I've always believed that when women support other women, incredible things can happen. And that's exactly what Sali Christeson had in mind when she founded Argent 10 years ago. What started as a mission to reinvent women's workwear has become something much bigger: a community of accomplished, ambitious professionals who lift each other up (and look pretty fabulous doing it!) that includes everyone from Ava DuVernay and Lisa Ling to Huma Abedin. The brand has even forged connections with Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris. I've been proud to be one of the retailer's "Work Friends," alongside accomplished women featured in the brand's campaigns and storytelling initiatives that celebrate our careers and inspire the next generation.
I recently joined Sali and an extraordinary group of women at a dinner at Marcel in New York City to celebrate Argent's 10th anniversary. It was a wonderful reminder of what Sali has built — and how far her vision has come. I wanted to share some of the warmth I felt that night with you, so I interviewed Sali about Argent's evolution, from her childhood on a South Carolina farm to the challenges of starting a business with absolutely no fashion experience. Here's our convo!
Katie: Sali, first off, congratulations! Your baby, Argent, is turning 10! But let’s start at the very beginning: Where did you grow up, and what were you like as a kid?
Sali: Thank you so much, Katie! That’s right, my firstborn Argent is celebrating its 10th birthday, which is hard to believe. To take you back to my pre-Argent days, I am a child of the ‘80s. I grew up on a farm in South Carolina and spent summers in Turkey, which gives you a sense of how unique my upbringing was. In my earliest years, I was quiet, observant, confident, and eager to keep up with an older brother. I rode horses, hunted, played sports (with the boys), and tagged along when my dad went to work. As I got older and became more outgoing, I was very entrepreneurial. I started businesses selling anything from horseshoe picture frames to hand-painted piggy banks. You could find me sitting in my dad’s office at his computer, dreaming of the day I'd have my own desk and stapler — with no idea what I really wanted to do.
Your career didn’t begin in fashion, did it?
No, I went to a small liberal arts school for college — shout-out to Furman! — and then got my MBA from the University of South Carolina with a focus on operations and supply chain. My first professional job after undergrad was at a bank during the global financial crisis. After grad school, I joined Cisco and moved to Silicon Valley, where I focused on operations and supply chain management.
How did your work experience inspire you to start Argent?
In every role, I continued to see women left behind in the workforce — from their opportunities to get ahead, blatant sexism, and the dearth of options for the necessary workwear they wore every day. I experienced it myself. Then, in 2015, I read a study that found women were not only judged on their appearance, but that it affected their earning potential by 20 to 40 percent over their lifetime. That was the catalyst for me to leave my job at Cisco and create a clothing brand that was entirely a resource for women and had a mission to remove barriers.
What was the hardest part of starting your own business?
Besides not having any fashion experience beyond a retail job at Banana Republic in my teens? Some of the hardest parts were finding the right team, securing investment, and figuring out the right strategy. If I had to point to one challenge that transcended the rest, it was the vulnerability and isolation. Starting something from scratch can be incredibly lonely.
What was your fashion philosophy when starting the brand?
What women wear matters — to them, more than to anyone else. An outfit, particularly a suit, can give women the power to navigate the many professional spaces they’re in with total ease and confidence in the skills, perspectives, and experience they bring to the table.
How did you come up with the name?
My maternal grandfather started Argent Lumber Company in the early 20th century. When I was creating my company and brainstorming names, I kept coming back to that one. Ultimately, we settled on Argent as it was nostalgic, undefined, and strong.
You’ve been able to corral an incredible number of well-known professional women to be ambassadors for the brand. How did that come to be?
From the very beginning, Argent has always been bigger than the clothing. I wanted to create a brand for working women, rooted in functional, versatile, beautiful clothing made with the highest-quality materials. A few years into the brand, we launched Work Friends, our marquee editorial franchise that celebrates women with incredible careers — often ones who don’t get the spotlight they deserve. The series was born to tell stories and offer representation for the next generation. Work Friends became an opportunity to celebrate and inspire, and has since grown exponentially. The latest cast for our 10-year campaign featured 100 of them! I’m honored to count these women as friends and ambassadors of the brand, as they inspired me to start Argent in the first place.
How do you convince so many women to be part of your campaigns?
When it comes to our Work Friends — as well as guests who appear on the podcast, also called Work Friends — we're very intentional about who we cast, why, and when. We typically tie our conversations in the campaign, and on the podcast, to career milestone moments. We deeply admire all the women in our orbit, and have sometimes asked them to participate multiple times before they say yes. As you know, Katie, I can be very persistent!
Is there a typical Argent woman?
There isn’t a typical Argent woman, but there are shared traits among our community: They’re ambitious and time-strapped, and they understand that looking and feeling amazing go hand in hand. I admire every woman who does good work, supports those around her, and operates from a mindset of abundance. There’s room for all women to succeed.
What do you hope to accomplish in the next 10 years?
After a decade in business, our goal remains the same: Argent aims to be a resource for women at work and beyond, while supporting initiatives that build a more equitable future. I’m excited to keep introducing new styles, telling more women’s stories through our editorial series, and creating more meaningful opportunities for women to come together IRL.
