During a career as a television producer that spanned two decades and two continents, Marla Ginsburg was admired as much for her sartorial sense as for the high-concept, international co-productions that she developed. So it was not surprising that when she left the TV business, she segued into the fashion world.
What might be surprising to others struggling to change careers was how seamlessly she appeared to make the leap. She has enjoyed a transformation that New York Times observed to be one “most boomers only wish for”. “Looks can be deceiving,” assures Ginsburg, “This has been a very bumpy road and believe me, I didn’t have the right emotional shock absorbers in place at first.”
“Marla had an idea, acted on it, and now she has a whole new career,” said Jeff Sagansky, a former president of CBS who used to work with Marla. “And she did it in a very difficult economic environment.”
“I believed that I knew what my contemporaries wanted to wear, just like I once knew what we were interested in watching. Clothing manufacturers seemed too focused on making clothes for my daughter and didn’t really care about real women with their original body parts … so I bought a sewing machine, sketch paper and fabric, and went to work! I had never sewn a button on a shirt, let alone a garment, and at the time knew nothing about the shark-infested waters of the garment industry. Day and night I sketched and I sewed. I threw a lot in the bin, but I kept at it, and at it, and at it,” says Ginsburg.
Although Ginsburg has learned a great deal since she started sewing in her garage, her vision for her collection has remained consistent, featuring sophisticated shapes in soft, elegant fabrics, in timeless and dramatic silhouettes that covered the “Icky bits” as she calls the parts of her size 14 body that are not as toned as they used to be. Global television audiences are responding not only responding to the quality and styling of her collection; they relate to her. She is one of them.
Kay Koplovitz, founder of USA Networks, former Chairman of the Board of Liz Claiborne, and the author of “Bold Women, Big Ideas”, has always predicted that Ginsburg, whom she worked with in the television world, would be as successful in fashion as she was In TV. “Both businesses are about having the right product for the consumer in the marketplace at the right time,” she said. “Marla is very capable of focusing on the creative side but also has a good sense of how to market a brand.” Koplovitz’s predictions have proved correct. Since Ginsburg first premiered her brand on HSN it has gone from zero to sales in excess of $25million in 2015 and is a brand some industry experts expect to reach $75 million by 2020.
In the meantime, Ginsburg is happily globetrotting as she continues to expand her brand internationally and shares her story of entrepreneurial reinvention to an ever-growing audience of fans and loyal customers.