About Charmaine Mischel

Charmaine Mischel is a multi-hyphenate fashion professional with decades of experience designing for global fashion houses and mentoring the next generation of creative founders. Her journey spans the New York Fashion Industry, and Paris & London markets, plus the boardrooms and factory partners of brands that shaped fashion retail.

After years designing for the Brooks Brother's, Callaway, Garnet Hill, J. Jill, and Bill Burn's labels for Nordstrom and more, where her design repertoire grossed millions in retail, Charmaine went on to launch her namesake label in 2003 and in 2020 founded CMDA, the brand coaching agency for Emerging Designers.

As both founder and educator, she recognized a gap in the education side of the market: fashion-schooled designers were being taught how to create and work for existing corporations, but not how to build a business of their own.

That insight gave birth to the Label Launch Blueprint, her signature program for independent designers who wish to build profitable, purpose-led fashion businesses from the bottom up.

Charmaine’s approach blends timeless industry fundamentals with cutting-edge digital tools. She doesn’t just teach designers to launch collections - she teaches them to architect brands that are distinct, in-demand, and positioned for longevity. Her clients include classically trained designers, self-taught creatives, 9‑to‑5’ers in transition, and boutique owners ready to scale. What they all share is a desire to launch with intention, and skip the guesswork.

With her proprietary D.E.S.I.G.N. Formula, Charmaine guides her clients through brand identity, design development, preorders, production planning, and sustainable growth, without relying on fashion shows or viral content.

Her designs for Nordstrom have been featured on the front page of Women's Wear Daily (WWD: Monday edition). CMDA and the Life by DESIGN podcast have been spotlighted by Medium, Retail Boss and across platforms that also foster the future of independent fashion brands.

At the heart of her work is a belief: "When emerging designers are given strategy, structure, and support, they don't just launch brands. They shift culture."