Do you know who decides what to wear for Muscovites in the new season? Do you think fashion bloggers who put up a list of fashion trends on their page? No, not them. For this, all responsibility rests with buyers - people who buy goods for the best stores in the country create collections. And the main among them in Moscow is Alla Konstantinovna Verber. She works as a fashion director and buyer at TSUM, as well as vice president of jewelry company Mercury.
This woman is one of the most successful business women not only in the capital, but also in the country, as a public figure and journalist. About her buyer's flair, the fashion director of the TSUM says that she formed in her childhood, when she spent days on end watching the foreign tourists who came to Leningrad from the windows of her apartment. The most chic fashionable women of Moscow pray for her, because thanks to her they can buy the best new items from the collections of the most famous designers of world fashion for their wardrobe.
Alla Verber: biography, childhood
She was born on May 21, 1958 in Leningrad. Here she grew up on Glinka Street, in a house overlooking Theater Square, the Kirov Theater, and, of course, the conservatory. As a little girl, she went twice a week to the opera house, to the ballet or to the conservatory for a concert of classical music. In the family, besides her, the sister Irina also grew. The girls' father was a dentist by profession, but he held a very “bread” position - he was the director of the denture department, and my mother was a paramedic.
Fateful decision
In reality, the family lived in abundance, and when they decided to emigrate abroad, many could not understand what they lacked in the USSR. Just the father of the family put his freedom above all else. He wanted to move freely, to create a career himself, to get a better education.
In 1976, the family flew from Moscow to Vienna, each had $ 76 in their pocket. They thought they were leaving the country forever. Moreover, they could not even imagine that it was Alla Verber, whose biography often made such sharp turns, that it was breathtaking.
The emergence of talent
As a rule, we call talent a gift that is given to people from above. This is usually associated with creativity, but Alla Verber, whose biography is so interesting and unusual, had the gift to predict fashion trends for several seasons ahead. In addition, she had an incredible taste and sense of style. Each of the employers noticed this talent in her and kept her firmly in her company. Where did the girl from a family of doctors, although wealthy, but far from the world of fashion and show business, suddenly have this ability? Yes, everything is very simple. Some children like to count pigeons in the yard, others like to look at the stars, and only rare ones - carefully study the style of foreign tourists - guests of the Northern capital.
Soon, she could distinguish the French from the Italians, and the Americans from the Scandinavians, etc. Of course, she liked the style of Italians the most. And it was their images that she loved to study with special care. She liked everything about them: a combination of colors, jewelry, and other accessories. And worst of all, in her opinion, were the Americans.
Choice of profession
Of course, the parents wanted to see their daughter as a doctor. Therefore, the girl after 8th grade entered the medical school, then to continue her studies at the institute. However, she understood that it was not her business, that she liked to sort out clothes, combine different elements of the wardrobe with each other, and select accessories. She wanted to work in a fashion store, although in the country where she lived, there were practically none. However, parents believed that this was a profession unworthy of their family, and that trade workers eventually end their careers behind bars.
Happening
And just then, when the family decided to leave the country and go to Israel, the case turned up. The girl first had to fly to Vienna, and then transfer by plane to Tel Aviv. But she never flew to Israel.
Once in the capital of Austria, she went straight to her beloved Italy. Rome seemed to her a fabulous city, a real paradise for a lover of fashionable clothes, such as Alla Verber. The biography of the girl from this day headed in the right direction.
Carier start
The first thing she did in Rome was to go to Via Vetto and tried to get a job at a clothing store. She did not know either Italian or English, but her good looks, a braid below the belt attracted a manager who took her to work and was not mistaken. Here she learned a lot, tried to absorb everything like a sponge. Then her father told her to pack up to go with her family to Canada. Despite the fact that she did not want to leave Europe, nevertheless, Alla this time was more docile. They settled in Montreal - the most European of the cities of Canada.
In Canada
There were many boutiques, restaurants and shopping centers. She was 19 years old, and she believed that she had quite a lot of experience in the fashion business. Despite the fact that she spoke English very poorly, she was nevertheless taken to one clothing store. And here she was able to show off her knowledge of fashion. In the days when Alla worked in the store, sales rose significantly. And all because she dressed the mannequins very beautifully, and when they saw them, the buyers asked them to sell everything that was on the window.
From here, Alla was sent to Milan and Paris to negotiate with famous couturiers regarding the supply of fashion collections.
Own business
After some time, having acquired connections, Alla Verber decided to open her own store in Montreal, then there was the second and third. Soon she received an invitation to one of the largest companies in the country - Kmart, which had 124 stores throughout the country. Upon learning that she was Russian, the owner instructed her to go to Moscow and take control of the production of towels in one of the capital's factories. She, of course, was unbearably bored at work, and then she was invited to her company Mercury, whose face today is Alla Verber. Almost simultaneously, she became the fashion director and chief buyer at the Central Department Store.
Schedule
Today Alla Konstantinovna has been traveling for 8 months out of 12, or rather, is on business trips. If she is in Moscow, then her working day ends at 10 o’clock in the evening, and after that she starts skype chatting with America. Then he still works until one in the morning. Alla's morning begins at 7:30. During business trips, you also have to get up early to get ready for shows or business breakfasts, which usually begin at 9:00 in the morning. It happens that she manages to watch up to a hundred shows in one trip.
Personal life
While living in Canada, Alla Verber met her future husband. They lived together for 3 years in New York. They had a daughter, Catherine. However, after a while, the couple broke up, and Alla again went into free swimming.
From New York, she returned to Canada and settled not in Montreal, but in Toronto, where she founded her first boutique, which she named in honor of her daughter Katia of Italy. Further, as you already know, she was offered to become a representative of K-Mart in Russia, and she agreed. It was 1994. After arrival, she met a man who became her second husband. Businessman David Averbach is president of a large food company. She is happy in marriage, although she and David do not have common children. But Katya had two beautiful daughters, and today Alla Konstantinovna is the most business-like, but loving grandmother in the world.