a) The business model is wholly outdated. The "skills" you acquire are less and less applicable to a career in corporate retail. A lot of colleagues have struggled in their post Barneys employment. The corporate culture is so inherently toxic and abusive, one can't help but carry forth some of that into proceeding positions and companies. It takes time to move beyond. It took me a few years to realize what i'd learned was mostly fluff and soft skills which, if you really have a passion for business, won't serve you much.
b) The CMO. It requires roughly a fourth of a working brain in conjunction with two to three days of an intro to Psych class to glean that the CMO suffers from one of the major anti social personality disorders. My pronouncement is Narcissistic Personality Disorder though Sociopath sounds sexier and in common parlance probably gets to the heart of what makes her tick more accurately.
Highly intelligent. Sadly, for a women in her position, very little fashion vision - though she fancies herself Grace Coddington. Her idea of chic is a cartier bangle. Her idea of cutting edge is R13. Her idea of free spirited is well... one of the mind numbingly banal little disasters that have been cropping up on the site the past few years as the last remnants of talented individuals have fled. (Would still wear braided espadrilles to the office if she could).
When her hand is forced to buy something interesting (take Batsheva) she chooses the DUMBEST most commercial moments which no one interested in such a niche brand would want anyway.
c) The CEO. An extraordinarily charismatic wolf in sheeps clothing. Pathologically disingenuous. Of middling intellect, taste, business acumen. Happy to let CMO do all the dirty work while she gives well paced speeches. Does not care about her employees, and worse, doesn't seem to understand how to be a true leader of an organization.
Probably have a lower opinion of CEO at this point bc at least the CMO lays her cards on the table.
