Amazon’s Real (Cool) Jobs: Sally Singer, head of Amazon Fashion Direction

This article is part of our Real (Cool) Jobs series, where we highlight employees with some of the most interesting jobs across Amazon. Looking for previous posts? Check out Chris Holloway, head of the Amazon Pets team, Kane Diep, Prime Video's TikTok strategist and all of our Real (Cool) Jobs on AboutAmazon.com.

As a young girl, Sally Singer was “obsessed” with fashion. She crafted unique looks from vintage items and even sewed her own clothing using Vogue as her trusty guide. Little did she know she would not only work for the magazine one day, she would also build a storied career centered on her exceptional taste in clothing.

“You have to be someone who obsesses over the statement, scale, and purpose of fashion to work in it for this long,” said Singer, who joined Amazon in 2019 after two decades leading editorial and digital teams at Vogue. “The privilege of working in this industry is having real relationships with people who are the best in the world at what they do. I've been lucky to attend exciting events and fashion shows, but I feel most fortunate to have spent real time with the most fascinating, creative people in the industry.”

In her role as head of Amazon Fashion Direction, Singer advises across teams that are innovating for fashion at the company. No two days look the same, as she applies her fine-tuned sense of style and editorial instinct to help provide more engaging, exciting, and inclusive experiences for customers around the world.

We met with Singer to learn more about her career and her vision for Amazon Fashion.

What has it been like shifting your mindset from the 'Vogue' customer to the Amazon customer?

Shifting focus from the Vogue customer to the Amazon customer isn't as difficult as people would think. I’ve spent many years talking to retailers about what sells and what doesn't, and the pain points are nearly always the same for customers. They want to know why something has value and why they should invest in it. This applies to someone who's spending $49 on a jacket just as much as it does to someone who's spending $4,000. I think the real challenge at Amazon is to add storytelling and humanity to the storefront that most people think of as strictly utilitarian. Shopping on Amazon can become a habit, and it’s meant to be efficient, but we also want to make Amazon Fashion a place of discovery, where customers can experience a sense of pleasure, security, and all of the other feelings fashion can bring about.

What kind of storytelling has gone into Amazon Fashion’s efforts to earn trust with customers?

We’ve implemented people-first storytelling and embrace the idea that Amazon Fashion is for everyone. Whatever you want fashion to do for you—whether the goal is to blend in or stand out—we have something for you somewhere on this site, and we can get it to you quickly. Our creative teams focus on telling stories of how customers wear clothes their way. Instead defaulting to models, we're now showing really interesting people looking fabulous in clothing they bought on Amazon.

What is your favorite project you’ve worked on at Amazon so far?

We released an Amazon Fashion gift guide for the 2021 holiday season with the goal of featuring different types of people from around the country. We styled the people in the catalog to look like themselves. So, for example, you meet these amazing sisters who are hip-hop performers from Michigan, wearing metallic puffers covered with sparkly broaches, metallic knife-pleated skirts, and floral Doc Martens—a fabulous look. It was runway-worthy and all of the products were from Amazon; i.e., inexpensive products, but worn the way these women actually wear clothes.

What advice do you have for others who aspire to a career like yours?

Don’t prioritize ambition for ambition’s sake. Doing what everyone else is doing won’t get you anywhere anyway. Enjoy the experience of living. Don't spend a whole lot of time chasing a title and money. That will come if you find what you love and enjoy the process. I know so many people who have probably had more celebrated careers than me...but they haven't had as much fun.

Read more of our interview with Sally at AboutAmazon.com.