Alumni
Former Professional Baseball Player Mario Hollands Launches Buying Career with FIDM Degree
Alumnus Mario Hollands spent seven years in the major and minor leagues, pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies. While still working as a professional athlete, he applied to FIDM to study Merchandising & Marketing and started taking classes online. After he graduated, he interned for Kendall + Kylie in Los Angeles, contracted at Levi’s, and was hired as an Assistant Buyer for Pottery Barn in San Francisco. This is his industry story.
What has your journey been like transitioning from professional athlete to a career in the fashion industry? Transitioning from professional baseball hasn’t been that hard for me. A lot of people have expected that I was going to have a hard time away from the sport and wouldn’t know what to do with myself. But I had an idea of what I wanted to do and I knew FIDM could help propel me to my goals. I know I wouldn’t be in this position without the education and guidance from FIDM. It is sometimes tough not having the an equal amount of experience that others were able to get while I was playing baseball for seven years but going to FIDM has helped me bridge that gap.
How do you think the qualities/traits you honed as a professional baseball player have helped you in the fashion industry? Before I made it to the major leagues I spent three full seasons in the minor leagues; if you can get through that, I feel you can do almost anything. The discipline I have learned throughout my baseball career has helped me focus in on my present and future objectives. This has already helped me in the fashion industry and continues to get stronger. I learned through baseball that I couldn’t just hope to make it to the major leagues, I knew it was going to take patience, discipline, and consistency. I was lucky to play with a many older players that played in the MLB for many years and was able to learn a lot from them and use it to help my growth. I have tried to learn and soak up as much knowledge from my managers and coworkers in the new career as I did playing professional baseball.
Tell us about your Kendall + Kylie fashion internship: The spring and summer before I started interning I was coming back from elbow surgery. I was living on the East Coast and knew for the first time in a few years I was going to be free during my baseball off season. This opened up opportunities for me to intern for the first time since getting my degree from FIDM. I remember searching online and the FIDM Alumni pages for internships for the upcoming fall. Because I had been living in Florida and Pennsylvania for over two years and wanted to get back to California, I narrowed my search to Northern and Southern California. I got a couple internship offers, a couple were with PR companies but the managers that interviewed me at K+K were great and we instantly had a great connection. I never got to meet Kendall or Kylie. It seemed that whenever I was out of the office that was when the girls would stop by for a visit.
What are your responsibilities as an Assistant Buyer at Pottery Barn? I participate in the development of annual and seasonal financial plans. I also assist the team with the appropriate adjustments so we can maximize sales and profits. I assist with the visuals in store, email, and social media promotion strategies analyzing domestic markets. And I assist the manager with final assortment plans, overall and seasonal assortment.
How did you find out about the opportunity at Pottery Barn? I was finishing contract work with Levi Strauss and I applied to an Distribution Analyst position that had just opened up and had some great conversation with the Williams Sonoma recruiter. When I went into my interview I was talking with VP of my division and we had a long talk about my story, my views, and ideas. He understood I had a passion for merchandising and buying. A little time after there that a new position was created within the team and the new assistant position was offered to me.
You went to college with UCSB swimmer Courtney Bauer who went to FIDM to pursue fashion. How else has the FIDM network played a role in your career in the fashion industry? I knew Courtney Bauer when we were student athletes at UCSB and I saw how she was able to attend FIDM right after graduation from UCSB and it gave me the idea and confidence that I could also do it. I just had to wait a couple more years until I was able to. I have also met other FIDM graduates who are always willing to help and give advice through this new career change. It feels like wherever I go the FIDM network is around and supportive.
Who was your FIDM Admissions Advisor? My Admissions Advisor was Aileen Howard, based in the San Francisco office. We spoke multiple times, weeks and months before I decided to apply and then work on my entrance project for Merchandising & Marketing. She advised me on my major and helped me figure out what I wanted to do in the future. She encouraged me throughout the entire process and she was the first to inform me I was accepted into FIDM.
What are your career goals? I would like to stay in merchandising but I am also keeping my options open because I never know if or when my interests might change. I was lucky to be sponsored by Nike and Adidas when I was playing and could see myself getting involved in the sportswear world again but right now I like where I am at. And a break away from sports after all those years has been great.
Categories: Merchandising & Marketing Alumni Transfer Student
