia Palermo Group Inc. She is a driven entrepreneur and international style authority whose curatorial approach to fashion has solidified her as an industry tastemaker.
She was born in New York City and grew up on the Upper East Side and in Greenwich, Connecticut. Palermo attended elementary school at Nightingale-Bamford School in Manhattan and high school at the St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, Connecticut. She attended the American University of Paris and The New School.
A TV Star is Born
Olivia’s television career debuted as part of MTV’s television show, The City. The television show premise is that after finding success in Los Angeles on The Hills, Whitney Port travels to New York City in the hopes of becoming a fashion designer.
Once in the Big Apple, she meets Olivia and a few other friends that are all vying for a spot at the top of the fashion world.
The series aired for two seasons from 2008 until 2010. As part of the show, Palermo worked for Diane von Fürstenberg and later in the accessories department for Elle magazine.
In 2009, while she was still on MTV shooting The City, Olivia signed with the amazing talent agency Wilhelmina International Inc. to focus full-time on the development of her brand.
It was no more than a year before she landed a modeling gig, where she modeled for the Autumn/Winter campaigns by Mango and Hogan.
Shifting Gears to Fashion
Two years following that, she became a guest editor for the Gap’s now-defunct Piperlime.com. Although it would seem she had her plate full she was ready for any endeavor thrown her way.
In October of that year, Palermo seized the opportunity to launch her personal website, which consists of editorial content about fashion, beauty, and lifestyle written by full-time writers and contributing editors. She also appeared as a guest judge on Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model Season 7.
There is no stopping Olivia! By 2012, the New York Post named Palermo as the best dressed New Yorker of Page Six. Palermo appeared on the August 2018 cover of Glamour Mexico and has shot editorials for magazines all around the world.
Palermo has been the face of mid-range brands such as Aerin, Max&Co, and Banana Republic, just to name a few. Anything she sets her mind to, she completes with style and grace!
When he launched her co-branded limited jewelry collection she could not have dreamed of working with the one and only Roberta Freymann.
It was only right that Olivia became the face of such amazing pieces. She modeled and became the face of the Mediterráneo collection by Spanish jewelry brand Carrera y Carrera.
You can bet that when the opportunity comes knocking, this boss babe answers. Therefore, you know when she was invited by Stuart Weitzman to design a shoe for charity, she jumped at the chance. After designing the shoe a fire was lit under her she could not put out.
Later in 2014, she designed a line of sunglasses for American brand Westward Leaning, and a percentage of each sale went to support the Association for Development, Alternative Commerce, and Micro Credits’s Masaai Project.
Additionally, she collaborated with the Italian shoe label Aquazzura on a line of footwear. Even though this new footwear had Olivia intrigued she would learn that every great businesswoman does not stick to just one classification in lifestyle.
In 2015, Palermo collaborated on collections with luxury leather and accessories brand Aspinal of London, the American jewelry and accessories brand Baublebar, and makeup company Ciaté London.
More than Fashion…
Palermo’s collaboration with Ciaté featured a line of makeup and nail polish, including a shade of red inspired by her mother. She went on to partner with Nordstrom on a fashion line in 2016 and with Banana Republic in 2017.
She worked with accessory brand Meli Melo on a collection title, Severine. The London brand is known for their high-quality materials and craftsmanship.
In 2017, Palermo collaborated with the brand to create a modern spin on a bucket bag. The bag, which came in five different shades, was modeled after the sculptural works of late architect and artist, Max Bill.
To say Olivia was ahead of her time is a complete understatement. Not only could the girl dress, but she was also able to make awesome business decisions some would be fearful to make.
Never Settle
If you were wondering how this boss babe did it—wonder no more! First, she did not settle for life’s circumstances, and she certainly found a way to make one dollar into a whole lot more.
Although there were times she may have felt like she was trapping herself into a box, she stayed true to herself and always found the light at the end of the tunnel.
Palermo is happily married to German model Johannes Huebl and has positioned herself as an identifiable role model who is a champion of confidence, entrepreneur, and, most importantly, creativity.
You can currently find her sharing creative fashion inspirations on her site where she offers fashion-forward tips and provides a safe platform to inspire others to have self-confidence.
She uses her social platform to share her tools and provide guidance for everyone to look, feel, and be their best self.
Related: How’d She Do It? Bethenny Frankel
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1 thought on “How’d She Do It? Olivia Palermo”
I’ve always been a fan of hers!