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Holly Dunlap

Founder of HDC Ventures

United States

Overview

Work Experience

  • Founder

    2021 - Current

    Investing in early-stage technology startups and vanguard brands.

  • Chief Executive Officer

    2017 - 2020

    Stylindex was a B2B SaaS platform for companies creating visual content and was used by brands at global fashion groups including LVMH, Kering, Richemont, & Estee Lauder, and global talent agencies & production companies. Finding the right talent & production resources is the key to making great work, and Stylindex was a centralized index for all of the top talent & production portfolios, making the job of content creation more efficient for consumer brands. With users in NYC, LA, Paris, Milan, Sydney, Cape Town, Berlin, Kyiv, Rio, Tokyo & more, Stylindex was the ultimate production tool for global content creators.

  • Head of Private Client Group

    2014 - 2016

    Sotheby's Private Client Group manages Sotheby's key clients buying globally in all auction categories including fine art, jewels, wine, and cars.

  • Founder

    2009 - 2014

    After selling my company HOLLYWOULD, I moved to Malawi (Africa), and started social enterprise MAKONO, while doing freelance design work for various brands, including LAVANDE jewels. For more info: http://hollydunlapcreative.com/

  • Founder, CEO & Creative Director

    1999 - 2008

    HOLLYWOULD was a luxury accessory & apparel business launched by Holly Dunlap in 1999, and sold to Sun Capital in 2006. HOLLYWOULD products consisted of shoes, handbags, clothing & jewelry designed by Holly Dunlap and produced in Italy. The brand was distributed in 150 premier department stores & boutiques worldwide, including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Harrods, Le Bon Marché, Isetan, Villa Moda, Podium, and many more. HOLLYWOULD was known for flirty, colorful styling and attracted party girl clients including celebrities Cameron Diaz, Liv Tyler, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Beyoncé, Chloe Sevigny, and Olivia Palermo. HOLLYWOULD stilettos were famous for their comfort, and hence used by the world’s top touring performers including Britney Spears, J.Lo, and Gwen Stefani. HOLLYWOULD is also credited for launching the worldwide ballet flat craze, as the first young shoe brand to include ballet flats in their mix. HOLLYWOULD was featured in every major magazine, with brand stories and designer profiles in Vogue, Elle, InStyle, Tatler, Bazaar, and Town & Country, as well as newspapers such as The Financial Times, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. Holly Dunlap was twice nominated for the CFDA’s prestigious Accessory Designer of The Year award, as well as many other respected industry awards for Accessory & Fashion Design. She was invited as a guest speaker at Harvard Business School on the topics of Entrepreneurship and Online Marketing. Holly’s blog, Holly’s Diary, was the first-ever widely read fashion blog. Sun Capital shuttered the HOLLYWOULD business after the global financial crash of 2008, but still owns the HOLLYWOULD brand name. For more info: http://hollydunlapcreative.com/design/hollywould/

  • Head Designer

    1996 - 1999

    Head Designer for relaunch of Lilly Pulitzer brand. Creative Design Head of womenswear, menswear, kidswear, accessories, and prints. www.lillypulitzer.com

  • Fashion Stylist

    1995 - 1996

    www.peggysirota.com

  • Design Studio Assistant

    1994 - 1995

    ww.viviennewestwood.com

  • Design Studio Assistant

    1992 - 1994

    LVMH Group www.christian-lacroix.com

Relevant Websites