How Anthropologie's Anu Narayanan Takes a 'Change or Fail' Approach to Her Career
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Managing Editor Marie Albiges interviews Anu Narayanan, president of women’s and home at Anthropologie, a global lifestyle brand redefining the retail landscape with an artful approach, part of the URBN portfolio of brands. Listen in as Narayanan shares her career journey in retail (1:30), the expansion of her role to include the home sector (3:55), and what differentiates the Anthropologie Group business (5:20). She discusses the brand’s multigenerational customer base (7:00), how she infuses creativity and risk in her teams’ everyday work (8:20), and how leaders at all levels can influence change (11:30).
In addition, Narayanan shares how she’s applied advice from Don Fisher, the founder of Gap Inc., to “change or fail” in her career (13:35), how to approach the opportunity to expand into a new skillset or role (17:35), and how she’s helping develop the next generation of talent (20:05). She touches on what she believes is driving Anthropologie’s success right now (23:10), how she’s thinking about customer behavior differently (25:15), and what she’s excited about for the brand this year (26:35). Lastly, Narayanan shares her non-negotiables when it comes to work-life balance (27:35) and how she’s using AI in her daily life (29:30).
Narayanan has profound experience within the women’s retail category and prior to joining the Anthropologie brand in 2018, spent more than 20 years focused on trend analytics, merchandise planning, buying and design at other industry-leading brands such as Talbots, Ann Taylor, L Brands, and Gap Inc. She is a strong merchandising professional with a B.S. in finance and marketing from Boston College of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts at the Carroll School of Management. On a personal note, she loves to spend time with her family, vacation in the Bahamas, bake, and indulge in anything on Bravo.
Date: August 19, 2025
Credits: Anu Narayanan
Duration: 32:59
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