Samantha Shaps
Ex-LVMH & Bergdorf Goodman | Luxury Fashion Career Coach
Studied at NYU Stern School of Business
Works at Istituto Marangoni
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Samantha's Offerings
Custom hourly · $79/hr
Get help with AI Automation, AI Fundamentals, and .
Samantha’s Luxury & Fashion Qualifications
Experience level: Associate
My path into luxury started as a buyer at Bergdorf Goodman, then moved into market intelligence and digital strategy at LVMH, where I worked across 75+ Maisons. I currently interview and advise luxury executives at Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and PUIG for Beyond Luxury Group, and I've taught strategic merchandising to master's students at Istituto Marangoni Paris. Alongside that, I made my own move into the Paris luxury market — rebuilding a career here in an industry that runs on relationships and insider knowledge most people don't have access to. I coach on the parts of a luxury career that are hardest to figure out alone: how to position your experience the way luxury hiring managers actually read it, how to build the network that gets you in the room, and how to navigate an industry that doesn't publish its own rules.
Samantha can help with:
AI Automation
AI Fundamentals
Cover Letters
E-Commerce Strategy
Freelancing
Interview Prep
LinkedIn Review
Luxury Brand Strategy
Luxury & Fashion Marketing
Luxury Retail Operations
Networking Strategy
Resume Review
Retail Strategy
Skill Building
Trend Forecasting
Work Experience
Merchandising Lecturer
Istituto Marangoni
December 2025 - Present
• Teach 20 Master’s students strategic merchandising and commercial planning, connecting assortment, pricing, and channel strategy. • Design curriculum and case-based frameworks translating luxury and digital commerce experience into applied decision-making. • Guide students through a live strategic project with Zadig & Voltaire, mentoring their process and assessing real-world brand deliverables.
Strategic Advisor & Contributing Editor
Beyond Luxury Group
August 2025 - Present
• Lead strategic advisory engagements for C-suite and founder-level decision-makers at brands including Chanel and Lufthansa, developing brand positioning frameworks, experience design strategy, and human-centric technology integration roadmaps to help leaders navigate industry transformation. • Author a weekly editorial column distilling 50+ direct interviews, from executives at Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and PUIG to founders building the next wave of luxury platforms, into sharp macro trend and consumer behavior analysis.
Customer Experience & Strategy Manager
Bloomingdale's
February 2025 - September 2025
• Led cross-functional initiatives to elevate the luxury client experience through data-driven selling strategies, personalized outreach, and customer segmentation insights. • Built and optimized dashboards, KPIs, and analytical tools that unlock customer potential, increase share of wallet, and empower selling teams and leadership with actionable insights. • Partnered with Marketing and Store Leadership to design a seamless selling journey, connecting frontline strategy with broader brand initiatives and client development programs.
Digital Strategy & Market Intelligence Analyst
LVMH
March 2024 - February 2025
• Demonstrated thought leadership in AI applications across marketing and operations. Conceptualized internal AI tool and developed an integration plan resulting in cost savings; presented findings to LVMH CEO. • Deployed and managed a bi-weekly internal newsletter delivering market insights, emerging innovations & technology and performance metrics to c-suite executives across 75+ Maisons, enhancing data-driven decision making. • Bridged global and local market strategies by adapting regional use cases, analyzing customer and demographic trends, and conducting competitor benchmarking to inform strategic decisions. • Enhanced client development amongst high-profile Maisons through case framing, implementation support, and performance measurement. Efforts enable brands to provide personalization at scale and capture untapped value.
Assistant Buyer
Bergdorf Goodman
August 2022 - November 2023
• Owned end-to-end buying process including market & sales analysis, vendor negotiations, and product selection for portfolio focus brands. • Operated as core business & partnership counterpart for Nationwide top-grossing high-profile luxury designer including leading quarterly information clinics with store sellers. • Managed territory budget for 30+ luxury brands including monthly forecasting of receipts and inventory flow. Generated $2M in savings by eliminating unproductive inventory through negotiated return to vendor. • Co-designed with luxury brands exclusive offerings rooted in detailed sales & trend analyses. Successfully launched our division’s top selling exclusive style which was featured as a key trend shaper by major international fashion editorial outlets. • Introduced brand in 2022 that drove $1M in sales revenue during its first year with restricted US retail distribution to Bergdorf’s.
Merchandising
Bergdorf Goodman
July 2021 - July 2022
• Led process optimization for periodic recap of sales and transitioned to real-time reporting of generated changes in Bergdorf’s retail offering. • Incubated and scaled partnerships with 30+ diverse brands. • Assisted buyer in achieving sales and gross margin. Analyzed selling and vendor performance. • Managed marketing process including marketing proposals and coordinating samples. Led communication with marketing and vendors to achieve target conversion rate for key campaigns.
Education
NYU Stern School of Business
Master of Business Administration - MBA, Specializations in Luxury Marketing, Strategy and Leadership and Change Management
2023 - 2024
Activities and societies: • VP of Career Development, Luxury & Retail Club, Graduate Research Fellow, Return on Sustainable Investment, Consultant, Stern Signature Projects Global in Paris
University of Southern California
Bachelor of Business Administration - BBA, Double Minor in Communication Design and Spanish
Activities and societies: Fashion Industry Association Vice President, Marshall Business Network, Make-A-Wish Association Certified Wish-Granter, Joint Educational Program Volunteer Spanish Tutor, Alpha Phi Sorority