SHARLEEN ERNSTER
#STARTSOMEWHERE
♻️💚♻️
We Are HAH | FOUNDER & CEO
Los Angeles, California | 2015 - 2024
Using my deep experience in design, product innovation, and brand building, I launched We Are HAH in 2016—the world’s first eco-luxury intimates, swim, and apparel lifestyle brand and, yes… the sexiest eco brand on the planet. What started bootstrapped in my living room scaled into a multi-channel, globally distributed, $5M revenue brand rooted in sustainability, innovation, and unapologetic storytelling.
Built the team, the product universe, the voice, the supply chain, and the future-forward materials that reshaped what eco-luxury could be. As Founder + CEO + Creative Director, I led across every function—design, marketing, merchandising, sourcing, finance, and growth—while pioneering high-impact sustainability in an industry that desperately needs it.
➤ Created and defined the HAH brand—Product | Voice | Visual | Ethos
➤ Creative Director across all marketing, brand, content, campaigns & consumer experience
➤ C-Suite leadership: Merchandising & Buying | Marketing | Production & Sourcing | Finance
➤ Scaled globally via Ecommerce, Wholesale, Pop-ups & Strategic Collaborations
➤ Pioneered sustainable products—over 1,000+ unique eco-luxury designs
➤ Sold 1M+ units across Intimates, Swim, Sleep & Apparel
➤ Recruited and retained a best-in-class team, Board of Directors & investor partners
➤ Self-funded to proof-of-concept; successfully raised $8M+ in capital
Guess? Inc. | Chief Design Officer
Global Design Leader accountable for setting vision and executing products to market across Men’s, Women’s, Kids, Shoes,Accessories, Watches, and Perfume for $2.6 billion.
Los Angeles, California x Florence, Italy | 2013 - 2014
Led all design and product development teams, located on 2 campuses - Los Angeles, CA and Florence, Italy.
Set brand vision and directed all licensees
Accountable to all channel executives, Wholesale, Retail, Direct, Licensed Retail across NA, Asia, Africa, SA
Bought all genders previously licensed Lingerie, underwear, and swimwear in-house: broke even in the first year.
Unified Denim fits into a centralized global offer and authored an Innovation pipeline – FleX & CurveX
Developed Dare Perfume with Coty, notes & scent, bottle & packaging design to launch #1 perfume franchise.
Created an exclusive dual gender loungewear collection for Macy’s on STM, met Q4 goals, and secured real estate.
Reorganized global teams and recruited top talent into both leadership and supporting roles.
Integrated brand under unified seasonal concepts to create a single voice for global advertising campaigns.
Presented the collection global to all markets and the press via press events, runway, and market openings
Victoria’s Secret | Executive Vice President Design
Consistently delivered legacy lingerie sub-brand growth YOY; Very Sexy, Miraculous, Dream Angels, and Lacie.
Conceived & operationalized evolutionary STM initiatives, read and react, and testing techniques (Panties and Swim).
Launched: Black Label VS Premiere Collection, ‘Secret’ by VS Shapewear collection, VS Hosiery and more.
Grew Swimwear business from a direct-only business of $90 million into a 365-day-a-year lifestyle collection of $800 Million.
Concepted and launched the Lacie Panty (one size), which accounted for an additional +$1 billion over tenure.
Over a decade as an executive leader across Design & Merchandising.
Managed all aspects of design for half of the ~$7billion brand. Growing all categories across Lingerie, Swim, Apparel, Shoes & Accessories from concept to market.
New York City, New York | 2000-2013
A|X Armani Exchange | Divisional Merchandise Manager
New York City, New York | 1995 – 2000
Managed all merchant roles, OTB, Planning, Allocation, Retail, Ecommerce & International store expansion
Worked in Milan with Women’s Armani team: seasonal concept to development through fit approvals.
Presented seasonal collections to Mr. Armani 5x a year for his direct approval.
Re-launched denim collection from EU AJ to modern A|X fit offer, Launched Swimwear collection.
Education
Fashion Institute of Technology New York, New York
Bachelor of Science in Marketing (Magna Cum Laude)
Associate of Applied Science Design
Paris Fashion Institute Paris, France
Trimester Abroad