What to Wear to Work (and Home): Olivia Landau, Founder and CEO, The Clear Cut

In this bi-weekly series, we interview female executives, founders, CEOs - basically boss ladies - about their "power suits" - the outfits they wear every day to conquer any job.

Couples thinking about asking that question will need some insight from Olivia Landau. She is the founder and CEO of The Clear Cut, an engagement ring company that she runs with her husband and co-founder Kyle Simon, who also serves as COO. The two launched The Clear Cut (opens in new tab) in 2017 after it became clear (pun intended) that Landau's engagement ring advice interested not only friends, but also strangers who DMed her on Instagram.

"We started The Clear Cut as an educational blog because we realized that most people know nothing about buying an engagement ring," Landau says.

"The blog never had a wide readership, but once I started posting ring designs on Instagram, I started getting design requests. I was working a full-time job and traveling back and forth to [New York's] Diamond District for this little side hustle."

Landau also says that he "started to get a lot of requests for rings from people who were looking to get into the jewelry business.

It wasn't long before this side business became a full-fledged business. Landau comes from four generations of diamond cutters and dealers and is a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Simon, on the other hand, launched his diamond mining company in 2013 and is a graduate of both Columbia Business School and GIA. (7]

For those considering following in Landau's footsteps, she reveals that it is difficult to break into the diamond industry without connections. The industry is tight-knit and involves a lot of trust. 'The industry is mostly dominated by middle-aged and older men, so it's pretty difficult for a young woman with no connections to the industry to get in,' she said. I think what really helped me was going to GIA and building my network and connections there." I also worked in different aspects of the industry, from retail to wholesale, and met people along the way, which gave me a good understanding of how the business works before I actually did the work myself."

Being a young woman in this industry has its advantages. For one, Landau is social media savvy (she runs the Instagram account for The Clear Cut (opens in new tab)). She has an appearance that is friendly to millennial ring shoppers. Her transparent Instagram posts help demystify the complex engagement ring process. In addition, about 80% of The Clear Cut's customers are in remote locations. In other words, Landau has devised a powerful and flexible system to reach customers outside of New York City, where the jewelry is manufactured.

"When I was at GIA, I remember one of my professors telling me that there was no way people would buy diamonds online without actually seeing them. I think our generation and the generation after that are not afraid to buy online. Today's customers are very interested in what they see online. They all want exactly what they want. They don't want to buy something that fits a mold."

Landau and Simon lead a team of seven people in New York City, working with hundreds of customers at a time, helping them source the perfect diamond to create the engagement ring of their dreams.

"Master Diamonds

"A lot of our master jewelers were unable to come to work, which delayed production a bit, but we were able to find ways for them to work from home," says Landau. 'Also, we're really leaning into it because most of our clients are remote, and I can't risk the safety of our staff, so I'm doing a lot of things I wasn't doing before, like going to the office and shipping packages out.' "(Landau lives a 15-minute walk from work.)

As a preface, the Clearcut founder talks about how her daily routine has changed since the health crisis, and mostly about what she wears to work now that she is a WFH.

"My morning routine has changed so much. I used to get ready at the last possible moment, rush to brush my teeth, wash my face, put on my makeup, drink my coffee, and run out the door. Now, my mornings are much more laid back. I get up in the morning, make eggs, drink lemon water and coffee. Then I answer e-mails, make phone calls, plan my day, and go to the office. I'm really lucky that I work close to the office, so I can easily stop by, pack a package, send it to the post office, and then go home.

"I'm more of a get up and get dressed right away type of person, but I change (clothes) depending on what I'm doing that day. If I have an Instagram Q&A or some kind of photo shoot, I'll wear a cute top and workout pants. If I'm just walking around outside, I'll often wear sneakers and an athleisure outfit. If I'm going to bed, I wear pajamas, then comfy daytime clothes.

"Since I no longer meet with clients one-on-one, my everyday attire is more relaxed. I don't think I've worn real pants since this pandemic happened, so I'm living in loungewear and cute workout gear every day of the week, and I'm wearing a lot of different labels like Outdoor Voices, Athleta, and Terez, which have really cute and fun printed leggings. I wear leggings of all types.

I also love comfy sweatshirts and tops that I can throw over a sports bra; I have a cute star-printed sweat suit from Terez and I wear Alexander Wang hoodies all the time. I still try to dress cute, but my work clothes are more casual. For shoes, I like classic white Adidas, and if it's a nice day or I want to get a little funky, I'll wear Allbirds. I also have a few pairs of classic Nike sneakers, like white Air Force 1s, that make any outfit look good. [I like to layer pendant necklaces over items like joggers. I just switched to stud earrings, but I try to wear jewelry that I can easily layer and not take off when I'm working out or running errands. That way I still feel like I'm accessorizing and it really elevates an outfit."

"Something that makes me feel comfortable, pretty, confident and comfortable to wear."

"Work for it, not wish for it. Whatever your goal is, I believe in doing what you can to achieve it."

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