Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Vice President and Creative Director Question: When designing nail colors, I imagine it can be difficult to avoid getting repetitive. How do you continue to be innovative with your colors? Answer: I look at trend predictions in Milan and Paris, which tell you the important colors for a season and where society is trending. Do we want to go the moon, or do we want to be farmers? You always want to go back to something — the ‘60s, the ‘80s, the ‘70s. We kind of conceptualize from that and decide the colors that will be important. I take those ideas and I work with the lab, the colorists, and we come up with shades. Until a color is finalized, there can be 10 to 15 different versions of it. Q: You often are the “go-to girl” for fashion forecasting and trend outlooks. What type of research do you do to stay ahead of the fashion curve? A: I hope I set the trends and don’t follow them. I make decisions and listen to my gut feeling. Q: Have there been seasons where you haven’t personally liked the colors? A: I love every color, especially the ones that sell the best. Q: Which nail colors are your top sellers? A: “I’m Not Really a Waitress” has been number one since the beginning. “You Don’t Know Jacques,” “Russian Navy,” “Bubble Bath.” “Cajun Shrimp” I designed in 1989 and it’s still a top seller. Q: What is your favorite OPI color? A: I love red. I think it’s very Hollywood. Q: Has there ever been a collection that didn’t perform the way you thought it would? A: No. Q: What are your thoughts on fashion today? A: I think of the average woman and how important beauty is to her. If she looks good, she feels good. She’s my muse. Q: Can you give us a preview on what we can expect for 2013? A: Next year there will be some throwback to the ‘60s — lots of color, plastic and shaggy carpets. Q: How often do you do your nails? A: I don’t like to have color on my nails when I’m working on colors. It bothers me. So it depends on whether I’m going to be out in public or in private. Q: How many colors do you have overall? A: About 260 classic shades. Then each season we introduce about 48 new shades. Some are retired and some continue. There’s always newness and excitement in the color. People will ask me what I do and I say, ‘I’m here to excite the consumer.’ That’s what I do everyday. Q: What’s been OPI’s key to success? A: The people that work here. Our biggest assets are the people. If you sit in a management meeting, you’ll see everyone has been here no less than 17 years and up to 25 or 26 years. I can have a vision, but if I don’t have people to carry it out, it doesn’t work. Q: Do you have any plans to retire? A: Yes, but I just don’t know what I would do on Monday, if I retired. That’s my biggest challenge. I’m working on a hobby. I just haven’t found one yet. I don’t like that word (retire) anyway. I always think when people retire they say “bye bye” and they die. You always have to have your brain thinking.
Trendsetter Develops OPI Nail Colors Based on Instincts
