
Jessica Helfand, Ellen McGirt|Audio
October 8, 2019
S7E1: Caroline Wanga
Caroline Wanga is chief culture, diversity, and inclusion officer and vice president of human resources at Target.
Wanga sat down after speaking at The Design of Business | The Business of Design conference, wearing African fabric dress, a necklace with the national seal of Kenya, and bespoke shoes from Etsy with the words “Wanga Woman” carved into the wooden platforms.
Wanga explained:
I spent a long time especially in corporate America dressing in what is traditional dress because I thought that’s what you had to do and I hated every minute of it particularly cardigans. Can’t stand cardigans. Not hating on cardigan wearers — it’s just not my thing.…
I don’t ask about dress code when I’m asked to come speak, because I don’t care because I will never be inappropriate but I probably won’t be traditional. And if you want to manage what I’m wearing, then you don’t want me. So I’ll decline the invitation.
I will not tell anybody else what to wear. But if what I’m wearing gives you permission to wear something you want to, I will celebrate with you I will walk with you.
Subscribe to The Design of Business | The Business of Design on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app.
A big thanks to our sponsor, Mailchimp.
Observed
View all
Observed
By Jessica Helfand & Ellen McGirt
Related Posts

Civic Life
Ellen McGirt|Audio
Compassionate Design, Career Advice and Leaving 18F with Designer Ethan Marcotte

Design of Business | Business of Design
Ellen McGirt|Audio
Love Letter to a Garden and 20 years of Design Matters with Debbie Millman

Business
Ellen McGirt|Audio
Redesigning the Spice Trade: Talking Turmeric and Tariffs with Diaspora Co.’s Sana Javeri Kadri

Design of Business | Business of Design
Ellen McGirt|Audio
Making Space: Jon M. Chu on Designing Your Own Path
Recent Posts
Compassionate Design, Career Advice and Leaving 18F with Designer Ethan Marcotte Mine the $3.1T gap: Workplace gender equity is a growth imperative in an era of uncertainty A new alphabet for a shared lived experience Love Letter to a Garden and 20 years of Design Matters with Debbie MillmanRelated Posts

Civic Life
Ellen McGirt|Audio
Compassionate Design, Career Advice and Leaving 18F with Designer Ethan Marcotte

Design of Business | Business of Design
Ellen McGirt|Audio
Love Letter to a Garden and 20 years of Design Matters with Debbie Millman

Business
Ellen McGirt|Audio
Redesigning the Spice Trade: Talking Turmeric and Tariffs with Diaspora Co.’s Sana Javeri Kadri

Design of Business | Business of Design
Ellen McGirt|Audio