Manager of Trunk Show & VIP

Manager of Trunk Show & VIP Growth

Lingua Franca is an NYC-based luxury clothing and accessory brand known for their hand-embroidered cashmere goods and ethically sourced ready-to-wear collection. Their pieces are designed to spark conversation and showcase an irreverent point of view. Founded in 2016, Lingua Franca's unique embroidery aesthetic has gained a loyal following.

Lingua Franca is seeking a commercially driven Trunk Show & VIP Growth Manager to own and scale our trunk show and VIP client businesses into strategically significant revenue channels.

This role is for someone who can design strategy, execute relentlessly, and grow a team as the business scales. You will have full ownership of trunk show revenue, VIP client development, and the systems that support both.

• Develop and execute a national trunk show calendar aligned with product launches, partnerships, and brand storytelling moments
• Identify, vet, and secure high-performing trunk show partners, venues, and hosts (brand partners and private clients)
• Own all event execution end-to-end: outreach, invitations, staffing, product assortment, visual setup, POS, fulfillment coordination, and post-event reporting
• Serve as the on-the-ground lead for trunk shows nationwide, with frequent travel required to support in-person events
• Build scalable systems, templates, and playbooks to support recurring trunk shows across markets
• Track and analyze performance by show (sales, attendance, conversion, ROI) and continuously refine format, cadence, and strategy

• Build and manage a formal VIP client program including segmentation, outreach, gifting, personalization, and retention strategies
• Serve as the primary relationship owner for high-value clients, hosts, and stylists, delivering a consistent white-glove experience
• Partner with Marketing and E-commerce to identify and activate repeat purchasers, top spenders, and brand advocates
• Host private appointments, previews, and one-on-one fittings in the West Village studio and at select offsite locations

• Own and exceed monthly trunk show and VIP sales targets, with a clear path to $1M+ in annualized revenue
• Personally drive bookings, close sales, and upsell customization and embroidery
• Collaborate with Planning and Warehouse to ensure optimal inventory allocation by event
• Provide leadership with structured feedback on best-selling SKUs, client demand signals, and new product opportunities
• Produce concise event recaps and sales analyses that directly inform assortment, pricing, and marketing decisions

• Build, train, and manage part-time and full-time support as the channel scales
• Partner closely with Marketing to align trunk shows with campaigns and launches
• Coordinate with Operations on logistics, shipping, returns, and post-event inventory reconciliation
• Work directly with Production on custom embroidery requests, lead times, and feasibility What Success Looks Like
  • Trunk shows are booked 3–6 months forward with a repeatable host pipeline
  • Clear unit economics and performance benchmarks by market and format
  • VIP clients rebook and purchase without heavy discounting
  • Revenue targets are met consistently and predictably
  • You are actively building and managing a small team within 6–9 months
  Requirements & Qualifications
  • 5+ years experience in luxury retail, client relations, experiential sales, hospitality, or early-stage brand growth
  • Demonstrated ownership of in-person or event-driven revenue
  • Strong sales instinct with comfort closing and upselling
  • Exceptionally organized, self-directed, and detail-oriented
  • Professional, polished, and confident in high-touch client environments
  • Comfortable working cross-functionally across creative, marketing, planning, and operations teams
  • Willingness and ability to travel frequently for trunk shows is a non-negotiable
  • Experience with Shopify POS or similar systems a plus
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
  What We Offer
  • 15 Days of PTO
  • Comprehensive health benefits including medical, dental & vision
  • Membership to Calm and access to other wellness benefits
  • 401k
  • Summer Fridays!
  • Dog-friendly office!
  • Monthly happy hours
  • Lingua Franca discount
  Equal Employment Opportunity

  Diversity and inclusion are key to our success. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and our employees are people with different strengths, experiences and backgrounds who share a passion for our brands. We welcome qualified applicants embracing their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, military or veteran status, mental or physical disability, medical condition and all of the other beautiful parts of your identity.