As the director of apparel marketing for AmericasMart Atlanta, Wallace Parker handles fashion marketing for top-of-the-line brands on a daily basis. AmericasMart hosts the world’s single-largest collection of wholesale merchandise, including home, gift, area rug and apparel items. With previous experience in advertising agencies around the Atlanta area, Parker says she always aspired to develop creative brand strategies for a major corporation.
“The most rewarding part of my job is being able to see our markets come to life after all of the hard work and planning we put into them,” according to Parker. “When our exhibitors and retailers come together and have an amazing experience at Market that I helped create, that’s truly what makes my job so rewarding.”
One of Parker’s proudest accomplishments is increasing engagement on AmericasMart social media accounts, Instagramspecifically. Parker and her team worked to build this channel from the ground up and have watched it grow exponentially. Over a three-year period, the company’s Instagram following grew 450 percent.
While attending The University of Alabama, Parker majored in advertising and minored in graphic design which helped lead her to her current career. In addition, she was involved in the department as a member of the Capstone Advertising Federation.
“Studying graphic design has helped give me the creative eye and vision for our marketing campaigns and photoshoots across multiple channels,” said Parker. “Knowing the advertising side of the business really helped to expand my skill set in being able to create omni-channel marketing campaigns for my current role.”
When reflecting on her undergraduate experience at UA, Parker said that as a student, she was constantly encouraged to think outside of the box and given real-world tasks for assignments. In preparation for interviews and applications, Parker worked closely with Mike Little and credits him for helping her land her first, undergraduate internship with Charleston magazine.
As she looks toward the future, Parker hopes to stay in the fashion marketing industry, specifically working on social media campaigns because of her love for branding and photography.
“I enjoy building brands – bringing them a voice, helping to identify who they want to be, and seeing it all come to life in a successful and meaningful way,” said Parker.
By Alana Doyle