By Mariel Turner
11:50am PDT, Aug 23, 2019
Ashlee Margolis is no stranger to the world of Hollywood. The fashion and PR guru founded her own firm, The A List, in 2001 and has been dominating the industry ever since. Wonderwall.com caught up with Ashlee at the Rothy's Conscious Cocktails event at her Beverly Hills home on Aug. 20. Keep reading to see what she had to say about her 18-year career, working with difficult celebs, her ever-evolving style and why conscious clothing brands are the future.
Do you have any celebrity favorites that you love to dress? How have you handled stars who are more difficult to work with?
"I love working with talent that knows what they like while remaining open to trying new things. I try to over communicate so there is no room for error. I also tend to steer clients in another direction if they want to work with a celebrity that isn't easy. There are so many great actors to work with. The pool is large so its easy to focus on working with the people I love." Ashlee Margolis is pictured here enjoying a laugh with celebrity friends Mandy Moore and Isla Fisher at the Rothy's Conscious Cocktails event in August 2019.
How has your personal style evolved over the years?
"I've become a more conscious consumer, supporting brands that are female driven and are aligned with my values, whether they give back and/or are environmentally friendly," said Ashlee Margolis, shown here with actresses Selma Blair and Minnie Driver at her A-List 15th anniversary party in 2015.
What are some of your favorite conscious brands?
"Rothy's. I love that they are made from recycled plastics. They've recycled over 28 million water bottles from landfills and I love that I can machine wash them," said Ashlee Margolis, pictured here with Rothy's Creative Director Erin Lowenberg. "Farm Rio, I'm obsessed with this brand. Its so 'me.' Colorful and playful and they plant a tree in the Amazon for every purchase made. N:Philanthropy are the only T Shirts I wear. I love them because of the fit, but also because they donate 10 percent of their proceeds to Children's Hospital LA and ASPCA. [I like] Rent the Runway because I am into supporting the notion of re-wearing and re-using clothes, in efforts to try to reduce my carbon footprint. They also have some of my favorite designers on the site like Mara Hoffman. Lastly, Allbirds are the most comfortable shoes I own! And I love that they are made with natural materials like Merino Wool, Eucalyptus tree fiber and sugar cane."
Was there ever a moment when you wanted to give up on running your own business? How did you push through?
"Actually, no. Every day is a struggle to find the work / family balance, but I love my clients and my employees so much. I love interacting with people in the showroom all day and I love throwing events. I'm a very social person so my job is always a lot of fun for me," explained Ashlee Maroglis, pictured here with her hubby Dan Fishman in 2018.
In what ways has social media and influencers changed the fashion/events industry?
"The rise of social media and influencers have created new avenues to build awareness. When I first started in this business, I was a publicist focusing on traditional PR in print media. Today, traditional PR is slowly being phased out by the rise of the Digital Influencer. Brands are marketing to the consumer digitally, so having a strong presence with the influencers has become a focus. We spend a ton of time making sure they are tagging our brands and attending our events, wearing the brands and talkng about them in their stories. These influencers have become the new publisher," Ashlee Margolis dished. She is shown here with fashion blogger and influencer Nike Ojekunle in August 2019.
The Emmy Awards are fast upon us and you've worked on Emmys events in the past. What was your most memorable Emmys fashion moment?
"When I was working with Judith Leiber, we had so many carries at the Emmys, that Womens Wear Daily wrote about Judith Leiber being the most worn accessory on the red carpet," Ashlee Margolis said. "Being acknowledged by WWD was extremely rewarding and exciting." "Mad Men" star Christina Hendricks is pictured here carrying a Judith Leiber clutch at the 2011 Emmy Awards.
What advice would you give to young women who want to break into the industry and/or create their own business?
"Focus on your strengths. Stay in your lane. Make sure you love what you are doing and always over communicate so there is no grey zone." Ashlee Margolis is shown here with actresses Eva Longoria and Lea Michele at a Sakara Life + Rothy's event in April 2019.
You've already accomplished so much in your career. Is there anything else you'd like to do that you haven't done yet? What's next for you?
"I always wanted to be a talk show host or produce live TV. Not sure that's in the cards for this lifetime. With regards to The A List, I want to do more projects on a global scale and continue to work with brands that are doing amazing things. Charity work is always something I am going to go deeper into as well." Ashlee Margolis is all smiles with "This Is Us" actress Mandy Moore at a community service celebration for Communities in Schools in May 2018.
