ASSOCIATE SPOTLIGHT SERIES: AN INTERVIEW WITH CLAUDIA BOYER-LA ROCHELLE
September 14, 2023
In our Associate Spotlight series, we are highlighting associates across the company who are shaping our community and who embody our Centric Brands philosophy every day.
Meet Claudia Boyer-La Rochelle, Vice President, Design for Buffalo Jeans. In her interview, Claudia shares her ultimate career goals to specialize in fashion sustainability, and the steps she has taken to transition Buffalo toward a more sustainable business model.
What is something you love about your role/your day-to-day responsibilities?
Crafting and creating new styles for Buffalo is what we do and is what we love. My passion for denim began unexpectedly, evolving from a graphic design background into a love for denim design. My professional journey includes successfully transitioning from designing men’s jeans to taking on the challenge of creating women’s jeans. I love working at Centric due to these new opportunities, my team, and the Buffalo brand.
I truly value team diversity and believe in combining different skill sets for success. I’m always available to help colleagues and enjoy collaborating in environments where ideas and innovations are shared.
How do you typically approach problem-solving?
When facing challenges, I firmly believe that there’s always a solution. I’m open to tackling projects outside my expertise and thrive on learning new things. My decision-making process centers around consumer satisfaction. Being flexible allows me to proactively course correct, at the end of the day if a product looks, feels, and fits well, I believe it’s a success. And thanks to my amazing team, they really help me manage all projects and deadlines.
Describe when you took the lead in implementing a change or improvement within your organization. What challenges did you face and how did you engage stakeholders to support the change?
One of my passions is pursuing the Eco-cert Certification, which aligns with my goal of creating more sustainable products. I have been leading this effort by rallying my colleagues and establishing a committee to drive change. I love to generate innovative ideas through research and collaboration.
What is something that not many people know about you?
Outside of work, I have been blessed with several long term and rich friendships, based on loyalty and respect. I am a figure skater on a synchronized team and we have been provincial champions for five consecutive years. Oh, and I love to cook.
