A PASSION FOR FASHION

Kenetha Holsey Martin ’96

For Kenetha Holsey Martin ’96, it’s all about making connections. At Magnificat, she loved connecting with her classmates to learn about their lives and families. In her career, developing the right connections with mentors and colleagues is how she moved up the ladder.

Currently, Kenetha is a market director for Gucci in the brand’s Northwest and Hawaii territory, but she wasn’t always planning for a career in fashion. When she graduated from Magnificat, she attended Hampton University and intended to go into medicine. Her sophomore year, she transferred to Miami University, and in searching for her true passion, she switched her major to psychology and finance. After college, she took a job in finance while also working part-time at Ann Taylor. It was there that she found her love of working in retail. After a few promotions, she became a Store Manager for Brooks Brothers, which took her to Chicago and then Minnesota. In 2009, she received a call from a former co-worker at Burberry, who asked her to move back to Ohio and open their Columbus store as the general manager.

“From there I found all my roles through connections I had and people I worked with,” she said. “People remembered the work I did and thought of me when new positions became available.”

Over the last decade, she has gone from Columbus to New Jersey, where she oversaw stores locally and across the United States for Henri Bendel, to New York City, where she ran Gucci’s flagship store. She has worked her way up from general manager to a market director. In 2022, she moved to San Francisco for her current role, where she is in charge of the market’s 12 Gucci stores.

Kenetha lives in San Francisco with her husband and two boys, and she still enjoys trips back to Cleveland to visit family. She is also proud to co-chair her company's Women's Empowerment group, which hosts speakers and events.

“My favorite part of my role is developing future leaders,” she said. “I love to see people who love this business and love retail fashion. Working behind the register is not the most glamorous of roles, but if you work hard, you can be highly successful in the industry.”