Checking Out: Eva Mai

Your background is multi-national.
Yes, I was born in Italy, spent a year and a half in South Africa and then moved to Australia. So, three continents before I turned seven. I think it gave me a much more open mind, unafraid to try new things.

How did you get into window design?
I was working as a graphic designer in Sydney, and I applied for a scholarship at the Academia Italiana, a private art and fashion school in Florence, for a master’s degree in window display and design.

And then back to Sydney after apprenticing?
I worked for an absolute visionary – Belinda Seper, who owned high-end boutiques throughout Australia. She defined my future.

How so?
She was all about beauty in its purest sense. She bought pieces that were breathtakingly beautiful, even if she knew they might not sell, because she wanted to inspire with the beauty of craftsmanship.

What’s the importance of a beautiful experience?
You have to touch desire within people, create the dream for them. It’s not a practical decision to buy an $8000 coat, it’s an emotional one – an aspirational one.

And that starts with the store windows?
Yes, the windows are the invitation to the elegant party, making people want to come inside.

Why did you switch to Louis Vuitton before coming to Coach?
Because I wanted to learn the language of business. If you don’t have that, it doesn’t matter how beautiful your things are, you can’t get everyone on your side. So I stepped out of the window and into the store to learn what it means to sell a product and to create a true brand image.

How has your role changed?
I’m much more involved in the entire creative environment – window displays, showroom environments, pop-up stores, animations, interactivity, the whole experiential part of retail … Today, the store window is just a part of the overall message. You have to combine all of the other media – the technology, the interactivity – to tell a single brand story.

How was the move to New York?
Culture shock. I always thought I was a city girl, but New York is really an entity unto itself. So much going on, all of the noise and the action constantly.

Manhattan can be overwhelming.
When I first came here, I lived on the 23rd floor of a big building. I’ve moved to Brooklyn, now; it’s more familiar to me. You can see cardinals in the trees.

What about the American people?
The biggest difference is the American attitude – positive, expansive, aggressive, eager and willing to surprise. Europeans are not as easy to change. There are a lot of rules. People are slower to take chances.