Not-so-average: Alex St. Urbain, Co-founder & Chief Marketing Officer for Áwet New York

When asked, ‘who are you?’ Alex St. Urbain stated that in addition to being 35 years old, “I am a son of immigrants. My family came from Haiti, however I was born here in the US.” Furthermore, “I am cool, calm and collected which is who I am personally, and definitely translates into my business. I’m creative and I’m always looking to support others in the work that I do, and always have a collaborative spirit when I want to get things done.” The work he is referring to is produced under his title of Chief Marketing Officer and co-founder of the brand Áwet New York - a luxury brand dedicated to supporting BIPOC brands and creatives.

How did you get to work in fashion?

Although he was born in New York, St. Urbain spent his high school and college years in Atlanta, Ga. where his fashion journey began. “My first job, towards the end of high school, early college, was in retail,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed the retail experience. It was a space where I felt comfortable. I loved the ever-changing fashion collection, and I was at that age where your fashion changes every few years just because you’re still figuring things out.” From Hollister, to Express, to Banana Republic, St. Urbain worked in retail until he graduated in 2011 from Georgia State in Atlanta, Ga. where he studied Marketing and Economics.

“I always had the idea that I would work in big brands, luxury and fashion,” he said. In 2011, right before graduation, St. Urbain had the opportunity to work as a marketing intern for Polin Waterparks located outside of Istanbul, Turkey. After the internship he returned to Atlanta to finish school and then went on to work as a marketing intern for 9 months at Porsche Cars North America in Atlanta. “That was one of the experiences that cemented that was the direction I wanted to be in. It’s a very luxurious experience, it was also really cool to work for a global company,” said St. Urbain. After his time with Porsche, he spent a year in Brussels, where he worked in global communications for UCB, a Belgian pharmaceutical company. In 2014, St. Urbain decided to move to New York where he worked for a company specializing in fashion logistics called Stella International. The company imported luxury brands such as Dior and distributed them in different boutiques throughout the US. “From there, I knew that I wanted to be in the city, actually working directly in fashion, not just adjacent,” he said. St. Urbain applied for a global advertising role at MAC Cosmetics, “and that’s where my journey in the beauty industry started.” He “definitely got to learn a lot, and it was very fashion-adjacent. We were backstage at Fashion Week doing make up books, doing social media, and advertising content.” St. Urbain spent a total of five years working for MAC Cosmetics as well as Origins Skincare, “but I knew my next job would be at a fashion brand.”

In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Áwet Woldegebriel - the founder of Áwet New York - had the idea to start his brand. Woldegebriel wanted to support garment workers in New York. His father was a tailor, inspiring him to create a luxurious hoodie ensuring all proceeds would be given to the garment workers. He asked St. Urbain to join him in building the brand, and “the fashion shop that I always wanted came to me and showed me it was the right thing to do.”

What’s your current fashion job?

“I’m the Chief Marketing Officer of Áwet New York,” said St. Urbain. “I lead marketing online and PR efforts as well as being an entrepreneur and cofounder. Whatever the day brings at me - whether it’s store operations, long term strategy, or business development - I balance those responsibilities with my cofounder.” Although his role requires many hats, he said he loves the ability to see a direct impact from his work. St. Urbain added that he’s able to move his projects along faster as an entrepreneur, allowing him to see people’s reactions and make adjustments.

What does an average work day look like?

Every day is different. “It’s a balance of checking in with my different team members on different marketing initiatives,” as well as planning with his co-founder. In addition, St. Urbain tries to spend as much “face time” as he can in their storefront, Livewear - located at 57 Bond St. in New York, to meet customers and learn their preferences. When it comes to planning the future of the brand, St. Urbain is looking at “what’s next: what’s the next collection look like? What’s the differentiation? Are we performing well in our different wholesale partners, like Saks for example.” Overall, his days are a mix of operations, long term strategy planning , as well as ensuring all of their relationships are healthy and growing.

A word of career advice

When you’re young and trying to decide what career you want to pursue, everyone should take a look at the inklings that excite them, St. Urbain expressed. For example, he continued, growing up he didn’t know until his college age that a creative career could be a fruitful path. “Sometimes we have this box of what we think things are going to be, whether it’s corporate versus stability, really take a moment and think about things that really make you excited to get up in the morning and then from there you can find different pathways,” said St. Urbain. Moreover, St. Urbain advises young creatives to look into working abroad. He said he was keen on traveling abroad early in his career, “I think it definitely opens the mind up, you have a fresh perspective when you come back.” He explained that working abroad is something that would “open your eyes and give you a different take on business or what you want to do. Put yourself in a scenario where you’re with people that think differently or live a different lifestyle.”