Christine Hunsicker is an entrepreneur and the CEO and Co-Founder of Gwynnie Bee, a retail industry online clothing subscription service that allows women to access an unlimited wardrobe.[1][2] The company has shipped over 3 million boxes as of January 2016.[3] Christine Hunsicker grew up in Pennsylvania. She attended Princeton University, where she played field hockey for the nationally ranked team and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1999.[4]
Career
In 2011, Hunsicker launched Gwynnie Bee, a subscription model clothing service. She focused first on sizes 10–32 after discovering that 80% of American women fall into this size range, most of whom are severely underserved by traditional retailers.[5][6] Hunsicker utilized her experience with start-ups, algorithms, and other data-based methodologies to shape the company's operations. Originally run out of her New York City apartment, Gwynnie Bee now operates from 5 offices in the USA and India and employs around 350 people.[7] The company offers more than 150 rental brands and has shipped over 3 million rental boxes as of August 2016.[8]
In October 2016, Hunsicker starred on Lifetime's Project Runway: Fashion Startup,[9] a spinoff of the successful reality TV series. Delving into the business side of the fashion industry, entrepreneurs pitched their startups to a panel of investors (including Hunsicker) for financial backing.[10] Media coverage of the show included an appearance by Hunsicker on The Today Show.[11]
In January 2018, Gwynnie Bee refashioned its service to be size inclusive.[12]
Prior to Gwynnie Bee, Hunsicker was COO of Drop.io and President and COO of Right Media, two tech start-ups that were bought by Facebook and Yahoo!, respectively, the latter for $850 million.[13]
Hunsicker has discussed her perspectives on the fashion industry, size inclusiveness, underserved markets, and the future of retail on various programs including Fox Business.[14][15]
Awards and honors
Hunsicker has been honored with numerous achievements including Crain's New York Business "40 Under 40",[16] INC.'s "The Most Impressive Women Entrepreneurs of 2016",[17] and Entrepreneur's "25 Inspiring Entrepreneurs Under 40 Who Are Creating the Next Big Thing".[18] She has been credited with "disrupting" and "changing the fashion game",[19][20][21] "redesigning the plus-size clothing industry",[22] and "personalizing the plus-size fashion experience".[23]
^"Christine Hunsicker Speaks on The Future of Retail: Online vs. In-store and Weighs in on Amazon Falling Short with Female Shoppers", "Fox Business: Making Money with Charles Payne", August 29, 2016
http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/5103893028001/?#sp=show-clips