ASSOCIATE SPOTLIGHT SERIES: AN INTERVIEW WITH CAYLA
February 4, 2026
In our Associate Spotlight series, we are highlighting associates across our Company who are shaping our community and who embody our Centric Brands philosophy every day.
Meet Cayla Kitts, Customer Service Coordinator at Centric Brands. What started as a future in psychology research became an unexpected career in fashion, where Cayla now applies her analytical mindset to drive smarter, more creative solutions.
From Research Lab to Fashion Floor
During the final semester of her undergraduate psychology degree, Cayla was deep into facial recognition research when the pandemic brought the world to a standstill in March 2020. Like many graduating seniors that spring, she faced an uncertain future. The path forward, graduate school to study human memory and cognition, suddenly felt less certain.
“At such a pivotal moment in my life, because of the pandemic, I was given the opportunity to sit with the unknown and truly figure out what I wanted to do with my career going forward.”
That period of pause became a turning point. A few years and a couple of jobs later, Cayla found herself applying to Centric Brands, hoping to leverage her research background to support a data-driven business in an industry she’d always loved but never quite knew how to enter. For someone trained in academic research, the fashion industry might seem like an unusual destination, but Cayla discovered that the analytical skills she’d honed in school translated seamlessly to the complexities of order management and operations.
Since joining the company, Cayla has continued to evolve, gaining exposure to different functions of the business, strengthening her skill set, and connecting with professionals in roles she hopes to grow into someday. Each step has reinforced that this unplanned path is the right one.
Creativity Beyond the Design Room
In her current role, Cayla allocates and manages orders for multiple customers under the Buffalo brand, with a primary focus on Costco, one of the company’s most complex accounts from an order-processing standpoint. She ensures customer orders are accurately entered into systems, fulfilled at the highest possible level, and released to the warehouse in time to meet tight delivery expectations.
That complexity, rather than being a challenge to work around, presents an opportunity. Cayla and her team have identified ways to streamline workflows and introduce automation that reduces manual touchpoints and potential errors. What energizes her most is being involved in initiatives that create scalable, long-term improvements, not just for one customer, but across the broader business.
This work has taught her one of the most valuable lessons of her time at Centric: creativity isn’t limited to a few departments. It shows up every day in how we solve problems. In order management, she’s learned there’s often more than one right way to approach an issue. Whether it’s finding a workaround, improving a process or rethinking an entire standard operating procedure, she’s come to trust that creative thinking and design principles have a place in operational roles.
Looking Outside to See More Clearly
While at Centric, Cayla encountered a piece of wisdom that reframed how she thinks about her work: if you’re interested in fashion, learn about everything except fashion. That idea has shaped her approach to creativity and problem-solving in meaningful ways.
“Exploring areas outside of work has allowed me to stay curious and operate at a higher level.”
Right now, she’s particularly inspired by typography, Baroque painting, and fiber arts. These interests aren’t disconnected from her professional life, they inform it. Outside of work, Cayla has developed a practice of trend forecasting and creative direction. For the past three years, she’s created an annual prediction list covering everything from pop culture events and fashion trends to consumer behavior shifts and overarching color themes.
