Marshaling the brand voice of one of the most recognizable modern-day American luxury fashion houses is a role with an air of prestige. But 34-year-old Carolyn Amurao, the copy manager at Coach, dazzles in her own right.
She emanates a self-assurance that springs from having embraced the unfamiliar. Amurao wears a red cardigan and speaks with earnest intensity over a Zoom call as she quotes one of her favorite authors, Jeanette Winterson: “What you risk reveals what you value.”
Amurao has lived and breathed by that quote her entire life; she has never been one to play it safe. Growing up as a dancer in Vancouver, she has always choreographed her life to the rhythm of what fuels her soul. Amurao reminisces about religiously reading her older sister’s copies of Nylon Magazine – her gateway to the world of high fashion as a kid. She devoured each issue like it was scripture and was determined to become a chronicler of the New York fashion circuit. It didn’t matter that it was 3000 miles from her home; she gravitated toward the city’s electric uncertainty: “New York was the dream,” Amurao says.
In 2009, Amurao moved to New York City to study journalism at New York University, determined to build a career in the fashion editorial world. While at college, she interned at publications like Nylon and College Fashionista, giving her writing valuable exposure.
However, instead of pursuing a traditional journalism career path after graduating in 2013, Amurao went in a different direction. Her friend who worked at Bloomingdale’s referred her to a role there as a freelance junior copywriter, and Amurao jumped at the chance.
She had difficulty finding a company prepared to navigate the complexities of sponsoring a work visa, which narrowed down her job options.
“I think that if I hadn’t had that obstacle, my career could have turned out really differently,” she says. “I just had to navigate things strategically so that I could get a work visa.”
After working at Bloomingdale’s until 2014, Amurao worked as a full-time copywriter at David Yurman for two years. But in 2016, 25-year-old Amurao quit her job and lost her status to live and work in the country.
“I didn’t feel I was learning and growing the way I wanted to,” she says. “Emotionally [not having a job] was a lot because I felt uncertain. And anytime there’s uncertainty, and you’re not fully in control of your life and where you’re going to be and where you’re going to work and how long it’s going to take, it’s all very unsettling and nerve-wracking.”
Without a job, Amurao moved back to Vancouver. Still, she was committed to building a life in New York City.
“It really did feel like my home away from home,” she says. “So it wasn’t a question. I was like, ‘I’m going to do what I need to do, to live in New York.’”
Amurao recalled the quote she loved from Winterson and knew that one of the things she valued most was her professional success. New York was an endless maze of doors that drew in dreamers like her.
A few months later, she returned to New York. Driven by the pressure to get a new visa urgently, she spent weeks applying for jobs, speaking with recruiters on the phone, and interviewing potential employers. Amurao’s determination paid off, and that August, she landed a job as a copywriter for Kiehl’s, where she applied for and received a new work visa.
“The uncertainty of what came next was worth it because I felt good about prioritizing my career growth over anything else,” she says. “Plus, if you can’t take risks when you’re young, then when can you, right?”
Amurao worked at Kiehl’s until 2019, when she landed a job as the Associate Copy Manager at Coach and was later promoted to a Copy Manager, a crowning moment of a rewarding career thus far. She works alongside a passionate group of creatives to craft compelling content for email marketing campaigns and conceptualize content series. While the work can be challenging, she appreciates that Coach has a heritage story: the 84-year-old leather goods company is recognized for its timeless American style and passion for innovation. “It grounds you and helps you to really visualize and make these creative decisions,” she says.
Despite feeling fortunate, Amurao admits she struggles with being an “all-or-nothing person.”
“Comparison is the thief of joy. I feel like I’m constantly comparing myself to other people and whatever their career is,” she says. “It is so competitive here, and because of that, it’s easy to fall into this trap of never feeling like you have reached success because there’s always a higher title or a bigger salary.”
However, the real accomplishment for Amurao transcends her professional standing. Through expanding her boundaries and taking calculated risks, Amurao has discovered herself.
“I think that when you know who you are, you’re confident, and you’re able to move through the world in a way with integrity, and you can make those hard decisions easily because you know what your values are,” she says.
Amurao’s journey of self-actualization is far from over, still being young and rattling with ambition. But she doesn’t need anything beyond herself to validate her potential to be extraordinary. In the past, the innate fire inside her catalyzed her growth. No matter how much she continues to blossom, she insists on improving, excelling, and coloring outside the lines. She has her wings, and she is unafraid to spread them. What could be more valuable than that?