Danielle Gumina is a native of North Brunswick, New Jersey. She is a grad student at Pepperdine getting her Master of Arts in Media Production. Danielle is a very accomplished young woman who is the Founder and CEO of GRIP handbags. Danielle created GRIP as a “line of edgy and contemporary bags.” She was selected as a finalist for the 2015 Independent handbag Designer Awards and received recognition by InStyle.com for “best student made handbag.” As a result of winning the 9th annual Independent Handbag Designer Awards, she received an apprenticeship with Trina Turk’s design team. Danielle was given the opportunity to propose several designs for Trina Turk’s “handbag Holiday collection.” This successful and, might I add, very lovely woman just keeps climbing the ladder. You can visit the GRIP Handbag website at: www.griphandbags.com.
What’s your favorite movie?
“Hocus Pocus is my all time favorite Halloween movie. I also love ‘A Walk To Remember’ – major chic flick, I know.”
What memories at Pepperdine shaped you the most?
“I have so many fond memories at Pepperdine, and they definitely have shaped me into the person I am today. I think all experiences do that, whether good or bad. Of course, my classes have taught me a lot, but those close to me know that I’d much rather indulge in real-world opportunities (i.e. internships / part-time jobs) and grow from that. It actually forces you to apply what you know, and you learn in ways I find to be so incredibly satisfying. I thank Pepperdine for giving me that confidence to go out there and keep trying new things.”
Are you involved in anything else besides GRIP?
“I work part-time as a personal assistant to a videographer based here in Malibu.”
As a student, how did you manage your time between establishing your own company (GRIP) and classwork?
“I truly believe that if something matters to you enough, you make time for it no matter how busy you are. Grad school is a little different from undergrad. I found myself mostly committed to my academics (really trying to figure out my career goals), and not too bombarded with extra curricular activities. Although I interned a lot, I still had weekends to designate time towards developing my handbag business, GRIP. Besides, it didn’t really feel like work to me. I was in creative bliss! Who can say no to hours of listening to Spotify and scrolling through Pinterest?”
As a young woman, what advice would you give to another young woman who is interested in starting her own business?
“Be prepared for the challenge, it’s not all glamorous. Circumstances will come up that will constantly make you question your goals and your future. But always remember why you wanted to start this in the first place. And don’t forget to thank your parents. They will always be your top customers and supporters.”
What obstacles did you face while you started GRIP Handbags?
“As you know, I am a candidate for a Masters in Media Production. So my biggest challenge was realizing that I had absolutely no academic background in business nor in fashion. What was I getting myself into, is this worth it? I am sure you can imagine the confusion I was going through. I was trying so hard to make sense of what I wanted to do, what my purpose was. However, growing up I always had the entrepreneurial spirit and had so much creative energy. Plus, I think for every girl, fashion is and always will be a passion. Developing GRIP helped me recognize my potential, Now I’m enrolled in an online program provided by Teen Vogue x Parson, the New School for fashion certification. Definitely helps!”
Who is the person who inspired you the most? Is there someone who helped or inspired GRIP?
“There is a designer I know who has been a huge inspiration to me for many years. I first discovered her pieces inside an issue of Lucky magazine. I vividly remember the moment as if it were yesterday. There was this pearl necklace that had spiky elements on it and for some reason I became obsessed. This was before spike embellishments were a ‘thing’ and I remember thinking how cool it was to combine such unlikely elements together. I ended up blogging about it and turns out the designer found my post and contacted me. As a thank you, she sent me a bracelet from her line. I was so in love. Ever since then, we continue to keep in touch and I make occasional visits to her NYC studio. I think over the years, her inspiration sort of piled on me and just this past year, it suddenly hit me that I wanted to be a designer too. I mean, I definitely have the creative energy to get the job done. So that’s how GRIP was born.”
What made you interested in creating GRIP?
“I was working on preliminary research for my thesis on ‘Fashion Films’ and this was around the time I got the idea to create GRIP. It’s one of those random ideas that pop in your head when you least expect it. I was collaborating with my designer friend (mentioned above), and it dawned on me how much she inspires me and the reason I think she inspires me so much is because she is who I want to be some day. For some reason, that took a while to click. My mind drifted all over the place, and I found myself reflecting on my past internships with stylists and pr firms, and then I thought about all the red carpet events they work on, and handbags and then boom! I thought, all these clutches look the same, there is definitely a market for evening clutches here (hello, Hollywood)… How cool would it be to create something that revolutionizes the everyday clutch? That was my moment and I couldn’t look back.”
Why did you decided to create GRIP while you were a student rather than after you graduated?
“I didn’t really get to decide that. When the idea came to me, it was like reading a really good book. I couldn’t put it down. I had to keep going.”
Is there a moment in your career that you are the most proud of?
“My first handbag design won the 9th Annual Independent Handbag Designer Awards for “Best Student Made Handbag” sponsored by Trina Turk and Signal Brands. I never win anything, and to earn this award validated my career aspirations. I was so proud of myself and what I accomplished. It was a honor to be recognized and featured in the September issue of InStyle magazine!”
What is something about you that most people do not know?
“I’m actually hard of hearing. It’s funny because I have this tendency to not discuss it until friends notice and ask. And I have no problem discussing it! I think it’s mainly because I’ve adjusted and overcome my disability so much, I rarely recognize it myself. It definitely doesn’t define who I am, but rather it’s a part of who I am that makes me unique.”
What made you decide to come to Pepperdine?
“That’s a tough question. The campus is gorgeous! I find it so inspiring and it really shapes my perspective. I think that is how dreams are made and pursued.”
Define success and how its helped you grow?
“The definition of success is unique to each person. For me, I think happiness is what makes a person successful. You have to love what you do. Because when you love what you do, work doesn’t feel like work and you find yourself pouring hours and hours of energy into creating something that eventually will become very successful. Where energy goes, energy flows.”
How do you see your degree playing into your handbag business?
“At first, I honestly didn’t and that’s what made it so hard in the beginning. But now I’ve found a way to combine both media production and fashion. I wrote and produced a fashion film for my thesis project. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6d1gAjYJX8 “
Do you think Pepperdine has encouraged you to be an entrepreneur?
“Pepperdine has a way of supporting its students. My professors always encouraged me to get hands on experience outside of the classroom, because that’s how you really learn. And I think because I’ve always been a go-getter, I just had the natural ability to start something on my own. I never found it intimidating. But rather, I found it so very exciting and I wanted to see where it would go.”
What was it like learning from Trina Turk?
“Trina Turk, the woman herself, is so powerful! I love that she started something years ago and worked for it with all her might, and now it’s one of the biggest brands out there. She let me sit in on one of her meetings, and I got to show her team my bags. She explained what I developed, and it was so incredible to hear her communicate my concept so perfectly. She understood my vision. That was a huge confidence booster. I also got to work with her design team and sketch handbags for her holiday collection next year. As a result I got to add items to my portfolio and sharpen my Adobe skills, which is beneficial to point out on my resume.”
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