Feel like a fashion slouch? For the vast majority of people who can’t/don’t/won’t look like the supermodel type, there’s hope, thanks to Trisha Okubo. At 24 years-old, this Stanford Alum is spreading her fashion conciousness through her fashion site and blog, Omiru, geared towards the comman man and woman. Omiru’s fashion savvy has turned some notable heads: aside being featured in the Wall Street Journal, it was one of a few fashion blogs to receive press passes for New York Fashion Week. Oh, did we forget to mention that this isn’t Trisha’s day job? Trisha is also a Product Manager at Topix.net – a leading news community – working with various teams to bring new ideas to life to help push her company forward. With so much accomplished at such a young age, only Trisha’s imagination is the limit. Get the scoop in this week’s Young & Professional Profile.
Knight Ridder Digital, Business Development Analyst (2005 – 2006).
Ethnicity
Half Japanese, Half Chinese
About the company
About Topix (your day time gig): Topix.net is the leading news community on the Web, connecting people to the information and discussions that matter to them in every U.S. town and city. A Top 25 online news destination with investment from the nation’s three largest newspaper companies, the company links news from 50,000 sources to 360,000 lively user-generated forums. Topix.net also works with the nation’s major media companies to grow and engage their online audiences through forums, classifieds, publishing platforms and RSS feeds.
About Omiru (your night time/weekeng gig): Omiru: Style for All is a style and shopping website about real style for real people. We’re an online publisher that connects people with up-to-the-moment fashion trendsand we make an effort to spotlight products that are not only stylish but also affordable.
What are your day-to-day responsibilities?
At Topix:
As a product manager, I’m responsible for taking new products, such as our recently launched Topix Profiles, from idea to implementation. I collaborate with engineering, marketing, and business development to define the feature set and to scope the project. Then I switch into implementation mode and work with the engineering team to make the product a reality. My day to day responsibilities range from making mockups to tracking bugs, defining the project schedule to writing web copy.
At Omiru:
Anything and everything. Editing stories, writing stories, discovering new designers. Meeting new people. Answering emails. Shopping. Strategizing about how to take Omiru to the next level. Working alongside the team to make it happen.
What’s the niche?
Omiru is about Real style for Real People. Traditional fashion magazines like Vogue and InStyle tend to be aspirational…in a way thats too far of a reach for most people, myself included. We bring fashion back down to earth and make it accessible to everyoneregardless of age, gender, or personal architecture.
What motivated you to get started with Omiru?
I’ve always been fascinated by fashion, technology, and media. Omiru sits at the intersection of these three interests.
Most notable milestones
January 2007: Lucky Magazine included Omiru in their “Great Web Shopping” roundup.
December 2006: The Wall Street Journal featured Omiru in an article titled “Blogs for Shoppers.”
September 2006: Omiru was one of forty fashion blogs granted press passes for New York Fashion Week. We covered the runway shows alongside the top magazine editors, straight from the tents at Bryant Park.
Who do you work with?
Yves Lu: Engineer. Yves works the behind-the-scenes tech magic, implementing new features and keeping the site up-and-running.
Melody Nazarian: Staff Writer. Melody researches and reports on fashion trends. She’s my right-hand woman in creating all of the content on Omiru.
What’s the biggest challenge?
Time management. We have a near-infinite fountain of ideas but a finite amount of time.
What’s in store for the future?
Expanding Omiru beyond a pure-play fashion blog and building more of a fashion community.
Who would you like to be contacted by?
Anyone with fashion questions–anything from “Are skinny jeans still in?” to “What should I wear to the big Office Party?”
We also welcome pitches from designers, especially those that are still under the radar. We’d love to check out your stuff!
Never stop learning. Read. Find a mentor. Learn from your mistakesand those of others.
Guiding principle in life
Challenging myself and others around me to do more than they ever expected of themselves.
Yardstick of success
The quality of people around me both at work and in my personal life.
Goal yet to be achieved
A healthy balance between work and life.
Best practical advice
Work with the best people you can find. Even if they’re smarter than you. In fact, especially if they’re smarter than you.
Mentors
My parents, for encouraging me to do what I love and to think big.
Like best about what you do?
The talented, dedicated people with whom I have the pleasure of working with.
Like least about what you do?
Missing time with family and friends. I’m still working on that work-life balance concept.
At age 10, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Tall.
But I’m 5’0″…so I guess I didn’t get my wish. I also wanted to be an entrepreneur.
What was your first job?
Sales associate at Macy’s in Palo Alto. I was sixteen, and I worked in the men’s department. I was a master folder and to this day, I still have the urge to tidy up messy clothes displays I see while shopping.
Biggest pastimes outside of work
Spending time with those that I care about. Eating out. Watching movies. Going to dessert cafes. Watching “The West Wing” but only seasons 1-4. Reading. Hanging out with my rabbit and chinchillas. Traveling. Having a long conversation with a good friend. Sitting by the fireplace with a cup of tea. Learning.
Person most interested in meeting
Anyone who shares my love of fashion, media, and technology. Let’s chat.
Three interesting facts about yourself
1. I’ve driven my 4-door (automatic) Honda Accord at the Thunderhill racetrack.
2. I love Post-its. My desk (and my notebook) are littered with colored notes filled with phone numbers, to-do lists, and other goodies.
3. When I find something I like, I buy a lot of it. I have twelve replicas of my everyday white tee, five copies of my favorite cowlneck sweater, three pairs of the same jeans, and two pairs of shoes that look exactly alike, save for the wear marks. My latest purchase? 250 bags of my favorite tea.
Three characteristics that describe you
1. I’m extremely hardworking,
2. I have excellent taste, if I do say so myself :), and
3. When you need me, I’ll be there for you.
Three greatest passions
Because I can’t seem to pick just three…
Family and friends, fashion, media, technology, caring for animals, ideas, Sunday brunch, making stuff, fooding, discovering new things.
Favorite book
Always a moving target. Recent favorites include John Battelle’s The Search and Guy Kawasaki’s The Art of the Start.
Favorite cause
Saving Rabbit Lives!
5 Little Known Facts about Rabbits:
1. They can be litter box trained, just like cats.
2. They can be mesmerized if you lay them on their back and cover their eyes.
3. They’re smart. My rabbit has been known to hang out in the kitchen–she knows that’s where the Good food comes from. She has also, on occasion, turned on the TV with the remote control and watched from the comfort of the couch.
4. They can be house pets, just like cats and dogs. They don’t have to live in cages. In fact, they’d prefer to make their home outside of the cage.
5. They can be adopted from House Rabbit Society or The Humane Society.
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