Cynthia Rowley

Though her name is synonymous with fashion design, her work now ranges from developing office supplies to supporting new entrepreneurs

- Kimberly Weisul

How did you decide to design office supplies for Staples?

A lot of my friends work from home. I asked Staples what their top-selling items were, and they said boxes of copy paper. If you’re working from home, the box is sitting out, and you see it all the time. I said, “Let me design the box. I’ll make it beautiful.” If you give women the option to buy a beautiful box, they will. We outsold the Star Wars design.

What effect has e-commerce had on people in your industry?